3 Bold Predictions for Texans vs. Seahawks in MNF Matchup

The Houston Texans are traveling to face the Seattle Seahawks for Week 7 in what will be their second Monday Night Football game of the season, and a contest that has some steep implications for both sides.

For the Texans, they enter this one 2-3 fresh from the bye last week, and searching for a third-straight win that would breathe some serious life into a season that once looked dead in the water. For the 4-2 Seahawks, a win could keep them up to par for a potential first-place finish in a tough NFC West, and start a win streak of sorts of their own to keep the positive momentum of their year flowing.

But how could the night end up panning out for both sides, and what surprises could be in store in the second of a Monday night doubleheader? Primetime bouts are always bound to have a few eye-catching, unexpected moments, and this one will likely be no different.

Here’s a handful of three bold predictions for how the events could shake out in Seattle for the Texans:

Jaxon Smith-Njigba has gotten off to about as hot of a start through six games as one could imagine. Heading into the week, he leads the NFL in total receiving yards at just under 700, has been the focal point of Seattle’s standout offense, and might even be the center of some early All-Pro talks for the end of the season.

But Smith-Njigba will have his hands full against this Texans secondary come Monday night.

Everyone knows how dominant the Texans’ defense has been this season, and a lot of that credit goes to the secondary. Jalen Pitre has become a difference-maker and a ball hawk in his sample size, cornerback duo Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter continues to be top of the league, and the safety unit, despite cutting ties with C.J. Gardner-Johnson earlier in the year, hasn’t shown any signs of regression just yet.

A bad day by Smith-Njigba’s standards would be around four catches for less than 80 yards––his lowest totals of the season shown in Week 4 vs. the Arizona Cardinals. Don’t be shocked if his stat line at the end of the night looks similar to that instead of his typical high level of production against a tough matchup.

C.J. Stroud’s past two weeks have been some of his best since his rookie season. Against the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens, the Texans quarterback has thrown for a combined 477 yards and six touchdowns, completing an average of 81.9% of his passes.

Extremely solid work from the third-year quarterback as of recent. But that story might look a bit different against a strong Seattle defensive front–– one of the top defensive units in the league, currently ranked as the sixth-best scoring defense on the year, and top ten in the NFL for team sack rate (7.7%).

If Stroud’s protection shows any lapses from the last two weeks against sub-par competition, finding his flow offensively could have some slight challenges. It’s hard to imagine an abysmal performance o the Texans’ quarterback’s behalf, but a near-perfect outing as his last two have been might be wishful thinking.

In Week 5 vs. Baltimore, the day wasn’t as shining for rookie running back Woody Marks as he saw during his 100+ scrimmage yard, two-touchdown performance in Tennessee. Veteran Nick Chubb took ahold of the lion’s share of touches, was the clear number back ahead of Marks, and left those with fantasy stock in the fourth-round runner a bit disappointed.

Maybe Week 7 in Seattle could be different. It’s an extremely tough matchup against a Seattle run defense that ranks near the top of the NFL through six games, but that strength might just lead to Marks getting another dose of opportunity in hopes that the Texans can find more explosiveness on the ground, or maybe as a contributor on passing downs.

That’s to say, don’t sell off your Marks stock just yet, as this time around could be a perfect opportunity to bounce back from a dud vs. the Ravens.

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