Tag: NFL preseason Week 1

Texans position battles: What changed after 26-7 preseason win over the Packers

Position battles started to take shape after the Houston Texans’ 26-7 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers.

The Houston Texans opened their three-game preseason schedule with a 26-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers Saturday night at Lambeau Field. The Texans and Packers elected not to play a bulk of their presumed starters, which gave management a closer look at players who are on the verge of receiving quality playing time or on the bubble of making the 53-man roster.

It’s hard to determine how much separation each player has created after one preseason game, but the competition is starting to heat up at several positions.

Here are three position battles that saw a shift in their competition following a preseason victory against the Packers.

David Culley thinks Texans should have gone for it more on fourth down

Houston Texans coach David Culley believes his team should have gone for it on fourth down against the Green Bay Packers.

The Houston Texans had a fourth-and-2 from the Green Bay Packers’ 19-yard line in the first quarter of Saturday night’s eventual 26-7 preseason win at Lambeau Field.

Instead of going for it, the Texans sent kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn out for a 37-yard field goal, which gave them an early 3-0 lead with 7:48 in the first quarter.

If coach David Culley had to do it over again, he would have gone for it.

“When it was third down and 2, we had two plays right there. [Offensive coordinator] Tim (Kelly) knew we had two plays, but we didn’t get any yards there,” Culley said. “And then when we didn’t get any yards, we didn’t get in a situation where we had a fourth-and-1; we decided to get the kick. And we kicked it.”

The third-and-1 call from the 18-yard line was a run up the middle from running back David Johnson, but he lost a yard and setup a fourth-and-2.

Houston had another fourth down across the 50-yard line into Packers territory in the first half. The Texans were fourth-and-12 from Green Bay’s 40-yard line. Cameron Johnston came out for a 28-yard punt.

“The next time when we got in that situation, any time we are down across the 50 and we’ve got an opportunity to be able to stay on the field in that particular situation, we’re going to put it on our out-front people and we’re going to give them the opportunity to get the first down in those situations,” said Culley.

The Texans may get just the chance on Aug. 21 when they take on the Dallas Cowboys for the second preseason game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Texans coach David Culley says defense needs to capitalize on third-and-long

Houston Texans coach David Culley says he would like to see the defense come up with more stops on third-and-long.

David Culley was pleased with the way the defense played in the 26-7 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

Houston’s defense procured two fumbles and an interception. Those three takeaways along are a third of what the defense produced last season through 16 games.

“I think overall, defensively, they played team defense tonight,” Culley said.

The Texans brought in new defensive coordinator Lovie Smith, going from a 3-4 to a Tampa 2, and emphasizing takeaways.

“This defense — Lovie’s defense — is built on basically creating turnovers, getting turnovers,” said Culley. “We were able to get a few of those tonight. We were close to getting a few more.”

However, letting the Packers off the mat on third-and-long dissatisfied the rookie coach.

“Basically, the thing there is that, we have to make sure, we had a couple of third-and-longs tonight that I know Lovie wasn’t happy with, that we weren’t happy with,” said Culley. “We have to get them off the field on third-and-longs, and we didn’t do a good job of doing that.”

The Texans allowed the Packers to convert on 1-4 third downs that were of nine yards or more to gain. Overall, the Texans held the Packers to 3-11 on third downs.

“Other than that, I though they played really good team defense,” Culley said.

The Texans have a chance to build upon their team defense when they travel to Arlington, Texas, on Aug. 21 to take on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.

3 takeaways from the Texans’ 26-7 preseason win over the Packers

The Houston Texans were able to get a 26-7 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers to start the David Culley era. Here are three takeaways.

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans opened their preseason schedule in a 26-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers, Saturday night, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. Presume starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor played one drive throwing for 40 yards — which ended in a field goal for the Texans.

“I thought Tyrod managed the game well during the one series that he had,” coach David Culley said. “It did not feel like we finished the drive. We cannot get field goals down in that situation. We got to have touchdowns. But other than not getting a touchdown, he did exactly what we wanted in that series.”

Here are three observations from the Texans’ preseason opener against the Packers.

WATCH: David Culley tells Texans he is ‘proud’ of them following 26-7 win over the Packers

Houston Texans coach David Culley told the team he was “proud” of them after the 26-7 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers.

Houston Texans coach David Culley was not bashful with his feelings following his team’s 26-7 win over the Green Bay Packers Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

Although the win was in a preseason game, it was the first 60 minutes of live action in the Culley era. There was no better way to get it started than with a victory, even though it may have been in an exhibition contest.

The Houston Texans official Twitter account posted a video of Culley talking with the players after the win.

“Are we locked in? You know what, when we first started out there tonight, we looked like we were locked in,” Culley said on the video. “We didn’t finish it like we wanted to finish it. We didn’t do things like we wanted to do things consistently. But we did enough tonight. They do keep score, right? And when they keep score, the object is to what?”

“Win,” the players in the locker room uttered.

“And we did that,” said Culley. “And that’s what’s important tonight. Okay. We’ll correct the mistakes. We’ll get everything done that needs to be done, but proud of you tonight. Proud of you tonight. From the time we left to the time we got here to right now. On our way back, same thing. Make sure we’re taking care of our business.”

The Texans can go for their second preseason win in a row when they face the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 21 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

4 weird decisions from the Texans’ 26-7 preseason victory over the Packers

The Houston Texans pulled off the 26-7 preseason win over the Green Bay Packers. Here were four strange decisions from the game.

The Houston Texans prevailed 26-7 over the Green Bay Packers Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

Houston picked up the first win of the David Culley era, albeit in an exhibition game that has no currency relative to playoff qualification. Nevertheless, it was a great way to signal the beginning for Culley and his new regime.

As is the case any NFL game, there were strange decisions that were made throughout the 60 minutes of playing time. Here are four of the most puzzling decisions from the Texans’ win in Green Bay.

Texans injuries after 26-7 preseason win over the Packers

Houston Texans coach David Culley provided an injury update after the team’s 26-7 preseason victory over the Green Bay Packers.

The Houston Texans got their first preseason win with a 26-7 victory over the Green Bay Packers Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

For coach David Culley, it is the best way to start his new tenure as the franchise’s fourth full-time coach.

However, the victory did come with a few injuries. Here is a look at the injuries sustained and updates provided by Culley after the game.

Davis Mills steadies Texans to 26-7 win over the Packers

Rookie QB Davis Mills threw for 112 yards as the Houston Texans outlasted the Green Bay Packers 26-7 Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

Rookie quarterback Davis Mills threw for 112 yards in over two quarters of action as the Houston Texans beat the Green Bay Packers 16-7 in their first of three games in preseason.

Mills completed 11 passes on 22 attempts. The third-rounder from Stanford came in on the Texans’ second drive of the first quarter after starter Tyrod Taylor went 4-of-4 for 40 yards.

The only rookie mistake Mills made was a red zone interception in the second quarter following defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson’s first of two fumble recoveries for Houston.

Coach David Culley, who made his preseason debut as the Texans’ fourth full-time coach in team history, was not pleased with the red zone giveaway.

“The positive takeaway is we did get a touchdown with one of the drives, but the negative is that when we get in the red zone, we’ve got to have touchdowns,” Culley said. “We can’t have field goals and we can’t have turnovers. That’s not good football, and eventually in the long run, that will come back and haunt you.”

In addition to Johnson’s fumble recoveries, cornerback Tremon Smith picked off Packers backup quarterback Kurt Benkert. The Texans defense limited the Packers to 49 yards on 21 carries, a promising start for a defense that led the NFL with 5.2 yards per carry surrendered in 2020.

Houston’s offense provided 170 yards and two touchdowns on 37 carries. Second-year back Scottie Phillips was the Texans’ leading rusher with 13 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Chris Conley was the Texans’ leading receiver with four catches for 51 yards.

Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn barely made his first field goal from 37 yards in the first quarter. However, his next three field goals were straight down the middle, and he finished the night 4-4 with his other three kicks from 25, 41, and 42 out. Fairbairn also went 2-of-2 on extra points.

The Texans will stay on the road for their second preseason game as they head to Arlington, Texas, to play the Dallas Cowboys Aug. 21 at AT&T Stadium.

WATCH: Texans DT Jaleel Johnson falls on 2nd fumble against the Packers

Houston Texans defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson has recovered two fumbles against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

Hall of Fame and two-time Super Bowl-winning coach Bill Parcells had a rule for fumble recoveries: smaller guys should pick it up, big guys should fall on it.

Houston Texans defensive tackle Jaleel Johnson would have made the Big Tuna proud not once but twice against the Green Bay Packers Saturday night at Lambeau Field.

In the first half, defensive end Jonathan Greenard strip-sacked quarterback Jordan Love, and Johnson fell on that loose ball to give the Texans’ offense first-and-10 inside the red zone.

Early in the third quarter, a botched hand-off put the ball on the grass once more. After Texans defenders were unable to corral the football for a scoop-and-score, Johnson fell on the ball to recover his second loose ball of the evening.

The Texans defensive line has looked solid against the Packers, and Johnson’s fumble recoveries are icing on the cake.

Instant analysis of Jags’ preseason opening loss to Cleveland

It wasn’t exactly the ideal debut for Jacksonville, but we still learned a bit about this team in the 23-13 loss to Cleveland.

Jacksonville Jaguars fans finally got their first taste of first-overall pick Trevor Lawrence on Saturday night in the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns, and though he had some positive moments, it wasn’t exactly a prolific performance for the rookie in a 23-13 loss.

Offensively, the team struggled as a whole. Jacksonville was shut out in the first half, and the backup defense struggled to contain the Browns, who scored 20 points after totaling just three in the opening quarter against the starting defense.

All in all, it wasn’t exactly the christening Jags fans hoped for in the first game under the new regime, but with that being said, there were certainly some positive takeaways. Here’s a rundown of some of the storylines from the preseason opener.

Quarterback Report

Meyer declined to name a starter in the leadup to the game, but in the end, he gave the nod to Lawrence. Overall, Lawrence’s performance was a mixed bag. He finished 6-of-9 passing for 71 yards, and the major highlight came on a 35-yard pass to free-agent acquisition Marvin Jones Jr.

It wasn’t all great for Lawrence, though. He also took two sacks, one of which resulted in a strip that, luckily for the Jags, he recovered. The play from the starting offensive line wasn’t anything to write home about, but Lawrence also could’ve been quicker in getting rid of the ball.

Gardner Minshew II took over in the second quarter, but he was less effective than Lawrence, finishing 4-of-8 with 47 yards and a pick. C.J. Beathard found the most success of anyone in the group, leading a scoring drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to recent addition Tavon Austin. Beathard finished the game 13-of-16 with 102 yards and a touchdown, staking a nice claim in the race for the backup quarterback job.

Jake Luton didn’t see any action until late in the fourth quarter, finishing with a respectable 53 yards and a touchdown on 8-of-13 passing. Still, as the apparent fourth guy on the group, his position on the roster is tenuous.

Defense struggles but young DBs impress

Jacksonville’s starters on defense only saw a couple of series, but it struggled to contain the Browns starting offense even without Baker Mayfield or Nick Chubb. Starting quarterback Case Keenum led the team on a nine-play, 56-yard field-goal drive to open the game, completing several downfield passing plays in the process.

The run defense mostly held up with Chubb’s absence, as Cleveland only managed 30 yards on 21 carries for the game.

The highlight for the Jags on defense was the play of the young players in the secondary. Cornerback C.J. Henderson was very involved in the passing game, breaking up one pass and making a play on several more. He also notched a tackle.

Rookie safety Andre Cisco, who many expect to compete for the starting free safety job as the preseason continues, was impressive in his first outing since knee surgery. He saw quite a bit of reps with the second-team defense, and he totaled four tackles and a pass breakup for the game. Meanwhile, second-round pick Tyson Campbell was on the coverage on an incomplete pass in the end zone on fourth down in the second quarter.

Other notes

  • A pair of late additions who had reportedly looked good in camp flashed it in the first game as well. Austin caught four catches for 52 yards and a touchdown, tying Jones as the leading receiver, while Laquon Treadwell had a pair of catches as well. Both are making strong cases to make the roster with their play.
  • The tight end group largely remains an enigma. Likely starter James O’Shaughnessy didn’t play, and in his place, Chris Manhertz made just one catch for five yards. The only other tight ends with receptions were Luke Farrell, who had two yards on one catch, and Tyler Davis, who remains a dark horse among the group. His one reception was a seven-yard touchdown from Luton to end the game. Ben Ellefson was targeted on a catchable ball downfield from Beathard, but he couldn’t come down with it. Tim Tebow also saw a target but didn’t have any receptions.
  • The role of rookie running back Travis Etienne is also still mostly unclear. He had one carry for two yards and didn’t make a catch despite being targeted. Projected No. 1 back James Robinson saw more opportunities, finishing with 13 yards on three carries, but Dare Ogunbowale was the most effective of the group, totaling 24 yards on eight carries.