Every-Thing Sports

Texans vs Chiefs: Good, bad & ugly

Texans vs Chiefs: Good, bad & ugly
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The Texans and Deshaun Watson won the battle of the two best quarterbacks from the 2017 draft over Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs 31-24. Here are my observations:

The Good

-Although both young quarterbacks had two turnovers each, it was Watson who outdueld Mahomes. He had a total of 322 yards and three touchdowns to Mahomes' 272 yards and three touchdowns. It was his ballsy playmaking ability on two fourth down conversions, as well as his timely rushing touchdowns in a big time road win that put him over.

-Rookie defensive lineman Charles Omenihu had a crucial strip sack of Mahomes just before halftime. Linebacker Benardrick McKinney recovered the fumble and the Texans scored on the next play to go up 23-17 with their 20th unanswered points of the first half. This was a huge momentum shifter.

-Tashaun Gipson caught the first Mahomes interception of the season in the second quarter. The Chiefs were driving again and in field goal range when Mahomes took a shot at the end zone thinking he had a free play because of a potential pass interference/defensive holding call. The refs remarkably overruled the original call and ruled it an interception. Shocker!

The Bad

-Whitney Mercilus jumped offsides and Mahomes took a deep shot knowing he had a free play. Tyreek Hill won the jumpball over Justin Reid and Phillip Gaines. Hill is listed at 5'10, but looked as if he was 6'7 when he leaped to catch the ball. Reid appeared to have the ball in his grasp, but came up empty.

-Carlos Hyde fumbled on the first play from scrtimmage where he appeared to have simply lost his grip on the ball. The no-contact fumble was recovered by the Chiefs and led to a field goal to put the score at 10-0 about five minutes into the game.

-Watson threw a pick into double coverage trying to go for DeAndre Hopkins in the end zone while thewy were in field goal range down 24-23. It was his second pick of the day. It also came after Hopkins dropped a potential touchdown catch uncharacteristically taking his eyes off the ball before securing the catch.

The Ugly

-Horrible missed call on an offensive pass interference on the Chiefs opening drive! Travis Kelce basically threw a pass block that opened up Damien Williams for a huge 52-yard gain. The Texans challenged the call and the refs upheld it. This was the epitome of ref C.Y.A.

-The two teams combined for 14 penalties for 114 yards in the first half. That was most in a half this season. In an offensive shootout, penalties can kill you. They ended the game with 21 combined penalties for 149 yards.

-Rookie offensive lineman Tytus Howard was carted off with a leg injury on the third play of the 3rd quarter. It looked to be somewhat serious as his leg was rolled on and bent in a weird way. Bradley Roby gingerly walked off the field mid way throught he 3rd quarter and left the Texans with four healthy corners. Few plays later, Chiefs went up 24-23 on another Hill touchdown catch.

The Texans put together a great gameplan and it went as well as one could expect against a juggernaut like the Chiefs. Bill O'Brien deserves come credit. He gambled on a couple key 4th down conversions because he trusted Watson to do the right thing. He also committed to the run to the tune of 192 yards on the ground, despite Hyde's early fumble. Hyde himself ended up with 116 yards rushing. If O'Brien and Watson keep this up, there could be big things on the horizon. Next week's matchup against the Colts in Indy will tell us who's the big dog in the AFC South. Can O'Brien and Watson make magic again?

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The Texans starters are expected to play against Pittsburgh. Composite Getty Image.

When it comes to NFL preseason games, you're never sure what you're going to see. Some coaches hold out their starters completely, while others like to get them reps in a game setting.

Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans falls in the second category. Ryans told the media on Monday, that starters will see some action against the Steelers this Friday.

To what extent we see the starters is still unknown. Will it be one series, maybe two? Will this be the first time we see CJ Stroud throwing to Stefon Diggs in live game action? We'll have our answer soon enough.

If we are going to see Stroud this Friday, protection is going to be paramount. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil won't be playing this week, as he's still working his way back from offseason surgery. Right tackle Tytus Howard left Tuesday's practice, according to KPRC 2's Aaron Wilson.

Details of what caused Howard to leave practice aren't clear. He was in the medical tent before leaving the field, so something has to be bothering him.

There's no reason to rush him back this early in the preseason, so he may not be available to play on Friday. Tackle Charlie Heck is working through plantar fasciitis, we don't expect him to play this week either.

With that in mind, how much do the Texans want to put Stroud at risk behind backup tackles against the Steelers in August? Probably not much. Stroud tossed three interceptions in Tuesday's practice, for what it's worth.

We also shouldn't expect Joe Mixon to play, he's still dealing with a quad injury and not practicing. Which might be a good thing. Houston needs to see what they have at running back behind Mixon.

We expect to see Dameon Pierce this week after being held out of the Hall of Fame game. Hopefully he looks more comfortable in the offense after another offseason to get acclimated.

One of the most exciting battles to watch will be the fight for the number three running back. Dare Ogunbowale should have a good shot to return in that role, but Cam Akers showed some “juice” against the Bears. Especially in the passing game. Jawhar Jordan, JJ Taylor, and British Brooks should also see some reps.

Defense

Linebacker Christian Harris hasn't been practicing, and rookie corner Kamari Lassister hasn't practiced this week. DE Danielle Hunter returned to practice on Tuesday. Coach Ryans told the media on Monday that both Hunter and Will Anderson are fine, despite not practicing on Monday.

ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime is reporting that corner Jeff Okuhah and Desmond King both were out of practice on Tuesday.

We'll continue to monitor practice reports as we get closer to game day this Friday!


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