100 notes from the Houston Texans preseason matchup against LA Chargers

The first Houston Texans preseason game is in the books, and it’s one the team will likely move past quickly after a 27 to 7 loss. Throughout the game I tracked the action snap by snap, taking detailed notes as each sequence unfolded. Below, in chronological order, are one hundred observations from the Texans preseason opener.

1. DT Naquan Jones pushed back five yards on the second play of the game. He’ll be battling for a roster spot and not a great start.
2. DT Kayden McDonald showing good horizontal movement against a zone run play.
3. CB Tremon Smith with good fluidity moving backwards in coverage and marking his receiver.
4. Chargers’ KeAndre Lambert-Smith picking on linebackers a post route. The linebackers – particularly Woodaz – bit on the play action.
5. Jones – good penetration but bad gap integrity (note: this is going to be a theme).
6. DE Solomon Byrd moved off his spot; he keeps wanting to shoot the inside gap but gets his shoulders turned.
7. CB Jaylin Smith’s open-field fantastic tackle started from great composure, play recognition, and body placement. Good pursuit by #14 Marte Mapu who looks light but strong.
8. CB Tremon Smith plays too far off and doesn’t recover well enough. Will be interesting to see if he’s covering for a lack of speed or if it’s by design.
9. Jaylen Reed was a bit late to a slant route for a first down. Multiple early instances of good play recognition, but slow to simply commit to what he sees.
10. Alijah Huzzie is starting playing in slot. I forget how small he is.
11. Poor footwork at point of attack by Dominic Bailey that allowed a first down. Needs to rework arms and establish positioning.
12. Good coverage from Jake Hummel. Guarded the RB from getting the ball. For a player who missed the first part of camp he’s adjusted well to the field.
13. Stephen Hall late to understand where he should be in coverage for press man. Had to reorganize and allowed the WR to get positioning.
14. Defense rotated heavily on the first drive. Almost everyone rotated out from the start to the field goal. Will be interesting to see how much more run that first group will get the rest of the game.
15. First offensive drive: Xavier Hutchinson already showing his versatility. His experience in the offense and with the team will offer him “cheap” opportunities such as that to win`
16. Davis Mills experience and poise shown in his layered throw to Klein. Queue Texans PR to hype this throw.
17. Noah Whittington gets the start. The pitch play demonstrates a good knowledge of his streets: downhill running in space is where he shines.
18. Rutledge blocking against a nose tackle: they ran zone pitch and the linebacker came down to blitz. He did a fantastic job of adjusting to the defense rather than simply blocking the person in front of him.
19. Tier two receivers Watson-Wayne-Hutchinson. Note they’re above Lewis Bond. Pretty clear group here too.
20. Xavier Hutchinson was WIDE OPEN on the fourth down play action. Play was sniffed out quickly by the chargers defense.
21. Braden Smith looks smooth but buckles under immediate pressure.
22. Aireontay Ersery with great form on the third down block. Got depth and led the terms of the pass rusher. Something he wasn’t doing last year.
23. Noah Whittington is running a bit frantic and high. Needs to settle in – he’s trying too much. Needs to block better to protect Mills.
24. Jared Wayne is going to make a roster. Fantastic catch. Just don’t know if it will be the Texans roster.
25. This is Collin Wright’s Super Bowl. He’s playing like it. To be fair, he’s being targeted by Trey Lance against KLM.
26. Thus far, we’ve seen sightings from Collin Wright, McDonald, Rutledge, Klein, and Woodaz. Feeling good about this class.
27. Jake Hummel is calling the plays with Mapu and Woodaz in. That will be KEY to him staying in the team as the backup MIKE.
28. DE depth: WAJ/Hunter, Clowney/Horton/Byrd, Robinson/Gaye.
29. Offensive line two: LT: Blake Fisher, LG: Patterson OC: Evan Brown RG: Nwaiwu RT: Hagen – that means Jake Andrews was the third string, not Jarrett Patterson.
30. Speaking of rookies, poor angle from Kamari Ramsey to allow a first down and is getting stuck in bad positions. Three bad plays from him where the Chargers went after Ramsey.
31. Mostly running 4-3 base defense with Mapu at the SAM
32. More two tight end sets in the third offensive drive. Watching as this offense gets to its more core simple plays.
33. Blake Fisher looks lighter, faster, and more balanced in space. They’ve run him on several screens and allowed him to get to the LB level.
34. Fourth and one; zero push from the interior of the offensive line. Nothing from Patterson and Evan Brown which is par for the course with two lighter LBs. Not a great look.
35. Febechi Nwaiwu looks comfortable with the second string. It’s a good baseline for the fourth rounder from OU. Can he outwork Patterson and Evan Brown to be the first swing backup on the line? That’s the step from here.
36. Graham Mertz has been a clear step down from Davis Mills in terms of offensive control
37. Mapu is the best backup linebacker we have and it isn’t close. He’s able to sift through blocks.
38. Kamari Ramsey drops a pick-six. He was in a great place as the underneath coverage in zone with placement between the QB and WR. Will use this as a baseline for encouragement after a poor series.
39. NICE three-and-out after two long drives against this defense. It’s the second-tier LBs and Safeties with the third-string CBs and DL
40. Not getting nearly enough pressure from the defensive ends. Zero from the defensive tackles.
41. Vibe check: both teams have a ton of depth. This is a high-quality preseason game and the coaches will be happy with the film so far. A lot to work off of both good and bad.
42. Blake Fisher absolutely flattened on a run play that shuttered a good hole on the front side. That can’t happen against backups.
43. Bad play all around: Mertz threw a duck. UDFA Joshua Pitsenberger missed a block that forced Mertz out of the pocket. Bad blocking by Hagen. Quick three and out.
44. First play for Jamal Hill misses a tackle but pushes the play further and causes a short run. Pure special teamer and is competing desperately for a roster spot. Have to enjoy the good play.
45. Mate Mapu blitz off the SAM was very, very not impactful. Allowed Trey Lance plenty of time to pick apart our team.
46. Ali Gaye with two offsides in short order. If he’s gong to be offsides he’s got to make a play at least.
47. Aiden Fisher struggles to get off blocks. Habit of running backwards to go forwards will not suffice.
48. 91 Naquan Jones not getting much pressure up the middle but doing good job in the run game.
49. Two minute defense: not great. Dropping too much into zones rather than finding players.
50. Kayvon Merrywhether with the defensive play of the first half. That’s how you make it on the team practice squad!
51. Jaylin Smith is being asked to play both press and off coverage. His versatility is high and he’s closing down on receivers better than the other backups.
52. Dylan Horton has put together a ton of pass rush moves, but still struggles with contain. He has to still put it all togeteher.
53. KAMARI RAMSEY INTEREEPTION. Love that from the rookie. Playing as a high safety. Read the Keyes. Broke early.
54. Graham Mertz with a great opportunity with two time outs and :51 to show something. What does he do his first play? Horizontal pass. Sam Hagen was overwhelmed. Make that two in a row.
55. Can’t bash on Mertz anymore… looks like he’s hurt that left knee again that he tore in college.
56. Love to see Ali Gaye on special teams, but that’s a third penalty against the veteran.
57. Jake Andrews is now at center. Oy.
58. Whittington needs to stretch plays out. Patience is gong to be an important complement to his game.
59. Strong block by Jake Andrews on a linebacker. Zero push from everyone else on the offensive line. I also liked Fisher’s speed.
60. Treyvhon Saunders is a shifty slot receiver. Someone who is competing for a practice squad position. He made another play on a double-move route but Mills had to rotate the other way because once again Blake Fisher was beat on the edge.
61. Poor block by Lewis Bond forces a tackle for loss. Followed up by a good catch short of a first down on the first drive.
62. Whittington update: still a bit frantic. He hasn’t closed the gap on being RB3 today.
63. Kayden McDonald getting run into the third quarter. Good pursuit on a run play that he made extend.
64. Less John Harris on the mic the better. This is too goofy for the NFL.
65. Backup Texan LBs – Hill and Fisher – playing a ton of defense and are struggling with the speed of the offense they’re playing. Two guys competing for a roster spot that look a bit overwhelmed by the opponent.
66. Jamarcus Ingram and Tremon Smith are losing defensive integrity quite often.
67. Dominic Bailey is in at DT and the drop off is significant. Loses gap integrity, too high, and a bit too much guessing.
68. Jake Andrews playing at center and on an island. Gave up ground one-on-one. Something he struggled with last year.
69. Bond is still out there making plays and makes a quality contested catch. He’s obviously the player Davis Mills feels the most comfortable going to this late into the game.
70. Stover on a good option route. Surprised that Foster Moreau is playing this late into a preseason game. He has not separated well on his routes down the field.
71. I have been impressed by Kai Kroeger. No mistakes. Good punts. The returners are definitely going for it, but it’s difficult to determine if it’s because they’re all playing for their jobs.
72. Brandon Codgrington with good coverage in the slot. He’s been a player who is stuck deep on the roster but contributing well to the defense in this game.
73. LB Aiden Fisher has made multiple tackles in this game. For a seventh rounder, he’s looked good as the third-string MIKE linebacker. Thinking about this live, he will be a practice squad guy.
74. UDFA Stephen Hall has tackled well. Forced things inside and maintained quality coverage when targeted. Should be more confident tp play closer to the line of scrimmage.
75. Mapu missed tackle on a third and eight allowed a first down. Disappointing considering he’s slated to be the backup LB. He looks more like a safety than a LB he’s so skinny.
76. Fourth quarter begins. Third stringers are primarily playing. The secondary is not playing quite as well as anticipated and the lack of depth at LB is prevalent.
77. Mills should take us the rest of the way. If Mertz is out indefinitely, I think Jeff Driskel will be asked to return.
78. K.C. Ossai is in the game. That’s it. He was completely burned on a wheel route by a running back that went for a big gain.
79. Tremon Smith with a great rep and defense at the point of attack.
80. Another good rep for Solomon Byrd. He’s played a ton of snaps today.
81. Goal-line defense. Dylan Horton bulldozed by Chargers running back at the one-yard line was disappointing. Then loses contain on the edge for two points. Is he at risk of losing his job?
82. Check’n in: Texans defense looks exhausted and disappointing. The Chargers’ offense is able to move the ball at will. The lack of pass rush is evident from Horton and Byrd. Tremon Smith is the only player who looks competent from this group.
83. There have been a ton of penalties on special teams. Holding primarily. Houston has been backed up on almost every drive. Will need to be cleaned up this preseason.
84. Two tight end set again. Layne Pryor in the game finally blocking on the edge and did a good job setting the perimeter with Cade Stover.
85. Oy vey. The game is getting away from the Texans this second half. Mills fumbles two seconds after catching the snap after a bad block. Owen Wright was on the wrong side of the block – he’s brand new to the team.
86. Another play, another instance of Byrd in the right place but can’t contain the edge. He can’t make the roster with this many contain issues.
87. Another goal-line play. Aiden Fisher comes up with a big play.
88. Alijah Huzzie looked a bit slow on the play action play. Gave the Chargers’ QB a bit more time to make a decision. The slot corner has not had as impressive of a game as anticipated. He’s thinking too much.
89. Stephen Hall allows the touchdown catch. He was on the receiver tight, but trailed instead of being on their front shoulder to disrupt the pass.
90. The Chargers are inching towards over 400 yards of total offense while Houston sits at 161. The second half has been a stark difference in performance between the two teams.
91. James Neal III checks into the game at right tackle. The UDFA starts with a great run block to a gain of six yards.
92. Stover with an excellent block on the edge of the line against a far bigger DE to spark a big run game. Still curious why he’s playing so late into this game.
93. Two tight end sets once again. Jarrett Kingston is at the left guard spot and looks quick. He’s next to Eli Cox at center and is the clear last-string center. 1
94. 17-80-14 Last-string WRs. Saunders #14 is looking competent. He’s a clear last-string WR but someone who is showing that he should stick around. Rookie from Colgate.
95. Patterson looked awful on a fourth and one; was pushed into the backfield and beat inside. That allowed the LBs to fly in untouched for a TFL.
96. Last-string DBs: Codrington, Huzzie, Hall, and Merriweather
97. Jamal Hill is the best-of-the-rest-linebackers. Looks like he’s on another level compared to Fisher and Ossai.
98. The offense has completely stalled. Eli Cox beaten off the snap and allows a TFL.
99. Another three-and-out. Even with Davis Mills at the helm this offense looks lost.
100. Dominique Robinson has not been impressive against third-string competition. He has a lot to earn and prove based on today’s performance.

Tough watch in the second half, but glad that football is back. Next week will feature a practice against the Las Vegas Raiders.

What did I miss? Let me know in the comment section