The Texans lost to the Miami Dolphins in their second preseason game of 2023 with a blowout loss of 28-3. Now there was a lot of bad that came out of this game but also a lot of good that come through this hard-fought loss against a well-rounded Dolphins team.
Skylar Thompson had an incredible game against the Texans as he threw three touchdowns for 157 yards on 15 of 22 passing attempts. He was able to pick apart the defense to help the Dolphins convert on fourth down (2/2) and third down with ease (9/15).
With that being said let's look at the winners and losers from the Texans' second preseason game of the year.
Winners
C.J. Stroud
The #2 overall pick seemed much more confident and collected this time around as he completed seven passes on twelve attempts for 60 yards and a passer rating of 71.5. He flashed the ability to get the ball out quickly, improvise outside of the pocket, and lead his team downfield cool and collectively.
He exhibited this near the end of the first quarter after a long 93-yard touchdown drive by the Dolphins which ended in a two-yard rushing touchdown by Raheem Mostert. Stroud answered back by marching the Texans down the field allowing Ka'imi Fairbairn to hit a 35-yard field goal to cap off an 11-play, 61-yard drive led by receptions to Noah Brown, Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz, and Robert Woods.
Denzel Perryman
Denzel Perryman started the game off with an incredible interception on Dolphins Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's first passing attempt as he made a perfect zone drop to intercept his pass and put the Texans in prime scoring position in the first quarter. He ended up recording three tackles before eventually being taken out
He continues his success and leadership for this young star-studded defense after a solid Texans debut last week where he recorded a sack and two tackles. With each day he seems like he's reverting to his 2021 pro-bowl self. I expect him to be a lock for one of the outside linebacker positions as he continues to impress in camp.
Mike Boone
Former Broncos running back Mike Boone looked like the only bright spot in what seemed like a dormant offense as the offensive line struggled to provide consistent holes in the run game. Boone led the team in receptions and receiving yards with four catches for 35 yards while adding twelve yards on five carries.
Boone looks like he could sneak onto the roster as a reliable pass-catcher as he proved his worth on a 25-yard dump-off pass from a heavily pressured Davis Mills. He showcases solid speed and a hard grind-for-yards mentality. I can see him becoming a solid receiving back for this team.
Losers
Offensive Line
The Texans offensive line had no answers to help the run game as the Texans only recorded 33 yards rushing on 14 carries. The Texans struggled to give either quarterback enough time to make many plays in what seems like a young star-studded roster.
Stroud and Mills had trouble getting the ball down the field as Pierce struggled to gain much yardage with little to no holes to run through. Mills had to hit his check-downs on most of his attempts as he had no time to let the plays develop with heavy pressure.
Linebackers
Now you might ask yourself why you would write linebackers if you just praised Denzel Perryman. The answer, the linebackers seemed to struggle to help stop the run as the Dolphins put up 205 rushing yards and one touchdown.
Salvon Ahmed ran all over the Texans as he had 12 carries for 99 yards averaging 8.2 yards per carry. When you watch the linebackers on film it seems like they aren't coming down fast enough to crash the line and hit the gaps before the lineman makes it to the second level. They missed several tackles allowing for many big runs for the Dolphins.
They struggled in coverage too, allowing two receiving touchdowns in coverage. One to Salvon Ahmed and one to Braxton Berrios on a mismatch with rookie Henry To'oto'o with 10 seconds left in the first half. It looked like the linebackers had a lot of missed zone coverages allowing the Dolphins to convert on third and fourth down with ease.