The defensive player that popped off the screen all night long was Texans DT Mario Edwards Jr. He was AC-TIVE! I knew that he had a few tackles early, but I didn't realize that he had FIVE stops. Then, he got a piece of a sack as well. Y'all have read my Harris Hits all training camp long and I've mentioned Edwards numerous times during that time. He may have been the most disruptive DL in camp and that was evident in this PS game as well.
How great was it to see C.J. Stroud linking up with WR Tank Dell? The two hadn't seen game action together since Tank broke his leg in the mosh pit at the goal line early in the win over Denver. That was the type of play that will give teams nightmares. Play zone coverage. OL gives C.J. time to throw. Dell knows exactly where to work into the void in the coverage.
Fastball. Catch. Run. TD.
I've said it so many times, Tank is as tough as a $2 steak and feeble arm tackles aren't going to bring him down. So, when he made that catch, he immediately faced the defense and turned into a 5-9, 165 lb. version of Earl Campbell. He ran through the safety's tackle attempt near the goal line and scooted into the end zone. Up in the booth, N.D. Kalu and I both gave a little fist pump as he scored. That play was so wonderfully executed and it put the Texans in the lead 7-0.
I was a bit worried heading into the game about the depth on the OL and how that would manifest itself, to a degree, in offensive issues or success. I thought from a pass protection standpoint, the Texans did a solid job, but the run game still needs work.
One of my favorite plays of the night came in the second quarter. QB Davis Mills moved the Texans down the field and faced a 2nd and ten from the Pittsburgh 30-yard line. We got duped upstairs by the red hat on the field and took a break on TV. But, the game never took a break. So, we missed this play on TV but it stood out to me, still, for a number of reasons. First, the Steelers brought a blitz and the OL and RB Dare Ogunbowale picked it up BEAUTIFULLY. That protection brought more time for Mills who started to move in the pocket, keeping his eyes downfield. He eventually saw rookie TE Cade Stover and fired to him wide open down the field. Stover picked up 16 yards and a big first down. Ogunbowale punched it in a few plays later to give the Texans a 14-0 lead.
Stroud was excellent with limited reps, but he wasn't alone. I've said since OTA/minicamp that QB Davis Mills has improved steadily every single day. He was outstanding. He was comfortable in the pocket. He was accurate. He moved into clean windows to make throws unabated. He didn't throw a TD, which kept his rating down a bit, but I thought he played better than his numbers indicated, especially with the run game struggling to provide any support.
I mentioned DT Mario Edwards above but I also thought there was good play from DT Foley Fatukasi. There was one play in the first half where the Steelers tried to trap Fatukasi. They let him get upfield and then brought the left guard over to trap him. But, Fatukasi saw the guard coming, stopped heading upfield and redirected back into the play, stopping the running back for no gain. He's the type of BIG athlete that DeMeco Ryans must love having in the middle of this defense.
It's a preseason game, but the Texans formula since DeMeco's taken over was on full display. Create takeaways. Take care of the football. Be opportunistic. Oh, and also, kick you-know-what on third down. They did all of that in the first half of that game. The Steelers were 0% on third down, while the Texans were 50% conversion rate on third down in the first half. The Texans recovered a muffed punt that led to Ogunbowale's TD in the second quarter. The formula worked well again.
Man, I don't know how this running back situation is going to work out. I thought rookie Jawhar Jordan ran with much more decisiveness than in the Hall of Fame game. He led the Texans with 22 rushing yards. Cam Akers really got involved in the second half. He had nine touches for 41 yards and showed some of that burst that's gotten many excited about what he can do as this season progresses. It's a great problem to have but it's nowhere near being ready to figure out.
Mr. Reliable, aka Robert Woods, led the team in receiving yardage with 42 yards on four catches. He drew a defensive pass interference call as well. He was in sync with all of the quarterbacks on the field and that helped give the offense a boost in the second quarter