Texans vs. 49ers: Preseason Week 1 Recap
It’s safe to say we have a serious quarterback competition on our hands folks.
All three quarterbacks shined against the 49ers in their first live action of the 2015 campaign.
Yes, I said three.
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Tom Savage may have certified himself as someone to keep an eye on in the very near future. He showed promise last night, completing 8 of 14 passes for 97 yards and 1 TD. He showed good decision making overall, and didn’t make the crucial bad one as he threw zero interceptions.
Bryan Hoyer started this contest and came out poised. He made good throws, and one of his incompletions was a bad drop from Alan Bonner. He finished the first drive by throwing a dart to a streaking Cecil Shorts III across the middle, and Shorts went the distance for a 58 yard touchdown. Overall he was 2-4 passing for 67 yards and 1 TD.
Ryan Mallett displayed great accuracy throughout the entire first half. He was 10 for 11 passing with 90 yards, his only incompletion coming on a pressure throwaway at the running back’s feet. The only downside to his performance was not being able to produce points, although it was not entirely his fault.
The Texans were stopped eight times on the goal line inside the five yard line. Seven of those plays were runs, with an assortment of running backs taking a whack at it. The one throw was on 4th and goal when the 49ers were penalized with a pass interference flag. The red zone may be where the Texans end up missing All-Pro running back Arian Foster the most. His perceived backup Alfred Blue did have a good day overall though, carrying the ball 9 times for 59 yards.
The Texans defense performed well overall, especially in the third quarter. The Texans defense held the 49ers to a measly one net yard for the entire quarter, and zero first downs. For the entire second half the defense only surrendered 22 net yards and only gave up one third down conversion for the entire game. That’s some impressive defense, even if it is coming from the third and fourth stringers.
If it matters at all in a preseason contest, all three quarterbacks also finished the game with a passer rating of over 100. This just solidifies Bill O’Brien’s hesitancy in naming the official starting quarterback for the coming season.
It’s going to be a fun preseason.