PFF grades from Texans’ week 8 loss to Seahawks
The Houston Texans’ top players stepped up against a very good Seattle Seahawks team, but unfortunately fell short.
Despite another great game from rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Houston Texans weren’t able to pull off a road win against the Seattle Seahawks.
Pro Football Focus has released the top overall grades from the Texans’ week eight loss to the Seahawks. Here they are:
EDGE Jadeveon Clowney, (96.6)
It’s really a shame, but the Texans’ pass rush simply isn’t the same without both defensive lineman J.J. Watt and linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
Jadeveon Clowney is doing all he can to carry Houston’s defense and he came through against the Seahawks, but it wasn’t enough.
From PFF:
"A performance so dominant it’s hard to fathom Clowney didn’t end up on the winning team. It looked a mismatch on paper as he went head-to-head with Rees Odhiambo, and so it proved with Clowney too quick, too strong and just too good for the Seahawks left tackle. He ended the day with a sack, hit and seven hurries as well as two tackles for loss in the run game, with countless victories the stat sheet doesn’t count. Clowney can do it against below average players, but the challenge for him is to do it against better players. Todays pressure totals accounted for 33 percent of his totals on the year."
WR DeAndre Hopkins, (94.0)
More from Toro Times
- Houston Texans: Can Sean Payton really be the next head coach?
- Houston Texans Draft: Michael Mayer should be a no doubter at pick 12
- Houston Texans already telling fans the Davis Mills era is over
- Houston Texans have hand forced, waste no time in firing Lovie Smith
- Houston Texans: Pros and Cons of keeping Head Coach Lovie Smith
It’s funny that people were wondering whether or not DeAndre Hopkins was still a No. 1 receiver in the NFL after a subpar season in 2016 with quarterback Brock Osweiler under center.
It’s amazing how much better Hopkins looks with a franchise quarterback throwing him the football. Now he can’t stay out of the end zone.
From PFF:
"224 receiving yards, a late score on a screen pass and 40-plus yards on four different Seattle defenders, Hopkins definitely got the better of the Legion of Boom. 107 yards on four deep catches was paired with a couple of snags at the intermediate level and that weaving screen reception that would have been a worthy game winner. The overall production with Watson may not be consistent yet but Hopkins is finding the end zone and when he connects with Watson he goes off in a big way and is utterly unstoppable on days like today."
DT D.J. Reader, (85.4)
Week in and week out D.J. Reader continues to prove that Texans’ general manager Rick Smith knows what he’s doing in the draft after being selected in the 5th round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
Reader has filled in at nose tackle without any problems now that Vince Wilfork has retired.
LB Benardrick McKinney, (81.6)
Bernardrick McKinney continues to do his part to help an injury depleted Texans’ defense. Houston will need him to play his best football of their defense is going to improve in the second half of the season.
QB Deshaun Watson, (80.8)
Is there really any else I can say about Deshaun Watson? He’s great. He can’t be rattled and is relentless.
That play where Watson spun around and tossed a touchdown pass to running back Lamar Miller was unreal.
From PFF:
"This was a remarkable back-and-forth game, encapsulated no better than by the result of the Texans’ opening two possessions. Watson casually did what no quarterback ever does and launched a strike directly over Earl Thomas for a deep touchdown on the opening series before Thomas responded with a pick-six on the second series. This was the duel from then on with Watson lighting up the Seattle secondary with the kind of production you rarely see against them but balanced by key mistakes that the Seahawks were able to exact the maximum value from. Through the air and on the ground Watson more than held his own against one of the league’s best defenses but ultimately the balance of the game favored the quarterback who made fewer mistakes."
Next: Texans’ roster racially split on protest
LB Lamarr Houston (78.3)
Veteran Lamarr Houston was brought in to replace Whitney Mercilus and he had a pretty good game. Hopefully he’ll get better each week as he knocks the rust off.
"Houston debuted before the bye week with a solid effort, and showed he can still be an effective player going up chiefly against Germain Ifedi. He didn’t get to the quarterback but did have himself five pressures. That was his single biggest output in any game since Week 14 of the 2015 season."
Comment below and give us your thoughts on the grades from week eight.