Houston Texans Week 2 Grades
By Mitch Hill
Week 2 for the Houston Texans started off on the right foot.
Unfortunately for the Texans faithful, things quickly unfolded in the wrong direction as injuries piled up and the Texans lack of depth started to play a pivotal role in their defeat.
The Cleveland Browns got the better of the short-handed Texans in their early-season contest. The Texans came out flying and were led by Tyrod Taylor who was slinging the ball all around the field early and often. It ultimately came down to not only Taylor’s injury, but the many others that the Texans suffered that became the true determining factor for the game on Sunday afternoon in their 31-21 loss.
When grading the Houston Texans Week 2 performances on offense, defense, special teams, and coaching it truly is taken into account what the outcome was expected from this team in their away contest and how they overcame many obstacles to make this game competitive throughout the four quarters.
OFFENSE (B)
Tyrod Taylor was once again on fire as he led the Texans throughout the first two quarters. The NFL veteran unfortunately came under a hamstring injury that forced him out of the contest. In his limited action, Taylor was 10/11 passing for 125 yards and 1 touchdown. He also welcomed a 15-yard touchdown run to his stat sheet as well.
For Brandin Cooks, it was business as usual. The 27-year-old wideout hauled in nine receptions for 78 yards and one touchdown. In the second half, he became the go-to guy for the young Davis Mills who replaced Tyrod Taylor after his injury.
The rookie quarterback didn’t exceed expectations by any means but also didn’t ruin hope for his long-term development. He went 8/18 passing for 102 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The offense definitely lost a step with Tyrod out as the quarterback. The rhythm that this team had when number 5 was behind center could have made the outcome swing in the Texans favor. Mills however performed decent enough to keep the game competitive on the offensive side of the ball.
The run game could have been more help for the newly appointed quarterback, but the offense did enough to give their defensive teammates a chance to make this game interesting as the clock ticked down.