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Preseason... Game 1... Kansas City Chiefs!!!

Dee Virgin not helping himself. By now he should know to turn his head when the receiver is in the corner of the endzone.
 
Really like the depth on the front 7. Run defense was stout at the goal line! And Josh Thornton was a pleasant surprise that final drive. He has earned more playing time preseason game 2!
 
Great goal line stand by the scrubs to win the game!

I'm happy with the Texans for this week. Glad to see Weedon and Webb do OK. We'll see about next week when it happens. LOL
 
Our secondary is horrible (back ups) but I will say, Thorton needs to get more reps. He almost jumped a route for 6 and had 2 good pass break ups. (The final play, also)
 
Thornton was a UDFA that spent time on the Lions and Ravens practice squads last season before being signed to the Texans practice squad late in the year. Looks like that dog has some fight in him!

He was one of the Lions highest priority UDFA signings last year witb a 30k signing bonus. Kind of like what the Texans did with Vyncint Smith. Speaking of Smith... did anyone see him tonight?
 
Notice how they picked on Virgen when they had to have a completion? And successfully every time. He could have been called for interference on that final 4th down incompletion in the corner. He's history.

How about the challenge of the spot by BOB? I supposed that's not trying to win a game, huh?
 
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AngryNateFTW said:
Our secondary is horrible (back ups) but I will say, Thorton needs to get more reps. He almost jumped a route for 6 and had 2 good pass break ups. (The final play, also)
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Yep, and could've drawn an offensive PI.

But his best contribution was saving fans from suffering through preseason OT.

kiwitexansfan said:
My lord do we need a CB to miraculously fall out of the sky into the rotation.

Guess we know who our new board darling is going to be for the next few weeks at least.
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That's our only hope for the CB position right now. I was eager to see if Virgin could be the guy, but lost hope when he drew the PI in the end zone. Then Thornton defensed that exact same play to perfection and won the game. There's no way the two won't be swapped on the depth chart next week.
 
TheRealJoker said:
Thornton was a UDFA that spent time on the Lions and Ravens practice squads last season before being signed to the Texans practice squad late in the year. Looks like that dog has some fight in him!

He was one of the Lions highest priority UDFA signings last year witb a 30k signing bonus. Kind of like what the Texans did with Vyncint Smith. Speaking of Smith... did anyone see him tonight?
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I was looking for him. He and Thomas didn't draw any looks.
 
disaacks3 said:
Blue continuing to look lethargic.
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"But he's a ST's asset"

amazing80 said:
Not impressed with Webb.
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Saw him take some ST's reps as well.

xtruroyaltyx said:
Pope is the best RB on this team.
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And how about that SCREEN PASS he busted loose on! I had to make sure I was on the right channel. A successful screen pass!? WTH!?

kiwitexansfan said:
My lord do we need a CB to miraculously fall out of the sky into the rotation.
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Did that BadMosy Johnson fella get any reps at CB? Isn't he a CB by trade?
 
https://texanswire.usatoday.com/2018/08/10/4-takeaways-texans-17-10-win-chiefs/

The third-round rookie from UCF caught two passes for 20 yards and two touchdowns in his inaugural game with the Texans. Akins is listed as the second-string tight end behind Ryan Griffin on the depth chart on the team’s website. But he sure didn’t play like it. The touchdown catches prove that Akins can be a red zone threat at 6-3, 237 pounds. With Deshaun Watson under center and the receiving corps of DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Braxton Miller, the Texans offense doesn’t need a tight end to own the middle of the field. But they do need a red zone threat, and Akins appears he could grow into that role.
 
Deshaun is back. Just like he said he would be. Looked fluid and strong in the knee and was floating like a butterfly back there. Maybe now the Danny Downers can move on to some other talking point.

Davenport looked coachable. From the little I saw he was playing with leverage and moving his feet. Rest of the line held its own for the most part, but still not a cohesive unit, will take time to develop that.

Miller looked fresh losing weight is really going to help his game. Hopefully Buttchin doesnt run him into a wall 20 times a game before realizing 'hey i have a pretty fast RB maybe I should actually run him'

Defense was stout. #97 needs to make the team. We will have one of the best LB corp in the NFL. Secondary needs more time to build continuity and instincts similar to what an OL goes through.

Heyyy Buttchin loses another challenge! This guy has to be one of, if not the worst challenge success rates ever. On a spot call man those hardly get overturned? LOL ... yeah, yeah 'its the preseason, see how hard he's trying?' Ok. Overall hard to really judge anything with the high school sets and vanilla play calling so jury still out as to what all the new 'upgrades and wrinkles' will be, but a win is always good nice way to set the tone.
 
Uncle Rico said:
Deshaun is back. Just like he said he would be. Looked fluid and strong in the knee and was floating like a butterfly back there. Maybe now the Danny Downers can move on to some other talking point.

I wouldn't say he's back yet. Let's see a full quarter or 2 to actually see if he's fully ready.

Davenport looked coachable. From the little I saw he was playing with leverage and moving his feet. Rest of the line held its own for the most part, but still not a cohesive unit, will take time to develop that.

Yes sir Davenport was solid last night.

Miller looked fresh losing weight is really going to help his game. Hopefully Buttchin doesnt run him into a wall 20 times a game before realizing 'hey i have a pretty fast RB maybe I should actually run him'

Losing two pounds wasn't the reason he looked fresh hahaha. I think he really worked hard in the offseason. Now you know Bill will run his #1 back into the ground. That's a given.

Defense was stout. #97 needs to make the team. We will have one of the best LB corp in the NFL. Secondary needs more time to build continuity and instincts similar to what an OL goes through.

I am so happy Coach Ronnie Crennel is back on the sideline doing his thing. Duke looks like the real deal too. Maybe the steal of the draft.

Heyyy Buttchin loses another challenge! This guy has to be one of, if not the worst challenge success rates ever. On a spot call man those hardly get overturned? LOL ... yeah, yeah 'its the preseason, see how hard he's trying?' Ok. Overall hard to really judge anything with the high school sets and vanilla play calling so jury still out as to what all the new 'upgrades and wrinkles' will be, but a win is always good nice way to set the tone.
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Coach Obrien will have plenty of blunders throughout the season. I just hope it doesn't cost us like years past.
 
Here are five things we learned about the Texans in their 17-10 victory at Kansas City in first preseason game:

1. The offense may have gotten a steal in the third round with tight end Jordan Akins. He collaborated with Brandon Weeden for both first-half touchdowns of 6 and 14 yards. He got into his routes fast and made quick, decisive cuts before making the scoring catches. Akins, 26, got Bill O’Brien’s attention at the Senior Bowl, where the Texans’ staff coached him and got to see him up close and personal. Akins, who played baseball in the Rangers’ minor league system before playing football at Central Florida, impressed the coaches in OTAs and training camp before getting off to the fast start at Arrowhead Stadium.

2. Speaking of Brandon Weeden, he replaced starter Deshaun Watson after one series and showed why Bill O’Brien has confidence in him. Watson completed one pass for 4 yards before heading to the bench. Weeden misfired on his first two passes before connecting on nine in a row, including the two scoring passes to Jordan Akins. Weeden got good pass protection from the rebuilt offensive line. O’Brien’s play calls were safe. He had to be pleased with the way Weeden ran the offense. He finished 9-of-11 for 97 yards. His rating was 143.0.

3. One of the team’s strongest positions is inside linebacker. Benardrick McKinney, rewarded with a contract extension, is the leading tackler. Zach Cunningham and Dylan Cole, both playing in their second season, had excellent performances against the Chiefs. Cunningham intercepted a pass tipped by Cole. Cole finished with three tackles and two passes defensed. Cunningham had two tackles to go with his interception in limited playing time. Bobby King has done a terrific job coaching the inside linebackers. They’re rewarding the faith Bill O’Brien showed in them by praising them during the offseason program and camp.

4. Based on his performance against the Chiefs, one of the players to keep an eye on during the last three preseason games is rookie outside linebacker Duke Ejiofor. The Houston native, a sixth-round pick from Wake Forest, was the team’s best pass rusher. When he dropped to rush at left end, the 6-4, 275-pound Ejiofor was relentless against the Chiefs’ pass protectors. He didn’t record a sack, but he registered a team-best three quarterback hits. No other player had more than one.
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https://t.co/7PuOdZNFIJ

PFF HOU Texans@PFF_Texans
https://twitter.com/PFF_Texans/status/1027931716332269570

C Nick Martin and G Zach Fulton played well in limited action last night. Both saw the field for 10 pass blocking snaps and allowed zero pressures. #Texans

9:56 AM - Aug 10, 2018
 
From Arrowheadpride, the chiefs sbnation blog

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kiwitexansfan said:
Who?

Man we suck at RB. Maybe we can sneak one of these Chiefs backs onto the bus back to Houston.
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Well, we did get to see O'Brien use the teams lightweight RB's as battering rams on short yardage running plays between the OG's. I'm really hoping he was just testing his 4 year theory on using 3rd down backs like traditional 2 down backs.
 
usernameJJ said:
My two biggest takeaways:

1. Webb>>>Weeden
2. Pope>>>Blue
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Really don't get the hoopla regarding Webb. People realize he completed just 46% of his passes, right?

He has a career mid 90's pre-season passer rating, or at least the last 4 or 5 seasons I bothered looking up, but 63.1 career in games that count.

IN HIS 9TH SEASON.

Not saying Weeden is all that but I don't get the high praise for Webb.

Now I'm with you on Pope>Blue. Hell, Webb>Blue FWIW.
 
The Houston Texans defeated the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night, 17-10 opening the first full week of preseason action in the NFL.

PFF’s ReFocused series this season features immediate takeaways and a key to the victory from two Senior Analysts who graded the performance, watching every player, on every play of the game. For more data and analysis from the game, utilize our Premium Stats 2.0 dashboard to expand your knowledge on the key players, signature stats and much more.


FINALSCORE
Houston Texans 17 , Kansas City Chiefs 10


ANALYSTTAKEAWAYS

While much will be made about the return of QB Deshaun Watson, his backup Brandon Weeden played well, giving the Texans the lead early in the game that they never relinquished. Weeden has always shown the ability to stretch the field, albiet inconsistently, with his big arm and he didn’t disappoint throwing beyond the line to gain on 64.3 percent of his passes leading to several first-down conversions.

The Texans fielded one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL in 2017 and didn’t do much in the way of improving the unit in the offseason and it showed against Kansas City. While it was a mixture of their starters and backups, the offensive line didn’t surrender a sack, thanks to a couple of spectacular manuevers in the pocket by QB Joe Webb, but allowed four hits and seven hurries.

The Texans elected to sit most of their starting defense for this game, which gave players such as sixth-round rookie edge defender Duke Ejiofor a chance to get some good playing time. Ejiofor delivered with an impressive three QB hits and two additional hurries on 22 pass-rushes. He alone was responsible for 33 percent of the Texans’ total pressures in this game. He wasn’t just using the same move over and over again either, he was beating his man both inside and out with relative ease.

CB Josh Thornton, undrafted in 2017 and fighting to earn a roster spot with the Texans, showed why he just might be deserving of one. Thorton played 15 snaps in coverage and was targeted three times. He didn’t allow a single reception, and actually broke two of them up himself. That includes the final pass of the game that sealed the win for his team. He was beaten momentarily by receiver Alex Ellis, but quickly recovered and knocked the ball out of his hands before he could get possession in the endzone.





All eyes were on new starting QB Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs, but it was a pretty ho-hum start for the sophomore. He threw just seven passes, and only one of them was beyond 10 yards downfield. For the most part he played safe football, just getting the ball into his receiver’s hands quickly and letting them do some work. He had just two real mistakes in this game: an overthrow on second-and-long while under pressure, and a sack that he was responsible for after he stepped up too far in the pocket and missed his open checkdown receiver.

Backup QB Chad Henne helped solidify his position here in Kansas City with his performance in this one. Henne looked good, throwing a few great passes with some serious zip to them. He pushed the ball downfield, completing 2-of-4 for 40 yards on passes at least 10 yards downfield. While 57.1 percent completion percentage isn’t anything to write home about, it would’ve been 78.6 percent if you factor in the three dropped passes he suffered at the hands of his receivers. Specifically TE Tim Wright, who dropped the only two targets he saw all game.

DI Chris Jones continues to dominant interior defensive linemen racking up a hurry and two run stops on just 13 snaps. While the Chiefs acquired the best slot cornerback from the 2017 NFL season in Kendall Fuller, the rest of the secondary is still very shaky. Jones will have to provide consistent pressure to help the coverage unit behind him and improve upon the already great play he’s shown in his young career.

While the secondary didn’t field all their starters, there were still starters (and backups) out there that got picked apart by the Texans passing attack. David Amerson was flagged twice in coverage while rookie Armani Watts allowed two first downs on three targets and it would have been three for three had TE Stephen Anderson not dropped a sure-fire first-down catch and potential touchdown. If Kansas City wants to make it back to the playoffs and beyond, their secondary needs to step it up.

KEY TO THEGAME
Houston: Weeden looked like a veteran should against Kansas City’s backups and delivered two touchdown drives to give the Texans a 14-0 lead that proved too much for the Chiefs to overcome.

Kansas City: Jones’ play along the interior of the defensive line showed how dominant he’s truly become in his short time in the league.
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https://www.profootballfocus.com/news/pro-refocused-2018-texans-17-chiefs-10
 
"It was ok, I wish we would have gotten that 3rd-and-1." O’Brien on the offensive line. "https://twitter.com/hashtag/Texans?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#Texans

— patrick (@PatDStat) August 10, 2018


Bill O’Brien says he likes what Duke Ojiofor and Jordan Akins did last night but wants them to be more consistent play to play. #Texans

— patrick (@PatDStat) August 10, 2018


The best move the #Texans made this off-season was to put Romeo Crennel back at defensive coordinator. Can’t replace his experience.

— patrick (@PatDStat) August 10, 2018


Quick thought from last night. The #Texans running back group is lacking real depth. Especially with the Foreman injury situation. Outside of Lamar Miller, there is not much game breaking ability.

— patrick (@PatDStat) August 10, 2018

Had to like…..
Jordan Akins had two receptions for 20 yards and town touchdowns, one on and out route for 6 yards and another on a deep cross for 14 yards. The rookie showed why O’Brien liked him at the Senior Bowl with his ability to run routes and catch the football.

What rookie edge player Duke Ejiofor did to Chiefs starting right tackle Mitchell Schwartz when he lined up against him. Ejiofor in three consecutive plays produced a hurry that produced a sack for Angelo Blackson and three quarterback hits on Patrick Mahomes. He was able to show his dip and rip and spin move to produce the quarterback hits. For a rookie, Ejiofor only helped his cause to show he can help off the edge against top end NFL competition.

Dylan Cole was able to cut loose on the field and make plays in both the run and pass coverage game. Cole showed his sideline to sideline ability and was able to get 3 total tackles with his defensive work. Teamed withBenardrick McKinney and Zach Cunningham, the Texans have a good mix of inside linebackers.

Interested in how…..
Joe Webb finds himself fitting into the roster equation quite well as the preseason moves forward. Webb played at quarterback, going 6-of-13 for 56 yards and also showed his scrambling ability by putting up 40 yards on 3 scrambles. Webb also worked special teams on kickoff return and coverage as he has done prior to landing with the Texans. If Webb can continue to produce on special teams, there is no reason to think he can’t push for a roster spot when all is said and done.

Needs work…..
Cornerback Dee Virgin is getting a shot to make the team as a depth player behind the primary defenders. Virgin was able to make some plays on special teams but on defense, he struggled often. Missed tackles, a pass interference in the end zone, and giving up a 24-yard touchdown added up to a bad night for Virgin. He will have work to do to erase this game from the coaching staff’s memory.

Seantreal Henderson has not played a full season since his rookie year and it showed as he worked to shake off a little rust on the field. Henderson started at right tackle but his pass protection is what really needs the most work although he did show that he can move the line of scrimmage in the running game. Henderson will be a player to watch moving forward, especially with an offensive line unit that needs to gel quickly before the start of week one.

The emergence of rookies Jordan Akins and Jordan Thomas has tight end Stephen Anderson on the outside looking in. Anderson dropped a well-placed ball from Webb that would have set up the Texans inside the 5-yard line. With roster spots at a premium, Anderson is going to have to produce a flawless camp and preseason to make the 53-man roster.
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http://www.stateofthetexans.com/blo...e-kansas-city-chiefs-in-the-preseason-opener/
 
Sorry if I missed someone else mentioning this, but I've never seen a hand fake by a pass rusher like Ejiofor pulled off. Wave with your right hand (hey, over here!) then go to your left. And it worked? Very nice.
 
At some point this season all of us will be saying that Deshaun Watson is a superstar and the best quarterback in the game. I think he's going to win the league MVP award in 2018.

That first game I want to see Tom Brady pass the torch.
Brady is coming to an end. Pass it on to the young stud!
 
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