Rapid Reaction: Texans win season opener over Redskins, 17-6

Sep 7, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Alfred Blue (28) scores a touchdown on a blocked put during the first half against the Washington Redskins at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Texans defense and special teams were on point, and the offense did enough as the Houston Texans defeated the Washington Redskins, 17-6 Sunday afternoon to open the 2014 NFL season.

The Texans are halfway to their win total of a season again, and a lot of the win over the Redskins was because of the defensive pressure put on Robert Griffin III and the offensive line of the Redskins.

Houston’s defense totaled three sacks on Griffin III, with Brooks Reed, J.J. Watt and D.J. Swearinger all getting in on the QB sack action.

One negative about the defense was Jadeveon Clowney, the Texans’ No. 1 overall draft pick, left the game with an injury and didn’t return.

Now looking at the offense of the Texans, they had one big strike and it went for six-points as Ryan Fitzpatrick found second-year pro DeAndre Hopkins for a 76-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Fitzpatrick finished 14-of-22 for 206 yards and one touchdown. He threw no interceptions.

Arian Foster rushed for at least 100 yards for the 26th time in his career, finishing Sunday with 27 carries for 103 yards on the ground. He battled for each of those yards, as his longest rush was 10 yards.

Offensively, the Texans totaled 316 yards, while the visiting Redskins had 372 total yards.

For Houston, Andre Johnson finished with a team-high six receptions for 93 yards and Hopkins had four caches for 89 yards.

As for the second and final TD by the Texans, it was from rookie Alfred Blue, who blocked a punt attempt by the Redskins, scooped up the ball and took it to the end zone for six points.

Kicker Randy Bullock had a 42-yard field goal in the fourth quarter and was 2-for-2 with PATs.

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Defensively, Jonathan Joseph totaled 11 tackles, and Swearinger forced a fumble.

Though it wasn’t a thing of beauty, the Texans were able to cause havoc on defense and special teams which turned out to be the biggest difference of the game.

Houston’s offense did what they needed to to, and more importantly didn’t make the costly mistake or throw the interception, which was something that couldn’t have been said about last season.

Let us know your thoughts on the Texans’ Week 1 win. Check back to the Toro Times for a more in-depth article on the victory.