Coming off of a 25-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 12, the Arizona Cardinals (2-8) go to battle with the Houston Texans (5-4) today at NRG Stadium at 11 a.m.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!While on a six-game losing streak, Arizona welcomed back both quarterback Kyler Murray and running back James Conner into a lineup that desperately needed them against Atlanta.
Murray threw for 249 yards while completing 19-32 passes and Conner ran for 70 yards on 16 carries, a vast difference than what the Cardinals previously had when they were injured.
In the waning moments of the game, Cardinals kicker Matt Prater made a last second field goal to help his team comeback from behind against the Falcons last week.
Similarly, the Texans won in the same fashion as Arizona did last week.
Against the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston were winning 27-17 with less than four minutes left.
However, Cincinnati scored a touchdown and field goal to tie it 27-27 with 1:33 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Right before the time expired, Texans kicker Matt Amendola nailed a 55-yard field goal to give Houston their second-straight win.
With that being said, both teams won in dramatic fashion last Sunday and their offenses’ have the firepower to make this a shootout.
Don’t blink, because this game will be high-scoring.
Pregame Notes
Murray being back as the starting QB may turn the Cardinals season around.
Following a week where they only had 58 yards of offense against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 5, Murray nearly had five-times more himself.
Additionally, Conner’s quick turnaround from being taken off the IR on Nov. 8 to playing four days later helped orchestrate their first victory since late-September.
A rising star for the Cardinals is tight end Trey McBride who Murray will try to target as many times as he can once again.
Since the injury to TE Zach Ertz (quad), McBride has seized every opportunity so far as he has caught 36 passes for 418 yards.
In contrast, the Texans have the second-most passing yards per-game in the NFL with 287.4 which shows Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has been deadly accurate this season.
Two weeks ago, Stroud set an NFL record for most amount of yards thrown by a rookie as he had 470 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during Week 9.
Also, the Cardinals’ defense is the seventh-worst in terms of passing touchdowns allowed as they have given up 15.
Then, Houston running back Devin Singletary ran for 150 yards on 30 carries and scored a touchdown versus the Bengals.
The spectacle of it all, it was back-to-back weeks that a Texan would win the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Furthermore, wide receiver Noah Brown has had a combined total of 325 receiving yards in just the last two games alone.
But, Houston announced their inactive players for today’s game and Brown (knee) will not play today.
Replacing Brown, wide receiver Nico Collins will most likely slot in for his teammate against the Cardinals.
Inactives
Cardinals: wide receivers Zach Pascal and Michael Wilson, running backs Michael Carter and Emari Demercado, safety Joey Blount, offensive lineman Dennis Daley and defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter.
Texans: wide receiver Noah Brown, safety Jimmie Ward, quarterback Case Keenum, running back Dameon Pierce, linebacker Jake Hansen and Henry To’oTo’o, linebacker Eric Saubert.
Inactives vs. Texans pic.twitter.com/nWyPyCyvOm
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) November 19, 2023
Inactives for #AZvsHOU ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/h1PMrdeddL
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 19, 2023
History
Arizona have an overall record of 3-2 against Houston in five games, including one in the playoffs.
Previously, the Cardinals were 7-0 during the 2021 season when they beat the Texans 31-5 on Oct. 24, 2021.
Where to Watch
Today, CBS will broadcast the matchup at 11 a.m. MST between the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans.
*Get the BEST Phoenix sports insider information, exclusive content, and access to our seasonal magazines! SIGN UP HERE to unlock our premium content!*
Alec Cipollini is a reporter of the Arizona Coyotes and Cardinals for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on his X account @AlecCipollini
