Critical takeaways from Houston Texans preseason win over Steelers
TEXANS TAKEAWAYS
10 August
CJ Stroud looked good in his 2024 preseason debut. Composite Getty Image.
C.J. Stroud threw a touchdown pass to Tank Dell in his preseason debut to help the Houston Texans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-12 on Friday night.
Held out of the Hall of Fame game last week against Chicago, Stroud completed 2 of 4 passes for 41 yards.
Stroud, the No. 2 overall pick in 2023, threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdown last season, leading the Texans to the AFC South championship and a victory over Cleveland in the wild-card round.
Following a three-and-out, Stroud led the Texans to the touchdown on a three-play series. Stroud threaded a pass to Dell, who dodged a pair of missed tackles for a 34-yard score. Dell had 708 yards receiving before a season-ending leg injury last season. He also was wounded in the offseason in a Florida restaurant shooting.
Justin Fields played three series for Pittsburgh, finishing 5 of 6 for 67 yards. He was sacked twice and fumbled two exchanges.
Pittsburgh moved across midfield twice with Fields under center, but the drives stalled because of a fumbled snap and a sack.
Pittsburgh acquired Fields – the No. 11 overall pick in 2021 – from Chicago for a conditional sixth-round choice in 2025. The Steelers traded Kenny Pickett, the team’s first-round pick in 2022, after signing Russell Wilson to the $1.21 million veteran’s minimum when he was released by Denver in March. Wilson didn’t play Friday because of a lingering calf injury.
Quarterback Kyle Allen drove Pittsburgh inside the 5 in the second quarter, but the Steelers came up empty on four tries. Allen missed a wide-open Calvin Austin III in the back corner of the end zone on fourth down.
Allen finished 17 of 23 for 193 yards, a late interception and a third-quarter touchdown pass to Connor Heyward.
Houston scored its second touchdown in the second quarter. Pittsburgh’s Quez Watkins muffed a punt and running back Dare Ogunbowale capped the six-play, 30-yard drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.
UNDER PRESSURE
Houston defensive end Danielle Hunter made an impact on his two series with two tackles, a sack and two quarterback pressures, including one on the first snap of the game.
The Texans signed Hunter to a two-year, $49 million contract after a 16 1/2-sack season with Minnesota. He’s expected to pair on the defensive line with Will Anderson Jr.
Don't miss the video above as the guys from Texans on Tap go live on YouTube and share their thoughts on the Texans' win! We learned a lot about how Diggs and Dell will be deployed.
TRANSACTIONS
The Steelers placed Markus Golden on the reserved/retired list Friday, a little more than a week after signing the backup outside linebacker. Golden, who played nine seasons, spent 2023 with the Steelers, recording four sacks, good for third on the team.
Pittsburgh also restored RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson to the active roster. Patterson, in his 12th NFL season, is a four-time All-Pro returner.
INJURY REPORT
Pittsburgh’s Keeanu Benton left the game with an eye injury.
UP NEXT
Houston: Hosts the New York Giants next Saturday.
Pittsburgh: Hosts Buffalo next Saturday.
Dylan Cease pitched brilliantly into the ninth inning and Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis Jr. and Donovan Solano hit consecutive homers in the eighth for the San Diego Padres, who beat the AL West-leading Houston Astros 4-0 on Wednesday.
Machado homered twice for the Padres, who won two of three against the Astros and stayed two games ahead of Arizona for the first NL wild card. The Astros came in with a five-game division lead over Seattle.
Cease (14-11), who threw his first career no-hitter on July 25 at Washington, took a one-hitter into the ninth before Mauricio Dubón beat out an infield single to shortstop. Cease struck out Jake Meyers but then shortstop Xander Bogaerts booted Jose Altuve's grounder for an error that allowed Dubón to take third, and that was it for the right-hander after 103 pitches.
Cease retired the first 15 Astros batters before allowing a single to right field by Jason Heyward to open the sixth. Cease then retired the side.
Cease struck out five and walked none. Tanner Scott got two outs for his 21st save.
Machado, who has 29 homers, lined a shot to left-center off Framber Valdez opening the sixth.
Tatis, who struck out in his first three at-bats, hit reliever Kaleb Ort's first pitch into the first row in left-center leading off the eighth. It was his 19th. Machado followed with a shot deep into the seats in left and Solano hit a liner to left, his seventh. That was it for Ort, who threw just nine pitches.
Valdez (14-7) went seven innings, allowing one run and five hits while striking out six and walking two.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Padres: 1B/DH Luis Arraez got the day off to rest his sore left knee, which he jammed into home plate while being thrown out on Monday night. Arraez started at DH on Tuesday night.
UP NEXT
Astros: LHP Yusei Kikuchi (9-9, 4.29 ERA) is scheduled to start Thursday night in the opener of a four-game home series against the Los Angeles Angels, who will go with LHP José Suarez (1-2, 6.80).
Padres: Hadn't announced their starter for Friday night's home series opener against the Chicago White Sox.
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