SPEED KILLS

How the Houston Texans may have caught lightning in a bottle

Houston Texans Tank Dell
Tank Dell was electric in his NFL debut.Photo by Omar Rawlings/Getty Images.
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The Texans played their first preseason game of the new era. They beat the Patriots 20-9 in a pretty meaningless game. While normal, well-adjusted onlookers see this as just another preseason game and/or a dress rehearsal, there are some out there who see this as an indictment or preview of what's to come. A LOT of the chatter has been about C.J. Stroud, and rightfully so. He's the number two overall pick and the franchise quarterback for a team that's been looking for one.

Look, I'm not saying he needs to sit, and I'm not saying he's a bust either. What I'm saying is both extremes need to relax. Did he look good? Not really. He played 12 snaps, dropped back to pass six or seven times, got sacked once, completed two, overthrew one, and got the other picked off. The pick was a bad read on what seemed to be a timing route. Stroud threw the ball before the receiver broke and it got intercepted. Guaranteed he knew this the minute he threw it and will study to ensure he doesn't repeat it.

While Stroud didn't look good in his first live action, there were four other things I wrote about that I wanted to watch for during this game. Here's what I observed:

Speed and Quickness: There was a TON of it on the field for the Texans, especially on defense. Tank Dell stuck out on offense. He looks like he'd be trouble to cover in a closet, much less on a football field. On defense, Christian Harris showed some elite athleticism. There was a play on the Patriots' first possession where a RB made a catch on the sideline. In the initial camera shot of the pass being thrown, it appeared as if he was out of position to be able to make the play. He made the tackle from an angle that looked like he covered 10 plus yards in less than a second!

Health: There was only one injury coming out of the game. Fullback Andrew Beck limped off the field after the second half kickoff. The team has reported him as having a minor knee injury. The team held out several guys with injuries, and a few more that were healthy scratches.

Dawgs: I LOVED seeing guys get after it! Tank Dell was the most impressive guy vs. the Patriots. He's going to have the slot WR job locked up very soon. He may even push to start since he's clearly a matchup nightmare. Will Anderson Jr is so quick/fast. His speed/quickness jumps out at you when watching him. Seeing him blow up run plays and cause the QB to get sacked by trying to escape his pressure will be more fun when the games count.

Compete: Watching the game from start to finish, I enjoyed how everyone played hard. You didn't see guys out there slacking. Everyone was engaged. DeMeco was looking like he was having the time of his life. A few times, cameras caught him smiling and high-fiving guys. The interactions on the sidelines were fun to observe as well. Nobody pouted or sulked, and everyone seemed to be having fun.

A couple of things I kept saying was this team looks faster, guys are flying around on defense, and I can see the machinations of what this offense will look like in the future. How far in the future will depend largely on Stroud getting up to speed on the NFL game. Oh, and how well the pieces play around him. I've heard “it looks like a real football team” a few times. This team will be fun to watch. While some of the hype is overblown, it is warranted. The days of embarrassing football appear to be finally over.

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The Texans will look to get back on track this Sunday against the Colts. Composite Getty Image.

C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are looking for answers after their passing game couldn’t get going in a loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Houston’s passing attack had been a strength all season, and the Texans ranked fifth in yards passing per game through their first six games. But on Sunday at Lambeau Field, Stroud was limited to a career-low 86 yards in the 24-22 loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.

Stroud was 10 of 21 and didn’t have a touchdown pass for the first time this season. The second-year player was under duress for much of the day and was sacked four times and hit seven other times.

“We have to go back to the drawing board and see what those issues were,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “As we watch the film, we’ll see what happened, starting for me the communication and just guys being on the details of the job.”

The Texans scored a season-high 41 points in a win over New England a week earlier in which Stroud threw a season-best three touchdown passes despite being without star receiver Nico Collins.

They were unable to replicate that success Sunday with Collins out for the second of at least four games after a hamstring injury landed him on injured reserve.

Stefon Diggs led the team with five receptions against the Packers, but they only amounted to 23 yards. Tank Dell, who the Texans expected to step up with Collins out, was targeted four times but didn’t have a catch.

Stroud discussed the importance of getting Dell more involved in the offense.

“We have to find a way to try and get him the rock early and often and then go from there,” he said. “It has to be a focus for us, not only just him, but the whole offense clicking early. That is really my job to get the ball out on time and to where it is supposed to go. So yeah, that definitely has to be fixed.”

Ryans spoke about his confidence is getting Dell going.

What's working

The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their last two games after they hadn’t caused any in their previous three games.

Houston scored 16 points off three turnovers Sunday. The Texans had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on a punt. In their win over the Patriots, they scored 17 points off a season-high four turnovers.

What needs help

The Texans won’t get to where they want to be this season if Stroud doesn’t get back on track. Before Sunday, last year’s AP Offensive Rookie of the Year was averaging more than 262 yards passing a game, giving the team confidence that the problems in the passing game are fixable.

Ryans knows the line must give Stroud more time to throw and said the coaching staff will focus on improving in that area this week.

Stock up

RB Joe Mixon continued to shine Sunday in his second game back after missing three games with an ankle injury. Mixon, who is in his first season in Houston after a trade from Cincinnati, had 25 carries for 115 yards and two touchdowns against Green Bay.

Mixon is confident the Texans will rebound this week if they quit making mistakes.

“Does it look I’m worried? I’m not worried at all,” he said. “Like I said, we got a ... good football team. At the end of the day, we are our own worst enemy.”

Stock down

Dell was unable to help Stroud get the passing game going. The second-year player had a solid rookie season with 709 yards receiving and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his leg. But he hasn’t been able to build on that success this year and has just 194 yards receiving with one score in six games.

Injuries

LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee), LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion), CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) all missed Sunday’s game and it’s unclear if any of these starters can return this week.

Key number

3 — Safety Calen Bullock had his third interception Sunday to tie Dunta Robinson and Jumal Rolle for most interceptions by a rookie in franchise history through the first seven games. He leads NFL rookies in interceptions this season and is tied for third-most among all players.

Next steps

The AFC South-leading Texans (5-2) return to division play Sunday when they host the second-place Colts (4-3), who have won two in a row and four of five.

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