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The Houston Texans gave fans some free football on Sunday, using up the entirety of overtime in a winning effort over the Tennessee Titans. Beleaguered by injuries, Houston found a way to win, 19-16, to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Simply put, the Texans would not have won this game without running back Devin Singletary. On the game’s final drive, Singletary had a 41-yard catch. He finished the drive with a five-yard run, a nine-yard score called back due to a penalty, and a final handoff to set up kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn's game-winner.
On a day where Houston struggled to move the ball – scoring just one touchdown – Singletary’s contributions were critical. His teammates knew it, too.
Tight end Dalton Schultz revealed what makes “Motor” special on Monday.
“He’s got such good vision, just in the zone schemes, and he’s got sneaky balance,” Schultz said. “It always takes a little more than you think to bring him down …
“To have a guy step up in those big-time moments and be able to make those plays. … Motor’s done a great job, great job all year.”
In all, he had 26 rushes for 121 yards on the ground. His receiving acumen was highlighted by that big play in overtime, and he finished with four catches for 49 yards. He was the only Houston weapon to pass the century mark in yardage.
His impact wasn’t lost on head coach DeMeco Ryans, either. In a game, and a season, in which unlikely heroes have stepped up, Singletary has salvaged a rushing attack that for the first half of the season was among the worst in football.
“Motor has this sneaky ability to find space,” Ryans began. “He has really good contact balance, so he’s really not going down all the time on that first contact. He finds a way to maintain his balance and still find those lanes the O-Line has created.
“And Motor is always pressing forward. He’s very shifty – you don’t see it all the time – but he’s shifty in the interior line. He’s very shifty and he finds a way to continue to press forward and fall for yardage. He’s doing a really nice job for us.”
Singletary has been rewarded for his play in recent weeks. It has long been clear that the starting job is his, and incumbent starter Dameon Pierce played just one snap on Sunday. This is Singletary’s backfield, both for his performance on the field and the traits that fuel it.
Motor will have another chance to keep the Texans afloat on Sunday against an elite Cleveland Browns defense.
More must-reads:
- Eagles ink Pro Bowl OL to four-year extension
- Rob Gronkowski answers whether he has interest in coaching
- The 'AP NFL Comeback Players of the Year' quiz
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Cowboys Confirm Sourced Report On 'Goodbye' To Fan Favorite
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Watch: John Cena breaks WWE record for most world championships
John Cena has officially broken Ric Flair's long-standing record of 16 world championship victories. Cena defeated Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania to capture the 17th world title of his long and successful career. Cena's journey to championship No. 17 started all the way back on March 1 when he turned heel. Cena aligned himself with The Rock and became the bad guy for his feud with Rhodes. That all came to a head on Sunday night when Cena and Rhodes met in the squared circle for the first time since 2015 when Rhodes was known as "Stardust." The win for Cena marks his first world championship reign since defeating AJ Styles in 2017. Cena has always been the "hustle, loyalty and respect" guy of the business, but a different side of that was shown on Sunday night. With the controversial finish to the match, the presumed face-off between Cena and Rhodes on Monday Night Raw will be must-see television all around the world. It could also be assumed that the two will have a rematch at WWE's WrestleMania Backlash next month.
Youngster spurns Blackhawks, opts for free agency after disappointing season
The Chicago Blackhawks wrapped up their season on Tuesday with a 4-3 win over the Ottawa Senators. The Blackhawks are entering the offseason on a two-game winning streak. However, the winning streak is little consolation for a season where they ended with a 25-46-11 record, the second worst in the NHL. The Chicago Blackhawks had a conflict Per Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times, there appeared to be conflict between veterans and young players on the Blackhawks, especially as ice time was given to the youth toward the end of the season. Interim head coach Anders Sorensen hinted at issues in the locker room between veterans and the up-and-comers. "There were bad stretches throughout the year, and there were different reasons for that," Sorensen said. "I think there’s a lot of undercurrent that people don’t know about, that goes behind [the scenes], that nobody’s going to talk about." Dominic James turned down a contract Some young players appeared deterred by the lack of progress the Blackhawks made in Connor Bedard’s second season in Chicago. Per Pope, general manager Kyle Davidson said forward prospect Dominic James turned down an opportunity with the Blackhawks and will head into free agency. "Davidson says the Blackhawks offered Dominic James a 'pretty [expletive] good opportunity, but it currently seems like he’s going to free agency in August. 'No ill will,'" Pope posted on X. The Blackhawks selected James in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He was expected to spend the next season with the Rockford IceHogs after a standout career with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs. The team captain finished his college career with 77 points on 30 goals and 47 assists. He scored 14 goals and 16 assists in his last season with the Bulldogs. Now, James is headed to free agency for a chance to sign with a team in a better position than one that appointed a coach with no experience to head coach of the IceHogs this season, when Sorensen took over the Blackhawks after Luke Richardson was fired.
Nikola Jokic Doesn’t Hold Back When Asked About Michael Porter Jr.’s Effort
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