The Houston Texans season kicked off last night in Foxborough, in a thrilling contest against the New England Patriots. Rookies made their debuts, memorable highlights were made, and most importantly the Houston Texans secured the victory, winning by 13 points.
For the Texans, this was the first display of the complete unit and there were certainly many takeaways from the performance. Here are three of our observations from their first preseason contest.
C.J. Stroud endures rookie struggles
The highly anticipated preseason debut of rookie signal caller C.J. Stroud came to be last night. Though the expectations were mostly painting a glorious outcome, the actual result was far from it.
The 22-year-old struggled immensely in the couple of series he appeared in. In those series, Stroud completed two of his four pass attempts for 13 yards and an interception. The young signal-caller was also sacked once.
One thing to take away from this performance is that like many quarterbacks before him, Stroud went through the normal rookie struggles. On his lone interception, the 2023 second-overall pick made the critical mistake of locking eyes with his receiver, allowing Patriots defensive back Jalen Mills to easily read his eyes to force the turnover.
Currently in the thick of an intense competition with incumbent Davis Mills for the Texans' starting quarterback job, this performance did not do much to help his cause. On the flip side, Mills put together a solid performance, completing 9 of 12 passes for 99 yards and a passing touchdown, and a fumble.
All in all, Stroud still has a lengthy learning curve ahead of him and this game offered him valuable reps. It may not have been the ideal stat line, but with a game of NFL action under his belt, this should only further assist him in his quest to become the guy behind center for the Texans.
Tank Dell had himself a day
Rookie wideout Tank Dell was among the rumbling at training camp for his standout performances and solid work ethic. That success has continued into the preseason thus far.
Dell proved to be the best receiver on the field against New England, securing five receptions on eight targets for 65 yards and one receiving touchdown, a riveting play that saw the rookie pin the ball to his calf to secure the catch. You couldn’t ask for a better start from the talented rookie.
We can’t stop watching 😤 pic.twitter.com/4G7a0nRppF
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 11, 2023
With the Texans in desperate need of offensive playmakers to ignite a dormant offense, Dell answered the call. The 2023 third-round pick had his way with opposing corners, doing an excellent job at creating separation and using his speed and athleticism to come down with tough receptions.
The rookie wide receiver was targeted early and often by both signal callers Davis Mills and C.J. Stroud in this contest, strengthening the budding chemistry formed during team periods. For Dell, having that rapport with multiple signal callers has done wonders to raise his stock thus far.
Overall, the Houston Texans offense put together a solid performance against a tough New England team, and Dell was a huge reason why.
The defense came to play
The Houston Texans invested heavily in the improvement of their defense during the 2023 offseason. Against the New England Patriots last night, that unit displayed dominance.
The Patriots were held to little offensive production, amassing nine points and 164 total yards of offense. As a team, the Texans sacked the quarterback three times, with linebacker Denzel Perryman, and defensive ends Chase Winovich and Kurt Hinish each breaking through the line.
With the Texans secondary being the talk of the town, it was the pass rush that came to play last night. Constant pressure was the name of the game for head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke, with the team executing the game plan brilliantly.
Most importantly, the unit appeared to be in sync and in control, something the Texans are going to have to continue to display in order to reach the next level defensively. Though one game is a small sample size, the tenacity and grit with which this team played could very well prove beneficial for the team down the line.
For now though, the Texans' defense showed significant strides. On top of winning the game, that is another major victory in itself.