With five games left this season the 69-88 Houston Astros will avoid 100 losses for the first time in four years.

24-year-old Jose Altuve is having a remarkable 2014 season with the Houston Astros. MVP worthy if he played on a good team. Altuve has already broken Craig Biggio's franchise record in hits. Jose Altuve is hitting .345 with 221 total hits this season, to go along with his 54 stolen bases (only 9 caught stealing) and 46 doubles. First player to reach those numbers since Ty Cobb in 1917 - 225 hits, 44 doubles, 55 steals.

Jose Altuve is a franchise player. The type of ballplayer we'll always remember even 40 or 50 years from now. It's time to put together a playoff team that can constantly compete for a World Series ring. I'm tired of still being in rebuild mode. We've got to turn the corner in 2015. We sort of did a little bit in 2014 but it's not good enough. If the Astros play their cards right they could legitimately compete for a few World Series during his prime years. He's still young enough to build the team around.

The most important thing the Astros can do this winter is sign a couple of good free agents, specifically some quality relievers, and significantly increase their team payroll. They have a chance to enter the 2015 season with some momentum. They actually did a lot of good things in 2014. The bad record aside they were able to compete in just about every game. A lot of tough one or two-run losses. They blew many late-inning leads and the bullpen is to blame.

The Texans placed rookie nose tackle Louis Nix III on injured reserve today and signed veteran nose tackle Ryan Pickett.

The coaches are looking to improve their interior run defense which has been struggling.

Ironically it was Jeoffrey Pagan out of Alabama who had several red flags about his health entering the draft. Out of the three potential playmakers the Texans drafted on defense - Clowney, Nix and Pagan - all of which were highly rated - it was Pagan who's health made him fall very far in the draft.

And yet Pagan has been the most healthy rookie of the bunch. He actually played hard against the Giants even though he wasn't credited with a tackle. He nearly one-handed intercepted a J.J. Watt batted pass off Eli Manning but was a half second too late and a little out of reach.

Sure, it would be nice if every highly touted rookie dominated especially as a defensive player but we're barely entering the fourth game of the 2014 season. A chance to be 3-1 and in first place in the AFC South. At the end of the day I'm just thankful this team is talented and pretty fun to watch even if some things haven't gone our way on the injury front.

First overall pick Jadeveon Clowney is nearing a return in two or three weeks.
The Houston Texans run defense will greatly improve with him back on the field.

Fact check of the day: The Houston Texans are the only team in the NFL without an arrest since 2010. That's actually a good thing when you take into consideration all of the negative feedback and turmoil the National Football League has been under in recent months. Domestic violence, in particular, has been a tremendous problem that was swept under the rug for a long time. Drug-related offenses and DUIs are the other common arrests among the nearly 1,700 players. This is why people are so critical of current NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell.

Exactly why we wouldn't be interested in some of the top quarterback talent in the 2015 NFL Draft. Which is why I'd like to see what we have in Ryan Mallett and eventually Tom Savage if it ever came down to that. Ryan Fitzpatrick is already a 10-year veteran and he'll be in the league a couple more years at best. I think Ryan Mallett has potential to become a late bloomer and a two or three-time pro bowler in his mid-to-late 20s. You can win a Super Bowl with a guy like that. He's already 26 years old right now and we need to see what he has entering his prime years. I'm assuming he learned a thing or two backing up the great Tom Brady in New England for all of those years. He could be a nice little quarterback for the Texans until 2020. We should try and ride the rest of the decade out with him.

Second year safety D. J. Swearinger just needs to feed off a strong pass rush. Our overall team defense is weak right now with the Jadeveon Clowney injury. We need him back and dominating. He's still two or three weeks away from returning. Everything else will fall into place once some key players are back on the field. A guy like Swearinger can feed off of Clowney's presence which he was known to do at South Carolina. J.J. Watt is only one man. He needs more help. I think Brian Cushing is starting to look stronger which is a good sign but we need Brooks Reed and Whitney Mercilus to be more consistent. The Texans defensive line is struggling at the moment and giving up too many rushing yards.

We'll see what happens on Sunday when the Texans host the Bills. A win would improve the Texans to 3-1 and in first place in the AFC South.

Arian Foster had 23 carries for 157 rushing yards and 2 Touchdowns.
It sucks we lost 20-17 in overtime to the Dallas Cowboys. Tough loss.

I'm glad to see Arian Foster back to the Arian of old today.
Time to beat the Colts in Houston on Thursday Night.

We can regain sole possession of first place in the AFC South. I would be very happy being 4-2 and undefeated in conference play, along with control of the division. We also have Jadeveon Clowney, our first overall pick superstar, returning against the Steelers during Week 7 on Monday Night Football.

There is a lot to be excited about for the Houston Texans. Don't let today's loss get you down. There isn't any time to dwell on this one loss. Thursday Night at NRG Stadium will be rocking. National TV on CBS. We have to beat the Colts. Plain and simple.

Losing two road games to NFC teams doesn't hurt our playoff chances one bit. The games we have to win are the ones coming up against the Colts and Steelers. These are the games that matter the most. I believe the Houston Texans are doing just fine at 3-2 and overcoming some key injuries.

We went into the Cowboys house undermanned and outgunned and we still took them to overtime with a chance to win. The ball was in our hands in Cowboys territory. Bill O'Brien just got a little too cute with that passing call on 3rd and 2. We throw an incompletion and punted the game away in overtime.

We needed to run the ball on 3rd and 2. If we pick up even a yard I'd have gone for 4th and 1 if necessary. The way Arian Foster was running we'd probably have gotten the first down and eventually scored a Touchdown to win. Or at worse a field goal to prolong overtime.

Just a fantastic effort by the Texans today. They nearly pulled off a sweet road upset against an offensive powerhouse that was averaging about 38 points a game in their past three games.

We need better quarterback play. I'm not upset with Ryan Fitzpatrick but it would be nice if we had a quarterback who can make all the proper throws down the field. Fitzpatrick is missing on some big home run type of plays out there. Like on his interception in the first quarter. He had Arian Foster on the run and likely a TD pass if he put some zip on the ball. He underthrow it by a few yards right into Orlando Scandrick's hands. Maybe it was mis-communication.

On the 3rd and 2 pass, that we should have ran on, he was reading Arian Foster with his eyes. A big no-no for a quarterback. They teach you that in junior high football. He should have looked at some other progressions and checked his other reads. I guess the pass rush on the play was strong so he just had to get rid of it fast.

I see potential in the Texans moving forward. Whether Ryan Fitzpatrick improves or Ryan Mallett sees some snaps in the future. I think Thursday Night's game against the Colts will tell us a lot about the direction we need to go in. We have 11 days off after the Colts game and before the Steelers game on Monday Night. If we're 4-2 I'd stick with Fitzpatrick even if he plays poorly. If we're 3-3 and Fitzpatrick struggles again, I'd make the change to Ryan Mallett. With 11 days to prepare that's plenty of time. He's already had a month to learn the playbook already

We shall see what happens on Thursday Night. Huge game. We have to win!!!!! 4-2 or 3-3, we're going to be in the AFC wild-card race no matter what with Jadeveon "Beast" Clowney returning on Monday Night Football at Pittsburgh. I just hope we beat the Colts. This is our last game feeling undermanned. We're going to become a healthy and talented team soon. Hopefully on Thursday Night the Texans have what it takes to gut out a hard-fought home win at NRG Stadium.

Very encouraging game yesterday. We did everything right except win the game. But maybe this overtime loss will fuel the Texans playoff drive moving forward. If the Texans beat the Colts on Thursday Night I'll be happy with a 4-2 record and focusing on winning the AFC South division title.

We just need to relax and bring the noise on Thursday Night. This will feel like a playoff game. NRG Stadium will be packed and louder than ever. Losing to the Cowboys and Giants on the road, two strong NFC teams, should be viewed as a gut check and likely toughened this team up. The players and coaches should be proud of themselves and realize they can compete against the best teams.

I'd be more worried if I were still a hardcore Dallas Cowboys fan, which I used to be from 1997 to 2001 when the city of Houston had no NFL team. I saw a lot of Tony Romo being Tony Romo yesterday. Making costly mistakes under big-game pressure despite being one of the best quarterbacks in the game. That is why he's only won a single playoff game in his career despite having some amazing talent around him.

Tony Romo was fortunate Dez Bryant made that sensational catch on 3rd and 9 in overtime which set up the game-winning field goal. Only the greatest wideouts make that catch. Johnathan Joseph had great coverage on the play, but he never turned around to look for the ball, and tried to blindly cover Dez Bryant running from behind to make up for a couple of steps that Dez had him beat on. Perhaps Joseph could have knocked the ball away if he had made a play at the ball. Andre Johnson made plenty of those game-winning catches during his prime.

I have nothing more to add with this Monday morning rant. I'll probably add a couple more thoughts on the return of first overall pick Jadeveon Clowney as we get closer to the Monday Night game at Pittsburgh two weeks from now.

Thursday Night against the Colts is a must-win game for the Texans. The importance of this one game is undeniable.

Unbelievable. Another heartbreaking loss for the Texans. 33-28 against the Colts. The Texans drop to 3-3 on the season and I'm pretty bummed out with two tough losses in a row. All in the span of four days which feels like a double whammy. I liked the effort I watched and they could have easily gotten blown out once they fell behind early. They showed a lot of resiliency coming back from 24-0 down in this game, but just like the Dallas game they can't finish off an impressive come-from-behind win despite having the ball in their hands on a couple of critical drives late in the game. Andre Johnson fumbled on a potential game-winning drive and then Ryan Fitzpatrick fumbled on a last-gasp attempt. It just wasn't mean to be tonight.

Any positive stats don't matter in losses but the turnovers always stick out. J.J. Watt played another great game as well (another Touchdown) but it's hard to be a one man show defensively. It takes more than one great player for a defense to slow down a powerful offense like the Colts have.

I'm looking forward to the return of Jadeveon Clowney when the Texans play their next game October 20 at Pittsburgh. Hopefully it's not too late to make the playoffs. With a 3-3 record the Texans need to start a winning streak to make a run at a wild-card spot in the AFC. It's going to be difficult to overtake the Colts for the AFC South division title after tonight's loss but I wouldn't give up on a wild card spot just yet.

Not really much more to add right now. October 20 at Pittsburgh: Monday Night Football. It's going to be tough dwelling on two losses in a row for 11 more days but the Texans just need to keep playing hard. The season isn't over yet at 3-3. The return of Jadeveon Clowney will spark some excitement on defense.

We have to see what Ryan Mallett can do so we know whether or not we have to invest a potential first or second-round pick on a quarterback in the 2015 NFL Draft. At this point Tom Savage isn't going to be ready to play as a rookie this season. He's way behind in his development. Even if Fitzpatrick and Mallett got hurt, like Schaub and Leinart did a few years ago, we wouldn't start Savage. We'd sign a couple of free agent QBs and one of those guys would start with limited knowledge of the system.

All the while we're sitting here at 3-3 with two straight heartbreaking losses. We are still in the mix for an AFC wild-card spot. The winner of the Texans versus Steelers game on October 20 will have a leg up for that final wild card spot. Hopefully the Patriots and Ravens lose also. I believe better pass protection from the offensive line is going to come. Sometimes offensive linemen play harder for a quarterback who plays well. Not saying they aren't playing hard for Ryan Fitzpatrick but look at that final fumble by Fitzpatrick last night, a couple of those guys were jumping up and down in disgust like they knew it was going to happen. Maybe Ryan Mallett would spark some excitement for the entire offense. We'll never know if he doesn't play. Ryan Fitzpatrick can always go back into the game at any time. I just want to see Mallett start one game just to get his feet wet if nothing else.

The Texans have 10 days to prepare for the road game at Pittsburgh. If Bill O'Brien were thinking about a quarterback change this is the time to do it. With so many off days there is more time to game plan and prepare. His next opportunity? In early November during the bye week when we have 14 days off. Can we beat the Steelers, Titans and Eagles with Ryan Fitzpatrick? Sure. We may be able to reach 6-3 with what we have. If we do it's going to be because of Arian Foster and our dominating defense fueled by the return of Jadeveon Clowney.

I believe if we had a healthy Clowney we'd have beaten the Cowboys or Colts, maybe both. At least he's coming back the next game. I don't think the Texans defense played well in either game because they gave up too many points and yardage. J.J. Watt has been a one man wrecking crew but he needs a guy like Jadeveon Clowney anchoring the other side of the field. One great defensive player can't be everywhere on the field. Two great defensive players can at least account for each side of the field. It will make things more difficult for opposing offenses to block.

Another NFL Sunday is upon us. Officially it's Week 6. The Texans don't play again until next Monday Night. Waiting eight days for some NFL action seems like a long time but I plan to watch the Dallas Cowboys play today. The 4-1 Cowboys play the defending Super Bowl champion 3-1 Seattle Seahawks on the road. Game time today starts at 4:25 PM Eastern on FOX.

The Houston Rockets are 2-0 so far in the preseason with wins over the Mavericks and Grizzlies. They host the Phoenix Suns tomorrow night at 8:05 PM Eastern. They play back-to-back preseason games against the Suns on Monday Night and at New Orleans against the Pelicans on Tuesday Night. Also an 8:05 PM Eastern start time.

Tuesday: October 28, 2014 is when the Rockets begin their 2014-2015 NBA season with a road opener at Staples Center against Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. That game will tip off at 10:35 PM Eastern and can be seen nationally on TNT. It will also air locally on the Rockets' telecast (CSN Houston).

My expectations for the 2014-2015 Houston Rockets are pretty tamed to say the least. I'm not expecting much with a very young roster, deciding to be more cautious than believe any hype, and I'll be taking a game-by-game approach this season. They should make the playoffs if they stay healthy. Dwight Howard and James Harden have to evolve as superstars and take that next step for the team to become a serious contender and not just another first-round exit. Howard has to become a better free throw shooter and Harden has to play with more energy on the defensive end.

This post was edited by Madmartigan on Oct 12 2014 02:33am

Connor Barwin and DeMeco Ryans, two ex Texans, are both playing very well for a 5-1 Eagles team that looks dangerous on both sides of the ball. They just manhandled that really good Giants offensive line. And the Browns destroyed the Steelers. Man, maybe we should be worried about the Eagles and Browns game. I still expect the Texans to beat the Steelers and Titans. We should be 5-3 going into the Eagles game. I feel extremely confident with Jadeveon Clowney returning from injury.

Also the 5-1 Dallas Cowboys keep finding ways to win. I was very impressed with their 30-23 win at Seattle. Anytime you can beat the defending Super Bowl champions on the road that's a total team effort. Ultimately the Cowboys will be judged by what they do in the playoffs but I could see them making some noise and going deep. I'm hoping they can clinch home field advantage and avoid playing the Eagles in the divisional round.

Anyways, not much for now. I'm waiting for the Texans versus Steelers game next Monday Night. A battle of 3-3 teams that are desperately trying to remain in the AFC wild card race. The Texans will be hungry for a win after two heartbreaking losses in a row. The return of Jadeveon Clowney will fuel the entire team and make life even easier for J.J. Watt on the defensive side of the ball.

I'll be watching the Rockets versus Suns preseason game tonight. I enjoy watching all of the young players the Rockets have.