The Washington Commanders [5-5] are back on the road with a short week to face the Houston Texans [1-7-1] in Week 11. Washington is coming off an upset of the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football.
The Texans enter Sunday’s game, having not won a game since Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston tied the Indianapolis Colts in the season opener. The Commanders have beaten both the Jaguars and Colts.
Washington and Houston don’t have a long and storied history. The two franchises have only met five times since Houston’s entry into the NFL in 2002. Washington won the first two meetings, while the Texans have won the previous three contests.
Here are five stats/facts to know heading into the Week 11 battle between the Commanders and Texans.
The 2006 game made NFL history
Washington quarterback Mark Brunell set an NFL record by completing 22 consecutive passes in one game. That distinction led to his jersey making its way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Brunell would finish the game by completing 24 of 27 passes for 261 yards and one touchdown. Running backs Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts combined to rush for 210 yards and three touchdowns in Washington’s 31-15 victory.
Brunell’s record has since been broken, but it was a historic day.
Commanders DTs Jonathan Allen & Daron Payne are a dominant duo
Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is second in the NFL with 11 tackles for loss. He is No. 1 among defensive tackles. Not far behind him is teammate Daron Payne, who has 10 tackles for loss. Rams superstar Aaron Donald has eight tackles for loss.
Check out Allen against Eagles guard Landon Dickerson last week.
-2nd down: Bama on Bama crime, Jonathan Allen vs Landon Dickerson
-3rd down: Washington gets the sack on Hurts #HTTC pic.twitter.com/x3YNwaaqF1
— 𝗙𝗢𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪 @𝗙𝗧𝗕𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱𝟳 (@FTBeard7) November 15, 2022
Texans rookie running back Dameon Pierce is a stud
Most missed tackles forced this season:
🥇Nick Chubb – 54
🥈Dameon Pierce – 53 pic.twitter.com/fws88FeJLq— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) November 15, 2022
This is an impressive statistic. Pierce is known for his impressive power, but he’s much quicker than most realize. Pierce has 772 rushing yards and three touchdowns this season. Washington’s defense presents a formidable challenge for Pierce and Houston’s running game.
Taylor Heinicke loves throwing to Terry McLaurin
Terry McLaurin was targeted on a season-high 38% of routes in Week 10. He has been targeted at a higher rate in four-straight games since Taylor Heinicke took over at QB.
McLaurin Target Rate by QB:
🔹 Taylor Heinicke: 30%
🔹 Carson Wentz: 16%#WASvsPHI | Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/8ewFrBiGdo— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 15, 2022
Taylor Heinicke will start at quarterback again this week for the Commanders. That’s good news for star wideout Terry McLaurin. According to Next Gen Stats, McLaurin’s target rate is 30%, with Heinicke under center. It was 16% with Carson Wentz under center through the first six games. Will McLaurin be matched up with rookie star corner Derek Stingley Jr?
Alex Smith's injury
The last time these two teams met was when former Washington quarterback Alex Smith suffered a gruesome leg injury. Washington had a good team that year that was in first place in the NFC East in November, but things changed drastically after that injury. Washington believed it was on its way to winning that game until Smith’s injury. The Texans, led by Deshaun Watson, ended up winning 23-21.
Smith missed the 2019 season but returned to Washington in 2020 and led the team to an unexpected NFC East title and playoff berth before retiring.
