Five Questions Ahead of Cardinals vs. Texans

The Houston Texans are gearing up for their Week 15 matchup at home against the Arizona Cardinals.

To learn more about the Texans' next opponent, we spoke with Arizona Cardinals On SI publisher Donnie Druin.

The Cardinals are 3-10 this season. Why have they taken a step back?

"They took a massive gamble on their offensive side of the ball reaching the next level, which clearly hasn’t worked. OL coach Klayton Adams was perhaps their biggest loss of the offseason and the Cardinals haven’t been able to run the ball since his departure."

"Marvin Harrison Jr. also didn’t take the expected sophomore surge we all thought he would and a defense that had heavy investments simply hasn’t played up to par. Close to nothing has gone how Arizona thought things would go in 2025."

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. runs with the ball past Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Is Jonathan Gannon fighting for his job or has his fate already been sealed?

"Gannon’s still fighting for his job for a few different reasons. Despite their record, he still has the respect and play of the locker room — which certainly matters in times like these. If players had given up on Gannon, he’d surely be gone."

"Also, injuries have piled up to unreal levels this season, which has seen the Cardinals resort to a hefty amount of depth players that wouldn’t have seen the field otherwise. Gannon needs to win 1-2 more games to really cement his status, however. It still feels like his fate is being decided."

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What's something people should know about the Cardinals that cannot be found in a box score?

"Probably what I highlighted in the above answer — the Cardinals are still playing and still fighting hard for each other. That doesn’t show up on the box score or scoreboard, though this isn’t at all a disjointed or disinterested team, which bodes well for their chances of staying competitive through the final stretch of the season. "

If the Cardinals were to beat the Texans, what would be the reason why?

"The Cardinals would have to win the turnover battle by multiple possessions if they’ll win. The Texans are clearly the better team at this point in time, and with Arizona’s offense facing the league’s top defense, that doesn’t feel like a game that will be a shootout. The Cardinals have to force multiple turnovers from Houston’s offense while playing clean football themselves to have a chance to win on Sunday. "

What's your prediction for the game?

"I think the Cardinals’ losing ways continue in Week 15, as the Texans are simply a better team in terms of offense, defense, special teams, coaching, etc. Houston’s defense ultimately will prove to be too much for Arizona’s offense and the Cardinals’ defense hasn’t slowed anybody down as of late, which tilts this matchup heavily in favor for the Texans. I’ll say HOU 28, AZ 10."

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