EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — A sombering sight greeted the Houston Texans as they made their way back to the locker room after Monday night's win: Brian Cushing on crutches.
"That's tough to see," nose tackle Shaun Cody said.
"I think that's why it's a little quiet in here," tight end Owen Daniels said. "You never want to see a guy like that go down."
"That's the guy who makes our defense go," defensive end J.J. Watt said. "He pulls it all together."
The Texans will leave New Jersey with a 23-17 win over the New York Jets and a 5-0 record. But they're also suddenly staring at life without the linebacker who stands at the heart of everything Wade Phillips' Bulls on Parade defense does.
"That's the guy who makes our defense go," defensive end J.J. Watt said. "He pulls it all together."
Cushing hurt his left knee on a chop block from Jets left tackle Matt Slauson in the second quarter. A Texans team that lost player after player in its breakthrough 2011 playoff season will now attempt to go on without Cushing for what looks like a significant amount of time.
"That's my guy, we're USC buddies," Cody said. "It's tough to take."
Cushing will have more tests when he gets back to Houston.
"I don't think it's been determined how long he's going to be out," Phillips said.
Alex Bregman 's Breggy Bomb and bomb locker room line cemented the win.
In what’s now becoming an H-Town fall rite of passage, the Houston Astros have just clinched their sixth American League West Division title in the past seven seasons on Sunday, October 1. The Stros cemented the title with a big, 8-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.
Also keeping things official: On Sunday, the Seattle Mariners bested the Texas Rangers 1-0, ensuring the Astros’ top-line status.
Superstar Alex Bregman, who is quickly rising to legend status in Houston, handed the D-Backs a Breggy Bomb, and handed fans a bomb line that may just become this year’s Astros rally:
“A lot of people were wondering what it was gonna be like if the Stros didn’t win the division,” Bregman told his teammates in the clubhouse after the win, goggles on and Dom Pérignon in hand in a video captured by KPRC Channel 2 sports reporter Ari Alexander.
The Astros clubhouse exploded in yells and sprays of Champagne as the normally steely eyed, understated Bregman (who is becoming a quiet comedy star via recent H-E-B commercials) hopped up and down with his guys.
Sunday’s win marks 12 division titles, 17 playoff berths in franchise history, and a franchise record seventh consecutive season heading to the playoffs in a row (2017-2023). The Astros have also won the AL West the last three consecutive seasons (2017-19, 2021-23) in six overall division titles.
As for the manager Dusty Baker, who’s been the topic of debate among talking heads and fans, this win marks his fourth consecutive postseason bids with the Astrios. Baker is now the first manager in MLB history to win division titles with five different clubs (Astros, Nationals, Reds, Cubs, and Giants), with 10 division titles under his belt.
He also boasts a promising 28-14 record in the postseason with the Astros, good news as the team looks ahead.
Nailing six straight ALCS titles (2017-2022) is a historic feat for our Houston Astros, the first American League team to do so. Only the 1991-99 Atlanta Braves, during a dominant sweep, accomplished such a feat in Major League Baseball.
It’s never too early in Houston to talk World Series, so a quick reminder that the Stros have headed to the championships four of the last six seasons (2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022). We all remember the unforgettable World Series titles in ’17, our first, and ’22, our most recent.
To celebrate the next run, fans can head to the Astros Center Field Team Store, which will remain open for a 24-hour event from Sunday, October 1 through 7 pm Monday, October 2. Fans can stock up on gear and look forward to visits from the Shooting Stars (10 am – 11 am and 5 pm – 6 pm) and Orbit (noon – 1 pm). Monday shoppers can score free coffee and pastries as they grab gear.
Meanwhile, the Center Field Team Store will have expanded Postseason hours beginning this week and running until the conclusion of the postseason: 9 am to 7 pm Monday through Friday and 9 am – 2 pm on Saturdays.
