Fast Start
Former Alief Taylor, Wake Forest star Duke Ejiofor shining for Texans
Joshua Koch
Aug 23, 2018, 5:00 am
This article originally appeared on Vype.
Duke Ejiofor is making his presence known.
With only 53 spots available on an NFL active roster, every single time a player can get their name being mentioned amongst that group is a good day - especially when they were a sixth round pick in the last NFL Draft.
The former Alief Taylor High School and Wake Forest star has done just that in his rookie NFL Training Camp.
Against the San Francisco 49ers, Ejiofor made his presence felt on the opening kickoff when he made a crushing open field tackle to stop Richie James Jr. in his tracks at the 22.
Ejiofor finished with two special teams tackles and one tackle and another tackle for loss in the Texans' 16-13 preseason victory.
Continue reading on Vype.
The Houston Texans have a big challenge in store as they look to start the season with a win against the Colts this Sunday. When these two teams met in Week 2 last year, the Colts dominated the Texans, despite losing their QB Anthony Richardson to a concussion after the first quarter.
Keeping Richardson contained on Sunday will go a long way in increasing the Texans' chances of coming home with a win. The Texans defense will have their hands full containing the Colts backs and tight ends in the passing game.
Scoring touchdowns with their wide receivers could prove difficult, as the Texans allowed the second-fewest TDs (10) to the receiver position in 2023.
Limiting running back Jonathan Taylor will also be a top priority. While the Texans had an elite defense against the run last season, they struggled with Taylor in Week 18 as he almost rushed for 200 yards.
Houston's D allowed only four carries to running backs in 2023 that went for 20 or more yards. Two of which were to Taylor in the final game of the regular season.
Finally, DeMeco Ryans and company have to find a way to get pressure on the QB. They only had one QB hit and zero sacks on Richardson and Garner Minshew the first time they faced off last year.
On offense, the Texans have two big x-factors to watch for on Sunday. The offensive line that suited up to play the Colts in Week 2 last season is completely different from this year.
The o-line was ravaged with injuries to start the 2023 campaign, so we expect a big jump in productivity in the trenches this year.
Another big addition in 2024 is the presence of running back Joe Mixon. The running game only produced 2 yards per rush in Week 2 against Indy last year, so there's clearly room for improvement.
Be sure to watch the video above for our in-depth preview of Texans-Colts!
And catch Texans on Tap (a Texans podcast) live on our SportsMapTexans YouTube channel following every game this season!