HOUSTON (SportsRadio 610) -- Texans defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said last week that stats usually come in bunches, and Whitney Mercilus just needed to understand the numbers would come eventually.
Mercilus did not have the stats to back up his four-year, $54 million contract through the first three weeks of this season.
Mercilus was noticeably missing from the box score two weeks ago against the Ravens, and one of the memorable plays of the Texans' loss to the Steelers was Ben Roethlisberger beating Mercilus to the edge, capitalizing it with a stiff arm to Houston's veteran outside linebacker.
Mercilus recorded his first two sacks of the season Sunday in the loss at home to the Vikings. He sacked Kirk Cousins in the first quarter for a five-yard loss on 3rd-and-8 at the Houston 47-yard line.
In the third quarter, Mercilus sacked Cousins again for another five-yard loss on 2nd-and-6 at the Minnesota 27-yard line.
Still, Mercilus expressed frustration after the game with Houston's 0-4 start to the season. The Vikings, despite having missed some practice this week due to COVID-19 concerns, beat the Texans 31-23 at NRG Stadium on Sunday.
"As anybody would feel after an 0-4 start, pissed, of course. Frustrated," Mercilus said after the game. "Today, there were a few plays out there we wish we could've had back, especially making it close there at the end to give us a chance probably to go into overtime. But the thing is, we've just got to keep pushing forward."
