The Texans kicked off their preseason schedule strong with a 23-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. Starting off with a win is always a plus, but what did we really learn from this first preseason game?
Pick 1: The QB Competition is Close
We knew we were in for a good competition between Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett, but if the game against the Niners was any indication, this competition is going to go down to the wire.
Hoyer made the most of his limited time by connecting with Cecil Shorts III for a 58-yard touchdown, then tacking on a 2-point conversion to DeAndre Hopkins. Hoyer finished 2-for-4 for 67 yards and a touchdown, a real solid outing.
Mallett impressed as well, completing his first eight passes on the day. He ultimately finished going 10-for-11 for 90 yards. However, none of his drives led to any points.
Head Coach Bill O’Brien won’t give any insight as to who leads the competition right now, though.
“When I looked at that position, I thought that those guys went out there and played consistently, reacted to different things that came up during the game that they hadn’t seen in training camp and reacted pretty well,” O’Brien said. “They played with some poise. Did they make some mistakes? Yeah, each one of them made some mistakes. Those are things that are definitely correctable. Those guys are hardworking guys and they’ll be back in here tomorrow and they’ll start correcting those mistakes.”
Pick 2: Mallett Will Start Next
Though he is keeping his overall thoughts on the competition to himself, O’Brien has already declared that Ryan Mallett will get the start next week against the Denver Broncos.
After his strong, but scoreless showing against San Fran, it seems that Mallett needs to show that he can not only play well and efficiently, but turn that efficiency into a scoring drive.
Pick 3: Don’t Be Blue About Blue
A huge concern for the Texans after the injury to Arian Foster is finding out who can carry the load in the running game. Alfred Blue turned a few heads and
slightly lessened the nerves of the coaching staff after a nine carry, 59-yard performance.
Blue’s highlight run came in the first quarter when he torched the 49ers’ defense for 32 yards. However, Blue and O’Brien both know there is still much work to be done in the running game.
“He had a couple of runs that were 14 yards, one was 30 yards with good vision,” O’Brien said. “…but there are also things that he needs to work on. He knows that. He knows there are things schematically, technique-wise that he can work on to get better and he is a very hardworking kid and that is exactly what he will do.”
Pick 4: Leaders On The Sidelines
It’s to be expected at this point that the star players don’t play in the first preseason game. Houston sat out defensive stars J.J. Watt, Vince Wilfork, and Johnathan Joseph.
Even with all of that talent out of the game, the Texans’ defense stood tall against Kaepernick and the Niners’ offense. In his only series, the Texans forced Kaepernick to go just 1-for-3 for 14 yards. San Francisco was forced to punt on the drive.
This bodes incredibly well for Houston and their defensive scheme, and only looks to get that much better when the stars are added to the lineup.
Pick 5: Still No Clowney
Former number one pick, Jadeveon Clowney didn’t play in the game against San Francisco. He was sidelined, still recovering from microfracture surgery he underwent in December.
Clowney only played four games in his rookie season last year, but seems to be progressing well with the healing process. In fact, O’Brien expects him to practice this week in a limited role.
Just keep this in mind: When Clowney gets healthy, that defensive line will consist of Watt, Wilfork and Clowney. Yeah, good luck against that.
Pick 6: This Is Just The Beginning
While it’s nice to get a win to start off preseason play, it’s worth remembering that this is a rebuilding year for San Fran. That team was absolutely decimated in the offseason by retirements, free agency and trouble with the law.
That was a game that Houston was expected to perform well in, and they did. But the rest of the preseason is filled with much tougher tests that will truly push this team to the limits and reveal what they’re made of.
Houston plays at home next week against a Denver team that looked solid against Seattle, even with their backups. Then the Texans go on the road for the last two preseason games to take on New Orleans and Dallas, two very high-powered offenses.
The ultimate takeaway from Saturday’s game is that it was a good start for the Texans, but there’s still a long road ahead, and this thing is just getting started.
