CODY STOOTS/PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS
Mariota unimpressive, Watson taking shots ahead of Monday
Nov 21, 2018, 7:27 am
Marcus Mariota had a rough game against the Colts. Andy Lyons/Getty Images
Pro Football Focus grades each individual player's performance and assigns them a grade. All 32 teams use Pro Football Focus.
Each week we will take a look at some of the key grades as well as some from the Texans upcoming opponent. They also do great fantasy analysis and draft coverage as well. Stats are for the previous game unless otherwise noted. You can join Pro Football Focus here.
Brennan Scarlett - 94.4 Defensive Grade
Hello, secret weapon. Who knew he could play inside linebacker so well? The Texans it seems. And now, Washington. He only produced a handful of tackles but came up with an interception and did one heck of a job in coverage for the Texans. Scarlett has been a special teams weapon for almost the entire season and now in a pinch, the Texans found a good defensive use for him outside of his normal position. This is a testament to Scarlett and the coaching which helped get him ready.
Greg Mancz - 29.5 Pass Blocking Grade
Mancz came in for an injured Zach Fulton and had a surprisingly low grade. Mancz had done well filling in for Fulton earlier in the season when he was injured. He allowed the most pressures on the team in this game with four. It may have been a bad matchup for him, much like the Giants were earlier in the season when he filled in at left guard. A rare bad game for Mancz in this spot as he had been solid.
Deshaun Watson - 14.9 Yards Per Attempt on Blitzed Plays
Watson saw a blitz on 10 dropbacks and was sacked twice. On the other eight plays, he tried to make a big play. It was the only situation in which he had a double-digit YPA. Watson's YPA was short, the Texans had a lot of yards after the catch. This is something Watson is very capable of doing because the offensive line has been good recently and his feet let him extend the plays. With play-calling being fairly conservative, Watson taking advantage of the defense risking blitz is good to see.
Marcus Mariota - 34.8 Offensive Grade
The Titans quarterback is hurt and coming off a horrible performance in Indianapolis. His worst of the season in fact. He passed for just 85 yards and was injured and replaced by Blaine Gabbert. The week before though he posted his highest grade of the season against New England. He's about average for the season and that's what the Texans just faced in Alex Smith. He didn't play against the Texans earlier in the year, but ahead of Monday, he has a chance to finally impress against the Texans. He's thrown just one touchdown pass in three games against Houston.
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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!