Houston Texans: Three players the team needs to improve to win in week two
By T.A. Mock
Zach Cunningham, ILB
Expectations were riding high for Zach Cunningham this season after he vastly exceeded expectations last year in his rookie campaign. He took over when Brian Cushing went down with a PED suspension and never looked back.
Many expected to take him to make the leap to the upper echelon of inside linebackers, forming one of the best linebacking duos in the entire league with Benardrick McKinney. Unfortunately, they did not look the part against the Patriots last Sunday.
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Cunningham’s athletic ability and sound tackling was supposed to be a boon to this defense against the Patriots. I, for one, was extremely hopeful his skill set would give the Texans the perfect person to stop Rob Gronkowski.
It did not go very well. For the game, he allowed five receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots. He was very subpar with a grade of 43.6 in coverage. He was not much better against the run, grading out at 46.1. Fortunately, Cunningham kept up his sound tackling ability and graded out with an 80.7 there.
Cunningham should be able to bounce back pretty easily against the Titans as he pretty much bottomed out. The Titans also do not have a freak of a tight end like the Patriots. Regardless, the Texans need him to improve to capitalize against the Titans and get that first win.
dark. Next. Studs and Duds from the Texans week one loss
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