Houston Texans: Keke Coutee’s health and production more important than ever

The Houston Texans announced yesterday that Will Fuller tore his ACL against the Dolphins. Keke Coutee is going to need to stay healthy and step up in his absence.

The Houston Texans are on quite a tear over the path month or so. After struggling to a 0-3 record to start the season, the Texans have ripped off five straight wins and have sole possession of first place in the AFC South. On top of that, all of their division mates seem to be trending down. It’s still early but the path to the playoffs is getting quite clear.

The Sunday matchup against the Broncos in Denver has a Texans team riding high with one game left until their bye week. They are coming off of their best game of the season on a Thursday night tilt against the Dolphins. The final score, 42-23, has the Texans winning by a large margin when, in reality, it probably could have been a lot bigger had there not been a few extremely lucky plays by the Dolphins.

The offense completely balled out. Deshaun Watson had more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4). Will Fuller caught a huge bomb and ended up with 120+ yards and a touchdown. Lamar Miller had his first 100+ yard effort of the season, against his former team no less. DeAndre Hopkins was DeAndre Hopkins and made the best catch that (unfortunately) never was.

The defense also had a wonderful game putting a struggling Dolphins offense, led by Houston Texans legend Brock Osweiler, in its place. The team collected two sacks, seven tackles for loss, five QB hits, seven pass deflections, and one interception. There also was the strip sack, fumble recovery for a touchdown that was controversially overturned.

All in all, it was a terrific performance by a team that has evolved exponentially over eight weeks of this season. However, the Houston Texans did not escape this incredible victory unscathed. Fuller was one of a few Texans that could not finish the game and unfortunately, he’ll miss the rest of the season with an ACL tear.

It is going to be extremely hard to replace Fuller. He has top-end, breakaway speed that few can rival on this team and throughout the league. Fortunately, the Texans have an up-and-comer who can begin to fill the void that Fuller has left in the offense. Will he completely fill it? Probably not but he can certainly pick up the slack.

That man is Lufkin-native, rookie wideout Keke Coutee. Coutee missed out on the first three games of his NFL career due to a hamstring injury but when he made his debut, his impact was immediately felt. He broke out for 100+ yards his first game and saw his yardage dip his second game but he scored his first touchdown.

Coutee than had a mediocre game against the Bills but, then again, so did the entire team. Next up, Jacksonville. This game went swimmingly for the Texans but Coutee pulled his hamstring again and missed the majority of the game. With a quick turnaround of a Thursday night game, there was no way Coutee was going to play against the Dolphins.

More from House of Houston

• Are you the 2021 FanSided Sports Fan of the Year?
• Houston Texans: 4 reasons Romeo Crennel is right coach right now
• Astros-Twins Wild Card Series: 5 things to know as MLB postseason begins
• Houston Texans: The Most Underrated Sports Drought Ever
• Houston Texans: J.J. Watt’s early case for NFL Hall of Fame

Coutee is listed as questionable for the Broncos game but should be able to play in it barring any setbacks. Let me tell you, the Houston Texans are going to need him. The Broncos have two talented corners on the edge in Chris Harris and Bradley Roby, though Harris had been outstanding this year while Roby has struggled.

The Texans desperately need the Week 4 and 5 Coutee to show up the rest of the year in order for the offense to remain as effective as it’s grown to be this season. The Texans need someone to step up to ensure opposing teams can’t double cover Hopkins and blanket him with a safety.

Coutee is the man to fix that prospective problem. They need his production from his first two games to become the norm. They also need him to continue to work on his fitness and conditioning so he’s available down the stretch for this team.

Through four games, Keke Coutee has caught 21 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. When he’s played and been healthy he’s been everything the Houston Texans hoped he’d be when they selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft.