Texans’ Early Season MVP

Heading into the 2024 season brought visions of C.J. Stroud tossing touchdowns to Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins. Imaginings of Joe Mixon gashing defenses for piles of 100-yard, multi-touchdown games. Dreams of Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. meeting at the quarterback for drive-ending sack after drive-ending sack.

And, while the Texans are sitting at 3-1 right now, it hasn't quite gone as expected.

Yesterday's nail-biter against the Buffalo Bills encapsulated the early season in a microcosm of 2024 Texans play. Brilliant flashes by the offense and defense juxtaposed against blunders and mental mistakes. Brief instances of glory followed by dramatic downturns that seemed certain to end in doom.

However, through it all, one player has remained strongly consistent, marching on towards the best season of his career - and dragging the team along for the ride.

Kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn is the early 2024 Houston Texans MVP In the first 4 games of the 2024 NFL season, Fairbairn has kicked 12 field goals and made all but 1 of them. 8 of them were made from 50+ yards. This includes the clutch game winner yesterday from 59-yards out (his 2nd 59-yarder of the year).

How about extra points you ask? Perfection. Fairbairn is 9 of 9 on point after touchdown attempts.

What about kick-offs you ask? What exactly is this new fangled way of kicking off the NFL is doing this year? Does life exist on other planets? Why is water wet?

Not too sure on any of that, but as far as Fairbairn is concerned, he's put 50% of the kickoffs into touchback territory.

When the dust settles from that confusion, Fairbairn is leading the Texans in scoring with 42 points (2nd place is a tie between Collins and Diggs with 18 each).

While kicker is hardly the most exciting, compelling or interesting position on an NFL team, let's give Fairbairn his due for a moment.

If Houston had a kicker who couldn't hit 50 yard + field goals, who missed extra points and who couldn't put the kickoff in the endzone, this season might look dramatically different so far.

Oh, and BTW, this happened yesterday too: