John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
It's going to be interesting to see how the Texans react to being two-point underdogs against the Jets in Thursday night's nationally televised game at MetLife Stadium.
The Texans are 6-2, and they've won four of their last five games. They own first place in the AFC South, and they're tied for the second-best record in the conference.
The Jets are 2-6 and in last place in the AFC East. They have a five-game losing streak, including three consecutive losses since Head Coach Robert Saleh was fired.
Perhaps the Texans are underdogs because both of their losses have come on the road to Minnesota and Green Bay. Or maybe it's because they won't have wide receivers Nico Collins or Stefon Diggs.
Perhaps it's because they've struggled to provide C.J. Stroud with consistent pass protection, and the Jets are fourth in defense, including second against the pass. And the home crowd will be loud and disruptive.
Or it could be residuals from last year's game at MetLife Stadium, where the Texans had their worst performance under Head Coach DeMeco Ryans, losing 30-6. It was a game in which Stroud suffered a concussion and finished with 91 yards passing on an offense that generated only 135 yards and 10 first downs.
But the main reason the Texans are underdogs is probably because the Jets have much better talent than their record indicates. Four of their last five losses have been by 1, 6, 3 and 3 points. In their last game, the Jets lost by three at New England, where the Texans won by 20.
Ryans and his coaches aren't looking back, of course. All they know is their team should be ready for such an important game, the first of three consecutive in prime time.
"I remember playing up there last year, but last year has no bearing on the game we're playing on Thursday," Ryans said this week. "We have a different team, and they have a different team. (That game) has nothing to do with where we are now. We're focused on our team this year, and it's about us getting ready to play our best."
Stroud is playing without Collins and Diggs, his most productive receivers. Collins should return from a hamstring injury in the next game against the Lions at NRG Stadium. Diggs is out for the season with a torn ACL. Stroud still has Tank Dell, Robert Woods, John Metchie III and Xavier Hutchinson at wide receiver.
Stroud will also utilize tight ends Dalton Schultz and Cade Stover and running backs Joe Mixon and Dare Ogunbowale in the passing game. Expect the Texans to run Mixon early and often unless they get too far behind and are forced to abandon the running game.
"This is my first time playing on Thursday, so I'm leaning on leadership from older guys," Stroud said. "It's a short week, but it's prime-time football. Got to be ready to play at a high level.
"I believe the Jets are going to be highly motivated. They've got a lot of weapons and one of the best quarterbacks (Aaron Rodgers) to ever play. Big fan of his. Their defense has some good corners, and (their) D-line is really good. They're a great defense. We've got to be able to withstand the surge early and keep building and rolling."
Ryans and offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik believe Stroud will have other players stepping up to help him replace Collins and Diggs as his go-to receivers. The Texans also will need a big-time performance from their defense.
"It's a team-first mentality," Ryans said. "I tell our guys it doesn't matter who makes the play and who gets the credit. It's not about credit. It's not about one person. It's about the entire team.
"You have different guys stepping up in all phases of the game, and nobody's looking for a pat on the back. That's how we operate. And I love that about our team because that's our culture. Team first over everything."
A lot of teams complain about playing on a short week but love the time off afterward. Ryans doesn't care when the Texans play. He's concerned about winning.
"As we evaluate each game, it's always an internal look at us and how we can play better," he said. "We go back and look closely to see where we can improve.
"The positive with playing on Thursday is that it's a short week, so you get to flush whatever happened, flush it out even quicker than the previous week. The best part about Thursday is getting the extended weekend off, and I know everybody's looking forward to a little off time.
The Texans are coming off a 23-20 victory over the Colts and a sweep of Indianapolis that allowed them to solidify their standing as the best team in the AFC South with a 3-0 division record and three more games to play against the Jaguars once and the Titans twice.
"There were a lot of things we can clean up, and we can play much better," Ryans said about beating the Colts. "As the season moves forward, it's about our team getting better. If we can continue to get better each week, we'll be in a good spot."
The Texans are playing a Jets team that has a lot of talent on both sides of the ball. Their kicking game has been a disappointment and contributed to the close defeats.
Their offense starts with Rodgers, who has 12 touchdown passes, seven interceptions and an 85.1 rating. His favorite targets are Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson. The Jets have running back Breece Hall, who's also an excellent receiver.
The Jets' defense is fourth (286.9 yards a game) in the NFL, two spots behind the Texans (280.3). Their front four is outstanding, led by tackle Quinnen Williams, who'll give the interior offensive linemen a lot of trouble against the run and pass. Their best defensive back is Sauce Gardner.
"They have playmakers all across the field, a lot of veteran guys who've been successful in this league for a while," Ryans said. "You look at their offense, and it's a tough match for us. You've got to play sticky in coverage versus these guys.
"At running back, they've got Hall and (Braelon) Allen -- explosive, physical backs that can make plays all (over) the field. And they've been a top-10 defense for a while. It's a tough matchup and one we're really excited about and looking forward to."
