The Rockets are riding a three-game winning streak thanks in large part to their improved defensive play.

In this episode of the Texans Sports Nation podcast, Jonathan Feigen and Jerome Solomon discuss that improvement, the return of assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik, plus the difficult stretch of games coming up, as the Rockets continue a five-game road trip.

The Texans won their sixth straight game on Sunday night and improved to 6-3 on the season headed into the bye week. 

Columnist Jenny Dial Creech and Texans beat writer John McClain discuss the 19-17 victory, new receiver Demaryius Thomas' return to Mile High Stadium and where the Texans stand headed into their off week.

Big trade. Case Keenum. The second half of the season.

There's a ton to discuss this week and the Houston Chronicle's John McClain and Brian T. Smith get into it all.

Will the Texans' five-game winning streak reach six at Denver? How will Demaryius Thomas help out Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins? And was the Bill O'Brien-Case Keenum "controversy" this week simply much ado about nothing?

McClain and Smith discuss it all on this week's episode of Texas Sports Nation's Texans podcast. 

Twitter: @McClain_on_NFL @ChronBrianSmith

There isn’t much deep analysis required to breakdown how the Rockets have gone 1-5 to start the 2018-19 season.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni put it succinctly: “Last year we played well, right now, we’re playing like crap.” 

That is a consensus opinion shared by Jonathan Feigen and Jerome Solomon on this episode of the Texans Sports Nation podcast.

Is the Rockets’ biggest problem offense or defense or injuries or lack of continuity? Yes, yes, yes and yes, says Feigen.

 

 

The Texans had their best performance of the season Thursday night, and much of the credit goes to their coaching staff says John McClain and Brian T. Smith.

McClain and Smith joined Jerome Solomon for this episode of Texas Sports Nation Podcast recorded in the coaches box at NRG Stadium after the Texans’ 42-23 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Smith said offensive line coach Mike Devlin has worked wonders with a no-name unit that was one of the worst in the league early in the season, while McClain said head coach Bill O’Brien put his players in position to make plays, with a sharp running game and downfield pass attack.

The Chronicle staffers discuss next week’s game at Denver, and take a look at the rest of the Texans’ schedule. How impressive is the team’s five-game winning streak? Who are all those little-known players stepping up as injury replacements? How good can this team be?

Listen to find out what the Texas Sports Nation experts have to say.

Jonathan Feigen and Jerome Solomon debut Rockets Weekly on the Texas Sports Nation podcast with the hottest (and wettest) topic from the first week of NBA action.

Feigen was at Staples Center for the fight between the Rockets and Lakers, and gives a full breakdown, almost frame-by-frame, of the fracas between the Rockets' Chris Paul and Los Angeles' Rajon Rondo. While they believe the suspensions were sufficient, Feigen and Solomon disagree on the technicality of who started the fight, with Feigen pointing to Rondo for throwing the first punch, while Solomon says the first blow was Paul's declaration of war in pushing Rondo in the face. Listen to find out if they think Rondo spit on Paul intentionally.

Feigen wraps up the episode with the "Stat of the Week," a shocking number that says a lot about how the Rockets are playing.

From 0-3 to 0-4, the Texans have had a stark turnaround to their season, and now find themselves in first place in the AFC South.

On this episode of Texas Sports Nation podcast, John McClain and Jerome Solomon are in the press box at TIAA Field, where the Texans just toppled the Jaguars 20-7.

McClain said the defense’s dominance and head coach Bill O’Brien’s offense game plan were key to the victory, as the Texans forced three turnovers and did not commit one for the first time this season.

Houston ran the ball 37 times and threw just 24 passes, and those were mostly of the quick variety to protect quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has a rib and sternum injuries and suffered a partially collapsed lung two weeks ago. Watson was sacked a season-low one-time on Sunday.

Next up for the Texans is Brock Osweiler, who played for Houston in 2016, and the Miami Dolphins. McClain wrap up the episode with what’s in store for Osweiler’s return.

Houston Chronicle sports editor Reid Laymance and columnist Jerome Solomon team up for this episode of “Texas Sports Nation Podcast” in what is one of the busiest weeks of the year in Houston sports.

Side note: They both expect the Astros playoff run into the American League Championship Series to continue with a win in Game 5 and a weekend trip to Boston.

As for the Texans, Laymance said he could see Sunday’s game against the Jaguars, which is a surprising matchup of two first-place teams, come down to which quarterback makes the biggest mistake. Solomon pointed out that Jaguar starter Blake Bortles is averaging nearly 40 passes a game, and not surprisingly he is tied for the NFL lead in interceptions.

Download this episode and subscribe to the podcast to keep up with the latest on the Texans. Look for another episode Sunday evening, as Solomon and John McClain recap the Texans-Jaguars game minutes after its completion from inside TIAA Bank Field.

The Astros return home to host the Boston Red Sox for Games 3, 4 and 5 of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park.

In a special Astros off-day edition of the Texas Sports Nation podcast, Texas Sports Nation editor Greg Rajan and Houston Chronicle baseball editor Steve Schaeffer share their observations from the series’ first two games and what to watch for in Game 3 on Tuesday afternoon.

The Texans’ 20-13 win over the Bills extended their win streak to three, but while they pulled out another win, the team still has its share of issues on offense.

The Chronicle’s Texans beat write John McClain and columnist Jenny Dial Creech discuss the game, which featured a few great plays on special teams and defense and a lot of bad offensive ones.

McClain and Creech also chat about injured quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was hit 12 times and sacked seven in Sunday's win.