Jonathan Gannon Calls Texans a Big Time Challenge for Cardinals

The 3-10 Arizona Cardinals face off against the red-hot 8-5 Houston Texans with a major test on their hands.

For the Texans, they're heading into this one on the back of a five-game win streak, have both sides of the ball clicking at a high rate, while the Cardinals are on a somber five-game losing streak, trying to end off a shaky season on a high note in their final stretch.

So for Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, he'll be looking to keep his guys motivated to flip the script for the tall task that the Texans present for Week 15, and he certainly won't be overlooking the talent that Houston has on both sides of the ball.

"Houston's good football team, I think on a five-game win streak. Best defense in the NFL," Gannon said during his weekly presser. "C.J. Stroud is back. They do a really good job in both phases; taking the ball away on defense, not giving it away on offense, really good fourth down unit."

"At their place, big time challenge, we're excited about it."

Cardinals' Jonathan Gannon Looking Forward to Texans' Challenge

For a Cardinals team that's not only on a lengthy losing streak traveling on the road to face a superior team in the Texans, but they'll also be beaten up rather significantly heading into the weekend.

Of course, Kyler Murray has been placed on season-ending IR, other offensive studs like Marvin Harrison Jr. and Paris Johnson Jr. won't be suiting up for this week's action, and thus, could make the job a bit simpler for the Texans to capitalize on for win number six.

Dec 7, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon during the second half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

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But for Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, he's not underselling what the Cardinals, or any team, bring to the table on any given week–– so for Houston, this challenge will be just the same as it has been for their last five wins stamped on the board in order to keep the momentum rolling.

"You never play a doubleheader in football. It's always one [game] at a time, and we work all week," Ryans said heading into the week. "We got six days to work that leads up to whenever that game is, and we put our all–– coaches, players, staff — we put all of our effort into the upcoming opponent."

Time will tell if the Texans can take care of business on their home field, but it's clear that for both sides, there's no shortage of intensity set to unfold for the weekend.

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