A new era of football in Houston has officially begun.
While Texans rookie quarterback, CJ Stroud would’ve liked to have had a better debut, the Texans beating the Patriots 20-9 on Thursday night couldn’t have been much sweeter for an organization turning the page after the darkest period in franchis history.
Inactive players Thursday night:
Laremy Tunsil, Dameon Pierce, Robert Woods, Shaq Mason, Jimmie Ward, Jerry Hughes, Sheldon Rankins, Noah Brown.
It was kind of tough to watch Stroud during his first two series as he was without the best possible offensive line to protect him as Laremy Tunsil and Shaq Mason got veteran nights off.
Instead, the Texans trotted Austin Deculus out at right tackle, Michael Dierter at right guard alongside Juice Scruggs at center, Kenyon Green at left guard with George Fant at left tackle.
QB series breakdown:
CJ Stroud: 2 - 2/4 13 yards 1 INT 1 sack
Davis Mills: 4 - 9/12 99 yards 1 TD 1 fumble
Case Keenum: 3 - 9/14 79 yards 1 TD
DeMeco Ryans said earlier in the week that all he wanted to see from Stroud in his debut was fundamental execution.
“I just want to see a guy come out and command the huddle,” Ryans said. “Command the huddle, command the offense. Get us lined up, get everybody on the same page and just operate efficiently.”
In limited action, Stroud played just 11 snaps in the two series and was pressured on three of his five dropbacks.
With respect to Ryans’ simple expectations, the rookie seemingly checked all of those boxes.
However, Stroud failed to make the simple play on his first offensive series in the NFL. He had tight end Dalton Schultz open underneath in the flat on the 3rd-and-21 play that resulted in an interception.
It was a rookie mistake. He needed to take what the defense was giving him in that situation.
Instead, he took his eye off of the lurking safety, starred down and forced the ball to Tank Dell who had the route undercut by Jalen Mills. Getting the ball to Schultz could’ve easily set up a 4th and short which would’ve resulted in better field position for the punt team to try and pin the Patriots deep.
Meanwhile, Mills played pretty well aside from the fumble on his second series. The third year pro, along with Keenum executed the offense really well, as it seemed to run very smoothly with both of them commanding the offense.
Tank-a-thon
Rookie receiver Tank Dell made one of the most memorable first impressions for a Houston Texan that I can recall.
The first year player out of the University of Houston caught five passes for 65 yards and one of the more impressive touchdown catches you’ll ever see.
He was quick, fast and fearless. His route running was spot on and his hands proved reliable.
Late in the second quarter, during the Texans' six offensive series, Dell had back-to-back-to-back catches, including a touchdown on a ridiculous catch on his back in the end zone.
He went for 24 yards to start the drive, and tallied 50 yards during the series, not to mention the 13-yard punt return he had to start it.
Dell introduced himself to a lot of people that didn’t know about his talent and athleticism. If Thursday night was merely a taste of what’s to come, the entire league and fans around the country will get to know him much sooner than later.
WILL - I - AM
The former standout edge rusher from Alabama, whom the Texans made the No. 3 overall pick in this past April’s NFL draft showed off the disruptive type of player his newest teammates have already become accustomed to.
He showed his explosiveness on the edge, blowing past the Patriots' right tackle, forcing Bailey Zappe to step up in the pocket and into the arms of linebacker Denzel Perryman who blasted through the middle, untouched on a delayed blitz.
Anderson certainly looks like the real deal in the early stages.
DeMeco’s defense looks dangerous
The most noticeable thing was the tackling.
Fans have heard the term “swarm” a lot this offseason, but it was on display Thursday night.
The Texans tallied three sacks, seven tackles-for-loss and 4 quarterback hits.
It’s hard to withhold everything you’d like to do in the preseason schematically, but if whatever was on the call sheet for Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke against the Patriots was an appetizer, the main course ought to be really good.
Players looked in sync, in position and made plays. In particular, whoever it seemed to be at linebacker, whether it was Perryman, Henry To’oTo’o or Jake Hansen, it looked organized.
Defensive tackle’s Roy Lopez and Hassan Ridgeway looked good. They got off blocks well and flushed the pocket a few times.
Beck banged up
Fullback Andrew Beck had a rough debut for the Texans. He missed a couple of blocks, dropped an easy ball from Davis Mills, and was injured on the opening kickoff in the second half.
If offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik’s offense is to resemble much of Kyle Shanahan’s offense in San Francisco, which used a fullback nearly 50% of the time during the ‘22 regular season, Beck will have to be much better and stay healthy.
Troy Hairston is the other fullback on the roster, but was recently placed on IR due to a herniated disc suffered in practice.
Newly signed tight end Dalton Keene stepped in and played fullback, rushing for a one-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Thankfully, it doesn’t sound like Ryans is too concerned with Beck’s health.
“He banged his knee up a little bit, but we’ll get further tests, but as of right now, looks like he’ll be fine,” Ryans said.
Watch out for rookie Henry To’oTo’o
He's already caught the attention of coaches and teammates in training camp with his smarts, eyes and play-making ability.
The former Alabama team captain’s performance Thursday night might’ve been another step that propels him higher on the depth chart.
To’oTo’o led the team in tackles Thursday with five, including two solo stops. He stuffed the run and made a nice play on a Patriots running back that caught a swing pass in the flats, forcing the Patriots to Punt on a fourth-and-one.
Running back competition
Dameon Pierce had the night off. The Texans know what he can do.
Devin Singletary ran with the “first team” for the most part, made a nice cut on an early run but results was mixed. He was off of the field during third downs with exception of maybe one or two of those situations. The Texans went with Dare Ogunbowale and Mike Boone otherwise.
Boone (4 car 25 yards) and Ogunbowale (5 car 18 yards) had the best nights among the bunch, while undrafted free agent Xazavian Valladay (4 car 8 yards) underwhelmed.
As it stands now, Dare looks like the guy to beat for the teams third-down back, but Boone isn’t far behind.
First time, long time
Former Alabama standout receiver John Metchie III played in his first NFL game and made his first catch, which went for a gain of 8 yards.
It was Metchie’s first football game he’s played since SEC title game December 4, 2021. Since then, he’s rehabbed a torn ACL and beaten cancer.
What an incredible moment that must have been for him and his family.
Metchie, saw just seven snaps with the one’s and lined up primarily in the slot.
I’ve got a Hutch
Rookie receiver Xavier Hutchinson caught one pass on the night, gaining 20 yards on the play.
It was on a go-route on a beautifully executed play-action bootleg from Case Keenum. Immediately following the catch, Keenum tried to go right back to Hutchinson with a fade to the end zone, but the former Iowa State standout had trouble getting off of press coverage from the corner and the ball sailed out of bounds.
Hutchinson has had a really good camp and has improved his hands on the deep ball, which showed Thursday night.
Funniest moment
Davis Mills took over at quarterback on the offenses third series of the game.
On Mills’ third throw of the game and second attempt to Tank Dell, the rookie motioned to Mills to get the ball up immediately after hauling in a 10-yard reception that he had to go down and grab.