Red Zone Play: Texans Looking For Excitement In The Details Last weekend’s game against the 49ers was hardly an offensive
explosion
Womens Ibraheim Campbell Jersey , nor was it much of a defensive slugfest. In fact, the game as a whole wasn’t exactly one of those “greatest games in
history” sort of events. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t a handful of
flashes, or explosively bright points in an otherwise ho-hum game. Sign up for
Battle Red Blog FanPulse!Since most preseason games are generally about
evaluation (from individual performances, position group effectiveness, scheme
work and situational play rehearsals), it’s easy to get bored as a fan since the
stakes aren’t high and the drama of real team competition never really rises to
a climax like it does in the regular season and the NFL Playoffs. Still, there
were a fair amount of reasons to get pumped aboutcertain details throughout the
game. Here’s a few that stood out for me in a good way:Duke Ejiofor – this kid
just continues to get after it. While his impact slowed a bit as the game went
on, can you imagine what happens in the regular season when the only person
between him and an opposing skill player with the ball is a tight end or
tailback? With all the attention his more accomplished teammates will demand,
Ejiofor is poised to have one of the best rookie seasons for a Texans edge
rusher since J.J. Watt. With either Jadeveon Clowney, Watt or Whitney Mercilus
commanding a double-team on every snap
Womens Christian Covington Jersey , Ejiofor is going to get more than his fair share of shots this year and I for one am totally okay with that. Bruce
Ellington – Year Two looks good on Ellington. Sure, chances are he’ll never make
us forget about Andre Johnson, but when he’s combined with DeAndre Hopkins and
Will Fuller V, Ellington is going to make some plays. Just like Ejiofor, he’s
going to be the guy who slides into perfect opportunities simply due to basic
math; if you’re busy doubling the star players, guys like Ellington are going to
make you pay for it. Seeing that Deshaun Watson is already comfortable using
Ellington as his go-to guy, and knowing he has great chemistry with Nuk and
Fuller, this explosive offense might just be even more so this season. Joe Webb
– I remember when he was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings and hailed with the
same sort of praise Braxton Miller received when he was selected by Houston. A
dual-threat sort of guy who could be that Swiss Army knife player that allowed
the offensive coordinator to dream up all sorts of non-standard plays. While
neither Webb or Miller has lived up to that hype, Webb seems capable of not
losing a game while running an offense customized to Deshaun Watson’s strengths.
There will almost surely never come a day when Webb is at Watson’s level, but
knowing he can run a streamlined version of the same offense makes far more
sense than erecting a statue of Tom Savage in the pocket should Watson be unable
to take the field for any reason. Now here are a few observations that aren’t
quite as exciting
Womens Jon Weeks Jersey , or even happy, or anything remotely resembling a #GoTexans sort of thing??Kevin Johnson – chances are I speak for a lot of people
when I say it’s time to close the curtain on the Kevin Johnson experiment. We
have enough tape on him to realize his technique is flawed.Hs coverage skills –
both man and zone – aren’t up to the level necessary to be a starter in the
NFL.His inability to take care of his body “in flight” is worrisome. While I
certainly hope he recovers fully from his latest injury, I also would be fine if
a spot on the final 53-man roster wasn’t held for Johnson. Maybe he can salvage
what’s left of his career if he lands with a team that has a defensive back guru
on the coaching staff, but it seems clear that sort of coach isn’t wearing
Battle Red and Deep Steel Blue. Braxton Miller – speaking of ending the
experiment, it’s time for Miller to seek greener pastures as well. With the
potential rookie receiver Keke Coutee offers, the consistency Bruce Ellington
brings to the field, and the presence of seasoned veteran Sammie Coates, Houston
no longer has the luxury of waiting for Miller to achieve his potential. I have
to admit I was very wrong about Miller when Houston drafted him, as I saw all
sorts of wildcat possibilities with him in the backfield alongside Lamar Miller
and Will Fuller; those never occurred, and Miller just can’t seem to do the one
thing he needs to do consistently: get open and catch the ball. Secondary – it’s
hard to know how this unit is going to perform when the snaps start really
counting
Joel Heath Jersey White , since there’s not been any consistency so far in who is on the field and when. And maybe putting Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson,
Aaron Colvin, Justin Reid and Tyrann Mathieu on the field together play after
play will make a big difference. But if the unit performs the same as they did
last weekend, allowing Jimmy Garoppolo to dice up the secondary seemingly at
will, Tom Brady will hang 30+ points on them by halftime when Week One rolls
around. Now, obviously, there are a lot of variables at play here, from reduced
pass rush pressures, to guys learning their rolls
http://www.thetexanslockerroom.com/authentic-zach-cunningham-jersey , to coming off a week where the teams scrimmaged each other daily, but that sort
of performance will require Watson and company to put up 35+ points a game just
to hang in there. What did you see? Find a few pluses and minuses of your own?
Give us your thoughts in the comments section. DeAndre Hopkins had 151 yards
receiving, including a key reception in overtime, and Ka’imi Fairbairn’s 36-yard
field goal lifted the Houston Texans to a 19-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys on
Sunday night.The Cowboys got the ball first in OT but had to punt when Zach
Cunningham stopped Ezekiel Elliott for no gain on third-and-1.A 49-yard catch
and run by Hopkins got the Texans in scoring range in overtime. He grabbed a
short pass from Watson and twice spun away from would-be tacklers to stretch the
play.Houston was just 1 of 5 in the red zone on Sunday with Fairbairn making
four field goals to help the Texans to the victory.It is Houston’s first win
over the Cowboys (2-3) since the team’s first game on Sept. 8, 2002, ending a
three-game losing streak to Dallas. The Texans (2-3) did it in front of a
franchise-record crowd of 72,008, which was peppered with plenty of Cowboys
fans.Deshaun Watson threw for 375 yards with a touchdown and an interception for
the Texans , who won in overtime for the second straight week.Dak Prescott had
208 yards passing and a touchdown but threw two interceptions for the Cowboys.
Elliott, who entered the game as the NFL’s leading rusher
Jordan Thomas Jersey White , was limited to 54 yards rushing.The Texans were driving late in the fourth quarter when Xavier Woods intercepted Watson,
who threw under heavy pressure, with 10 seconds left and returned it 15 yards to
give Dallas the ball at its 47. Kareem Jackson nearly intercepted Prescott on
the next play before his Hail Mary on the last play of regulation was knocked
down in the end zone by receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who came in to play defense.A
27-yard pass interference call by Byron Jones on a ball intended for Hopkins got
Houston to the 1-yard line in the third quarter. But two failed running plays
followed by an incomplete pass forced another field goal which gave the Texans a
16-13 lead with about 8 1/2 minutes remaining.The Cowboys tied it up on a
48-yard field goal with less than six minutes left. That drive was highlighted
by a 44-yard pass by Prescott to Tavon Austin that he made after escaping sacks
by J.J. Watt, Brandon Dunn and Zach Cunningham.Prescott’s second interception
came when Johnathan Joseph broke up a pass and rookie Justin Reid caught it just
before it hit the turf in the third quarter. The Texans drove to the 3-yard line
on the ensuing possession before the drive stalled and Fairbairn kicked a
21-yard field goal to tie it at 13-13.Hopkins fumbled after a catch early in the
third quarter and it was recovered by Jourdan Lewis and returned to the Houston
16. The Cowboys regained the lead when Prescott found Allen Hurns in the back of
the end zone on a 3-yard touchdown pass that made it 13-10.The Texans drove to
the 2-yard line later in the second but Watson’s pass on third down fell
incomplete and they settled for a 20-yard field goal to push the lead to
10-6.The Texans took their first lead when rookie Keke Coutee, who made his
debut last week, scored on a 1-yard run early in the second quarter. Coutee
celebrated his first career touchdown with a dance called the Shiggy Challenge
from a Drake song called “In My Feelings” which includes the line: “Kiki do you
love me?”INJURIESHouston RB Lamar Miller, who dealt with a chest injury this
week, was active but did not play. … Texans CB Kayvon Webster left the game in
the first quarter with a quadriceps injury and didn’t return.UP NEXTCowboys:
Host the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday.Texans: Host the Buffalo Bills next
Sunday.
