Offense gets a kick start
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn is emerging as an extremely valuable part of the offense, a study in reliability and necessity.
With the red zone offense struggling, going 1 for 4 in the red zone and the offense converting just 1 of 9 third downs, Fairbairn was leaned on heavily during a 29-22 win over the New York Jets on Saturday night at MetLife Stadium.
Fairbairn made five field goals and two extra points, scoring 17 points overall.
He leads the NFL with 136 points and 34 field goals. Fairbairn has made his last 12 field goals, not missing a kick since a win at Washington.
“He did a great job,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “Fairbairn has been such a consistent guy for us, really since the day he walked in. We have a lot of trust in him. He has come up big for us. Ka’imi has great poise. Nothing fazes him. He is really a neat guy and we are lucky he’s our kicker.”
Fairbairn made a 53-yarder along with kicks from 41, 32, 49 and 40 yards.
“He’s great,” Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson said of Fairbairn. “We rely on him a lot. We want to score points and instead of having field goals, we want him kicking extra points. Whenever we need him and he has to come through, he comes through big. He’s calm and he doesn’t say too much. He goes about his business and does really well.”
Miller ankle injury likely not ‘major’
Texans veteran running back
Lamar Miller injured his right ankle in the first quarter and was unable to stay in the game.
Miller limped off the field with trainers. He got checked out on the sideline and went back into the game, but was unable to stay in the game.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien downplayed the severity of the injury.
“I think he will be all right,” O’Brien said. “I don’t think it’s major, but we’ll have to see when we get back to Houston.”
Miller was replaced by backup running back Alfred Blue, who rushed for only six yards on nine carries.
Miller had only rushed for eight yards on three carries before exiting the game. The Texans rushed for just 47 yards 17 carries, the second week in a row the running game has disappeared.
“It’s been tough,” O’Brien said. “I give the Jets, I give the Colts a lot of credit. Both teams did a really good job of stuffing the run. Good players and good scheme and it’s been tough, so we have to try to go back to the drawing board on that and see if we can get it better.”
Hopkins plays hurt on game-winner
Texans All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ body control during his game-winning touch- down catch was impressive.
It was another acrobatic gamewinner for Hopkins, who was playing hurt on his 14-yard touchdown catch when he turned his ankle earlier in the drive.
Hopkins was carried off the field by quarterback Deshaun Watson and running back Alfred Blue, but he went back in the game and it isn’t regarded as a long-term injury. “I rolled my ankle on a slant at the beginning of that drive, so it was hard to run out there,” Hopkins said. “The guys knew it. I stayed down for a minute, and they came over and took me off.”
Hopkins jumped over Jets defensive back Morris Claiborne despite aggressive press coverage.
“I knew he didn’t go for the fake, so I had to get position on him,” Hopkins said. “I let him get close to the ball, so I didn’t want to run past him. I tried to stay in front of him, so hopefully it would be a jump ball and I was able to get it.”
For the season, Hopkins has caught 94 passes for 1,321 yards and 11 touchdowns.
“Hopkins is unbelievable,” Claiborne said. “His catch radius when the ball is around him, he is a hell of an athlete. He is a tough guy to cover, especially when you have to go against him and Watson because can basically put it anywhere around him. If his eyes are on it, there’s a good chance he will come up with it.
“I told him when he was getting up off the ground, ‘Hey, that was a good catch.’ That’s why he gets paid to make those type of catches.”
Zach Fulton returns; 6 others scratched
Texans veteran offensive guard
Zach Fulton was back in the starting lineup after missing one game with a hand injury.
Fulton was listed as questionable on the injury report.
The Texans deactivated wide receiver Keke Coutee for the third game in a row due to a hamstring injury.
They also scratched running back D’Onta Foreman, cornerback Deante Burton, offensive tackle Roderick Johnson, defensive end Carlos Watkins and defensive end Joel Heath.