The Houston Texans have won back-to-back games heading into their Week 7 game against the New York Giants.
And with just one game to go before the Texans take on their bye, claiming a win here against New York to extend their win streak and head into the break on a high note would be a huge confidence booster after having previously started this season off at 0-4.
However, in order to add another win on the books here against the Giants, the Texans will have to ensure they take care of business with a select few keys to victory. And if they miss the mark on those, it'll make claiming a Week 7 win at home just a little bit tougher.
Let’s take a look at the Texans' three biggest keys to victory for their Week 7 battle against the Giants:
C.J. Stroud Continues to Take Care of the Football
Through the first six weeks of the Texans' season–– even through the ups and downs of the first four weeks–– quarterback C.J. Stroud has done a really solid job of taking care of the football.
Since his Week 1 game vs. the Buffalo Bills, where he recorded a pair of fumbles, he's only had one interception, coming this past weekend against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And as Stroud has been able to be at some of his best when it comes to ball security and decision-making, it tends to have a domino effect on the rest of this offense.
The Texans get a road to more scoring opportunities themselves, and have a much easier time winning the turnover battle if Houston's defense steps up for their own takeaways.
Against a Giants team that's recorded a total of 11 offensive turnovers through six weeks, there's a perfect opportunity for the Texans to win that turnover battle once more on Sunday. That is, so long as Stroud and Co. can continue to limit their own mistakes. So far this season, they've done quite well.
Woody Marks Takes Advantage of Giants' Rushing Defense
The Texans' run game looked a whole lot better than usual this past weekend against the Jaguars in London, which came as a bit of a surprise given not only the challenge that Jacksonville's run defense presents, but also because of the fact that David Montgomery was sidelined due to a groin injury.
Woody Marks then stepped up to the plate as the Texans' RB1 for the week. And in a short amount of time, Houston's run game seemed to take a big step forward thanks to the explosiveness and dynamic playmaking ability that Marks provides.
Through the past two weeks, Marks has averaged 15 attempts per game, is averaging nearly four yards per rush, and has also chipped in for six receptions and 47 yards in that same stretch.
Now for Week 7, the Texans are in a pretty similar situation that they were against Jacksonville. Montgomery is out for another game, Marks is going to be the starter in the backfield, but this time, their matchup against the Giants rushing defense looks like a bit of an easier task to take on.
The Giants are allowing over 135 rushing yards a game through six weeks of the season, making them one of six teams in the NFL through six weeks to allow an average of 130 or more rushing yards per game. That tends to set up as a pretty advantageous matchup for Marks and the Texans.
If Marks can continue to be efficient in his opportunities on the ground in combination with what should be a potent passing attack, it’s going to become really tough for this Giants defense to contain the Texans from start to finish.
Don't Let Malik Nabers Have His Way
While the quarterback situation in New York has seen its fair share of changes this season–– even for this weekend as J.J. McCarthy is deemed the Giants' new signal-caller–– what has become very clear over the past two weeks is that this offense wants to get Malik Nabers involved however they can.
Nabers has seen a whopping 35 targets over the past two weeks he's been on the field for the Giants. He's turned those opporutnities into 23 receptions, 286 yards and a touchdown, and thus sets up for a real challenge for the Texans' defense to face up against this weekend.
The good news is that the Texans have the right personnel on paper to limit Nabers a bit more than he's seen through the past couple of weeks. With two star corners in Derek Stingley and Kamari Lassiter, Houston could have exactly what it takes to prevent a repeat performance from the Giants' star receiver.
The bad news is that this Texans secondary has been nothing like the form we knew it to be throughout 2025. Currently, Houston is allowing the sixth-most passing yards per game in the NFL and has been prone to getting exposed on several explosive plays over the course of the first six weeks this season.
If the Texans allow Nabers to have another impressive day as he has for the past two weeks, it could allow for the Giants to stay within striking distance of Houston down the stretch, and would thus lead to even further questions for this Texans secondary moving forward.
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