The Houston Texans kicked off their 2019 season against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. In their first preseason game of the year, the Texans sat a fair bit of starters and lost the turnover battle. In turn, the Packers left Lambeau with a 28-26 win.
Despite the loss, let’s decipher the good, bad, and ugly from the exhibition game.
The good
Joe Webb’s heart: Webb wasn’t supposed to play an entire preseason game on Thursday; but then, A.J. McCarron got hurt. He didn’t play a particularly good match, errantly missing passes across the field, but, he played hard, made good runs, and even laid out some blocks. He’s not a passer, he’s a football player.
Tytus Howard at left guard: Despite a holding call, Howard looked comfortable at left guard. Scratch that; he looked good at left guard. The first-round rookie’s footwork is a thing of beauty, and it showed against the Packers pass rush that couldn’t get by him all night long. At left tackle, he’s still a work in progress.
Brennan Scarlett: Scarlett has enjoyed his hype during training camp as he’s starting in place of Jadeveon Clowney. He showed just why Thursday; though not tallying a sack, Scarlett consistently found himself at the right place at the right time to make plays.
Max Scharping: Scharping is going to give Zach Fulton a run for his money if he continues to play like he did Thursday night. The Green Bay native lined up at right guard and was an impenetrable wall in pass protection, opened up lanes with power, and consistently made proper shifts to account for what the defense was doing.
Zach Fulton at center: Fulton played a bit of center during his days with Kansas City Chiefs; when Scharping came in, and Greg Mancz left with an injury, he went back to the position. The result; excellent play from the position. His pass protecting stood out. If the Texans have an injury there and Scharping earns the right guard job, Fulton may be a suitable replacement.
Bradley Roby: On one hand, Roby didn’t face Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams, on the other, he impressed against backups. Though he allowed two completions — where the QB threw a beautiful ball — his proficiency as a press-man corner stood out. He was sticky in coverage for the limited time he played.
Darren Fells: Without Jordan Thomas and Kahale Warring, the Texans got their first look of Darren Fells. The results were good. In the opening drive, he caught an athletic contested-catch for 21 yards — the last of game for him. Known as an outstanding blocker, Fells showed just that in his debut as a Texan.
Rookie running backs: Karan Higdon and Damarea Crockett combined for 14 rushes for 61 yards and a touchdown. Higdon batted off three straight runs of six or more yards to start his game, showing power and elusiveness in lanes. Crockett flashed his potential to be a change-of-pace bludgeoning back in short-yardage situations.
The bad
Taiwan Jones’ fumble issues: Jones earned the first carries of the night, and though he finished with 28 yards, he shouldn’t see any come week one. The back, known for his special teams, fumbled twice and continuously missed open lanes rushing the ball. He may stick on as a special-teamer, but it’ll be Higdon, Crockett, or Josh Ferguson as the third back.
Seantrel Henderson: Henderson gets a pass from the ugly column because he’s coming off a major injury and flashed some good traits. But, for the most part, he didn’t exactly give a vote of confidence for the right tackle position. Henderson struggled to create lanes in run blocking and failed to make proper adjustments in pass protection.
Damarea Crockett’s pass protection: Crockett showed a bit as a runner and special teamer, but his pass protection isn’t quite up to snuff. He missed a key block late into the matchup.
Charles Omenihu: Coming into the NFL, the former Texas Longhorn was regarded as an athletically gifted prospect with a game that isn’t ready for the pros. That showed Thursday night. Omenihu’s limited pass-rush moves were his demise playing with the first team, as he didn’t generate any pressure all night.
Backup pass rushers: Without J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, the Texans pass-rush looked lost. Packers quarterbacks found themselves dealing with a clean pocket more often than not, as both the edge and interior rush shrank without their best players. Whitney Mercilus played and didn’t do much.
The ugly
Matt Kalil: Kalil continues to be a puzzling signing for the Texans. He struggled during Packers joint training camp, then did the same in the preseason game as the starting left tackle. He couldn’t anchor down in pass protection and supplemented it with poor hand placement. He’s not the answer at left tackle.
Injuries: Nobody likes injuries, especially in preseason. The Texans had to witness both Greg Mancz and Keke Coutee get carted off. While the severity of Mancz’s injury is unknown, Coutee, despite giving Texans fans a collective heart attack, suffered a minor ankle injury. Houston dodged a bullet there; nonetheless, meaningless injuries will always be in the ugly.
Playing Keke Coutee at punt returner: I get it, Bill O’Brien, Coutee is an excellent option at punt returner as he did so in college and sparingly as a rookie. But, he was chronically injured in his first year; why play him on one of the game’s most dangerous plays in the preseason? It’s not like it worked out; he muffed a punt return that the Packers took back for a touchdown.
Sloppiness: The Texans played football on Thursday, it wasn’t particularly good football, but it was football. The team’s play epitomized preseason ball, as they were sloppy all night long. Though they won most every offensive stat, they allowed 100 yards worth of penalties, four turnovers, and found themselves missing tackles.
