Official Texans vs. Vikings Game Thread, 10/4/2020
 

The 0-3 Minnesota Vikings visit the 0-3 Texans this Sunday in an early game on FOX. Unless there's a tie, someone will still have a goose egg in the win column after the game. The Texans are coming off a 28-21 road loss at Pittsburgh, the Vikings are coming off a 31-30 home loss to the Tennessee Titans. Players to watch on the Vikings are QB Kirk Cousins, RB Dalvin Cook and rookie WR Justin Jefferson (LSU) who had 7 catches for 175 yards, 1 TD versus the Titans.

The Vikings are one of two teams the Texans have never beaten - 0-4 all time (the other team is the Eagles). These two last met in 2016 in Minnesota with the Vikings winning 31-13.

The Vikings have already fallen to the Colts and Titans so it will be some measure to see how well the Texans do. I'm gonna pick the Texans here but I would not be surprised if the Vikings win:

Texans 30, Vikings 28

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TV = FOX (channel 26 local), noon CST, Sunday, 10/4/2020

Announcers = Chris Myers, Brock Huard, Greg Jennings

The line = Texans by 3½ to 5

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Other Sunday viewing in the Houston area:

CBS (early) = TBD (click here for updates)

CBS (late) = New England @ Kansas City, Jim Nantz, Tony Romo

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Prime time:

TNF = Denver @ NY Jets (NFLN)

SNF = Philadelphia @ San Francisco (NBC)

MNF = Atlanta @ Green Bay (ESPN)

Most of the country is getting Chargers at the Bradyneers.

The other three options are Indy at Chicago, Baltimore at the Washington Weinerschnitzels, and the Minshews against the Bungels.

Yep, it's now showing San Angeles vs. the Brady's....

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I'm hearing they are letting in a small crowd for the game on Sunday..... 13K or so....

Cam Newton has tested positive so the Pats vs. Chiefs is scrubbed for CBS late game. There's talk of the two teams playing on Monday.

In the meantime, Sunday's late game on CBS will be:

Indianapolis @ Chicago, Greg Gumbel, Rich Gannon

Vikings get on the board first with a Dalvin Cook 5 yard TD run.

Vikings 7, Texans 0

5:05 left in the 1st qtr.

Texans look uninterested.

Vikings tack on a Bailey 31-yard FG.

Vikings 10, Texans 0

12:41 left in the half.

Woohoo! Fairbairn is good from 50!

Vikings 10, Texans 3

8:50 left in the half.

Cook runs it in from 7 yards.

Vikings 17, Texans 3

1:53 left in the half.

Texans get a 28-yard FG from Fairbairn with 27 seconds left in the half.

Vikings 17, Texans 6

Vikings open the second half with a 3 and out. Texans take the ball and drive down and finish off with a 24-yard pass to Fuller.

Vikings 17, Texans 13

9:47 left in the 3rd qtr.

Vikings miss on a 55-yard FG.

Texans will have the ball with good field position.

Still 17-13.

7:29 left in the 3rd qtr.

Big 43-yard pass to Fuller sets up a Fairbairn 25-yard FG.

Vikings 17, Texans 16

5:30 left in the 3rd qtr.

9-yard pass to Thielen goes for a TD.

Vikings 24, Texans 16

41 seconds left in the 3rd qtr.

We haven't stopped anyone all year and we punt on 4th and 3 down 8 in the 4th quarter? Are we seriously betting it's more likely we get 2 stops to win then it is we pick up a 4th and 3??? I bet we never get closer than 8 after that gutless call.

Mattison runs one in from 4 yards out for another Viking TD.

Vikings 31, Texans 16

10:50 left in the game.

Watson hits Stills in the end zone on 4th and 10 for the TD! 24 yards.

Vikings 31, Texans 23

5:52 left in the game.

Defense has got to stop the run cause that's what the Vikes will do....

Eesh, Fuller's TD catch is ruled a bobble and incomplete.

Game over.

Well, there goes 2020.... maybe it's time for a coaching change...

Final score:

Vikings 31, Texans 23

I've seen better tackling in girls' flag football....

Cook's YAC must have been over 100 yards.

Looks like the Dolphins will have a pair of Top 10 picks again this year. At least the Fins play like they want it.

We'll know more after next week, but right now it nowhere near unreasonable to argue that the Texans are the worst team in the league. I watched the Jets the other day. I know Buford did too since they were playing his favorite team. Are the Texans better than the Jets? No. I'm watching the Giants now. Are they better than the Giants? No.

I mean, the games on the schedule with any sort of possibility of a win are the Jags and the Lions. The Texans aren't as good as either of those teams. The more futility the team shows on the field and the more and more obvious it becomes that Cal has zero intention of making any sort of significant change, the players will just simply quit. They haven't totally quit yet, but they're getting close.

If they get their asses handed to them next week, I don't know how anyone stops the snowball.

Bob McNair always looked like he cared about being a respectable team more than he cared about being a winning team. When Kubiak made us a laughingstock, patient Bob fired him midseason. He let him stay after repeatedly failing to win, but making us a joke was a fireable offense. In a few weeks the national media will latch onto the fact that we're the worst team in the league and we don't have our own picks, and we will be a joke. We might be the biggest joke ever at that point. I can't ever remember a team in the top 5 of the draft who had traded away their first 2 picks ahead of time. The media will jump on that harder than they jumped on the Hopkins trade. Hopefully Arizona will be in the playoff race to throw salt in the wound.

I've recently moved to College Station, and they had the Brady vs anyone over the Texans, 70 miles from the game. Thankfully I have the Sunday Ticket.

I almost wish I had watched Brady play. If you took the under for how long Bill would let someone else call the plays at 3 games, than you can collect your money.

Texans still looking for their first turnover (takeaway). They have 5 giveaways - 3 Watson INTs (none yesterday) and fumbles from Coutee and Carter (yesterday's only giveaway).

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The Vikings won time of possession 36:31 to 23:29.

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Early line has the Texans as 6½ to 7 pt favorites over the Jags this Sunday. Texans 0-4 ATS.

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Tonight's viewing:

New England @ Kansas City (CBS; 6 PM CST; Jim Nantz, Tony Romo)

Atlanta @ Green Bay (ESPN; 7:50 PM CST)

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Some may also be interested in this afternoon game:

Houston Astros @ Oakland Athletics, 3:07 PM, TBS

National Media is turning on BOB.

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/as-texa...220327550.html

Hopefully it gets bad enough that they can't ignore it.

Check out this one:

https://twitter.com/ESPNNFL/status/1313115352059056128

Welcome to town -- I live in Bryan. My understanding is that since we're outside of the Texans' TV market area, CBS/Fox decides what games we get.

As for Fox, KYLE, the "local" affiliate is really just a re-branded version of the KWKT broadcast from Waco/Temple/Killeen. So we get whatever games Fox gives Waco and Fox doesn't seem to view Waco as having particularly strong ties to the Texans. If there is a choice between showing the Cowboys and the Texans, it will be the Cowboys every time.

If the Texans are on CBS, we will almost always get the Texans on KBTX because, I assume, B/CS is so close to Houston. But it's not automatic, and if the Texans are sucking and there is a sexier game available then we may be out of luck.

I remember when Austin affiliates had issues with showing the Texans or the Titans during Vince Young's quick NFL career. Show the Texans, Longhorn fans complained. Show the Titans, Texans fans complained. The station finally decided to post a poll on their website and let the viewers decide.

I imagine B/CS had the same issue when Johnny Manziel was a Brown, although that didn't last long.