The Houston Texans are one of the hottest teams in the NFL right now with a seven-game winning streak. However, that streak was in jeopardy in Week 16, as the Las Vegas Raiders played a close game.
The Texans pulled off the 23-21 win and are closing in on clinching a playoff berth. Though they have one of the best defenses in the NFL, they have decided to add to the defensive line ahead of their hopeful playoff run.
The Texans announced that they have signed Raiders defensive tackle Leki Fotu to the practice squad.
Foto started four games for Las Vegas this season, but was cut shortly before the Texans game. They didn’t get a chance to see him play in person, but they clearly like what he could bring.
The former fourth-round pick first came into the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, but has been bouncing around. He’s a huge body at 6-foot-5, 317 pounds, so he could have some value as a run stuffer for the Texans. He only has 4.5 career sacks, so he’s not much of a pass rusher. Since Houston has a stacked defense, he could have a hard time getting on the field, but he should provide some depth if they need it.
Do Texans Have Best Defense in NFL?
Statistically, the Texans have the best defense in the NFL this season. The Raiders have the worst offense in the league, so it looked like it would be a long day for Las Vegas.
However, the Raiders were able to put up their best offensive performance in weeks. Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty had 188 yards from scrimmage and two total touchdowns.
Though the Raiders lost, head coach Pete Carroll was happy with what he saw from his offense against a defense that he has a lot of respect for.
“This is the best defense in the NFL,” Carroll said after the Week 16 loss. “They’ve been doing it week in and week out. They’ve been on a roll. We went into it knowing that, considering how they’re going to find our ways. I thought [offensive coordinator Greg Olsen] and the fellas, they came up with a great opportunity for our guys to play free.”
How Were Raiders Able to Find Success on the Ground?
The Raiders have had the worst rushing offense in the NFL this season, so it was a surprise they finally got things going against an elite Texans defense. Carroll explained what the offense was about to do differently.
“When you can play to your kicking game and your defense and run the football, then things do fit,” Carroll said Monday. “And that’s a tremendous winning formula, not for us only, the game calls for it that way. There’s guys [that have] been talking that way for a lot of years in this league on all levels. The game hasn’t changed in that regard. So, it’s really pleasing to be able to see that be in front of us, and it was really clear how obvious it was.
“And we were ahead. We were in the game. And so, we were able to run the ball and keep the feeling going that we can do what we need to do to make our first downs and all of that. Guys were coming through. We converted better on third down for the first time in a while, and it was part of the good feeling about how we were playing in the makeup of it.”
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