Houston Texans Week 1 Grades
By Mitch Hill
SPECIAL TEAMS (B)
Special teams are not always looked at as an impactful part of a football game. But they absolutely should be, and on Sunday the special teams played a very important role in the outcome for the Houston Texans.
Kicker Joey Slye who was recently activated from the practice squad was stellar in his season debut. He went 3/3 in field goal attempts with the longest being 40 yards and was also a perfect 4/4 on extra points. His timely field goal makes gave the Texans offense constant growing confidence throughout this matchup.
If the Texans can tighten up their special teams blocking, that will open up many more opportunities for their returner (Andre Roberts) to do some damage on the field. He was handcuffed on making plays due to the lack of space he was given on the field.
Houston will need this consistency from the kicking game every week if they want to stay competitive in games. Once they hone in their kick and punt return schemes this special teams unit has the ability to be game-changing for the Texans. Overall, it was a good first week for a special teams unit that came in with low expectations.