Week 11 Storylines to Watch in Cardinals vs Texans

The Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans battle each other in Week 11 – here’s what to follow.

ARIZONA — The Arizona Cardinals look for their third win of the season in a Week 11 tilt with the Houston Texans.

Here’s three storylines to watch:

Draft Picks at Stake

As a result of Houston’s trade with the Cardinals in 2023, Arizona owns the Texans’ first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

As of now, the Cardinals own picks No. 4 and No. 20 in the first round, which is a bit less than what Arizona had hoped for at this point in the season.

The Cardinals aren’t looking to lose on their own accord, but a loss also helps their own draft chances. They’re tied for the No. 2 pick among fellow 2-8 teams in the New York Giants and New England Patriots but have the highest strength of schedule, putting them third out of the tiebreaker.

On the other side, a Texans win will only push their other pick deeper into the order.

It’s an interesting dynamic on Sunday in both the short and long-term.

Murray’s Second Act

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) warms up prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. — Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Kyler Murray now has a full 60 minutes under his belt after last week’s win.

Many had questions as to how Murray would respond to his first taste of action after tearing his ACL. However, last week’s win showed that he was very capable of returning to the previous Pro Bowl form he once displayed.

Now that Houston has game film on Murray, it will be interesting to see how the Texans are able to game plan with him. On the other side of that argument, the Cardinals can now adjust their offense and expand the playbook to Murray’s updated resume.

It will be extremely interesting to see how Murray builds on his own season-opening win while also battling his first road test.

Stroud’s Rise

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) warms up before the game against the New Orleans Saints at NRG Stadium. — Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no questions about it – C.J. Stroud can play.

The Texans saw Stroud fall to No. 2 in the draft after Bryce Young went No. 1 and he’s lived up to every bit of hype possibility.

Houston mostly finds themselves in postseason position thanks to the play of Stroud, who has thrown for 15 touchdowns and two interceptions thus far, though many have anticipated a “rookie wall” will find the Ohio State product.

Will the Cardinals be that team?

The numbers don’t quite show, but Arizona’s defensive staff has done a nice job with their side of the ball given the lack of talent and other circumstances. Stroud could be without big-play threat Noah Brown, too.

Another week, another test for Arizona’s defense. Stroud has passed the vast majority of his in 2023, though perhaps Jonathan Gannon and co. could make life difficult at NRG Stadium.