The Houston Texans’ season is incredibly impressive not only because of the preseason expectations that preceded it but the adversity it has gone through as well.
Injuries to virtually all of the Texans stars – from C.J. Stroud to Laremy Tunsil to Nico Collins and Tank Dell, among others – have set them back. Yet Houston has managed to get to 9-7 and within striking distance of the playoffs. All that needs to happen is a win against the hosting Indianapolis Colts on Saturday.
This marathon of a season has been a testament to the team’s resiliency and adaptability. That was on display in Week 17, when tight end Brevin Jordan was asked to play fullback in Andrew Beck’s absence.
He stepped up, providing multiple key blocks and a touchdown grab in the Texans’ 26-3 win over the Tennessee Titans.
On “Coffee With Coach,” first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans spoke about Jordan’s adventure into the backfield.
“He fit right in! That’s what it is, we figured it out,” Ryans said. Brevin was excited about that opportunity and it was just cool to see like when he made a block and to hear how everybody’s just fired up.
“He’s coming off to the sideline, we’re high-fiving because everybody knows what goes into that, how much it means just to make that block. Brevin, we always talk about dominating your one-on-one and he did that in those instances being at the fullback position.”
Jordan made most of his impact on the ground, where Houston would run for 111 yards. Starting running back Devin Singletary had the lion’s share of the work, rushing 16 times for 80 yards.
The tight end would finish with two catches for 19 yards and a score to put the cherry on top of a successful Sunday.
“Nothing cooler than to see him make the play, the catch, from C.J. for the touchdown,” Ryans said. “Brev has done a great job all year and he’s continued to get better at tight end/fullback. He’s doing a good job of blocking but he’s a young player who’s continuing to ascend.”
Week 17 was Jordan’s third-highest-graded game of the year by Pro Football Focus and the fifth-highest among Texans offensive players who played significant time on Sunday. If nothing else, Houston learned it has a nice depth option at fullback.
With a short week and two “Did Not Participate” designations to his name, Beck could miss the regular-season finale in Indianapolis. Expect Jordan to continue spelling him should that be the case.
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