Houston Texans: Studs and Duds in Week 2 loss vs Browns
There were plenty of studs and duds for the Houston Texans in Week 2.
It wasn’t a win for the Houston Texans in Week 2, as they lost to the Cleveland Browns by a 31-21 score, but there was some solid play by some, and then some not so great play by others in the 10-point loss with the Texans falling to 1-1 on the season.
Then again, that can be said each and every week because that is how games go for every NFL team because so much action happens, and that was the case in Week 2 when the Texans played the host Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium.
One of the studs in the game saw his Week 2 game come to an early end, and that was quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Taylor had one of the most exciting runs of the weekend as he outpaced defensive pass rusher Myles Garrett for a touchdown, as Garrett even dove to stop the Texans quarterback.
The unfortunate result of the spectacular touchdown run was Taylor injured his hamstring and missed the remainder of the game. Taylor is also out for the Houston Texans Week 3 game against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday Night Football.
Taylor finished the game with 125 passing yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions, plus one 15-yard rush for a touchdown in less than two quarters of play.
Unfortunately, a dud was the play of Andre Roberts on special teams. He fumbled the first punt of the game by the Browns, and the Texans lost possession of the ball on the the Texans’ 35-yard line. The Browns took advantage of that opportunity and scored a touchdown.
On a positive note, when on offense Roberts had a 35-yard reception, which was the longest reception of the game for either the Texans or the Browns, but that fumbled punt is tough to overlook as that’s his main focal point for the Texans having him on the roster.
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Houston Texans: More standouts and players who didn’t have their best game
Props have to be given to the the Texans’ offensive line for keeping Myles Garrett and former Texans star Jadeveon Clowney to a combined zero sacks on the day. Those two are excellent pass rushers, so for the Texans to hold them to a combined one tackle for loss and just two QB hits (all by Clowney), that is a productive outing for those in charge of blocking for the quarterback.
Another stud moment of the game was the interception by Justin Reid, plus sacks by Kamu Grugier-Hill and Jacob Martin.
One “dud” performance was a combined effort of the Texans’ running backs as the expectations were higher than what was on the field. Houston totaled 28 combined rushes with three running backs and two quarterbacks.
Take away the quarterback rushes by Taylor and Davis Mills, and the Texans totaled 25 carries for 68 yards. That’s not good at all. Mark Ingram II had14 carries for 41 yards (2.9 yards per carry), David Johnson finished with six carries for 25 yards (4.2 ypc), and Phillip Lindsay had five carries for two yards. Lindsay did better catching the football with one catch for a 22-yard touchdown.
Yes, the Browns have a good defense, but the running game needs to be better than that, especially now with Taylor injured.
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It wasn’t the greatest day for the Texans, and there were more performances that were “dud” or “dud” worthy, but it is time to put this game in the rearview mirror, and hopefully the Houston Texans can improve on some aspects of their game in a short week of practice before facing the Panthers.