The Texans beat Carolina 26-13 in their first preseason game of the season. As expected, there was some good and some bad.
On the positive side, Houston had the ball for 37:41, dominating the time of possession battle. The offense moved the ball well, and quarterback Matt Schaub looked healthy in his first game action since he went out with a Lisfranc injury on Nov. 7 at Tampa Bay. The defense registered eight sacks and allowed just 137 yards.
On the negative side, Schaub did throw an interception and running back Arian Foster fumbled. The offense struggled in the red zone, scoring just one touchdown in five opportunities.
Successful debuts: Rookie kicker Randy Bullock made both of his field goal attempts. The first came from 21 yards out and the second was from 52 yards in the fourth quarter. Bullock is battling veteran Shayne Graham, who also made both of his field goal attempts.
Rookie outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus was drafted in the first round to get after the quarterback, and he did just that in his first preseason game. Mercilus had 1.5 of the team’s eight sacks in his first game action in the NFL.
Quarterback Case Keenum was 2-for-3 for 33 yards, leading the offense on a 10-play drive that resulted in a field goal in the fourth quarter. Keenum was the fourth quarterback Saturday behind John Beck, but coach Gary Kubiak has said that might change in the team’s next preseason game against San Francisco.
Holliday impresses: Trindon Holliday had a terrific night returning kickoffs and punts. He returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter. Holliday is in his third year, and these types of impact plays are what the Texans are looking for from the former sprinter at LSU.
Injury news: Wide receiver Andre Johnson was held out of Saturday’s game with his groin injury. Johnson practiced this week, but Kubiak has insisted that the team would be overly cautious with Johnson.
Follow Texans blogger Sean Bielawski on Twitter, @CBSSportsNFLHOU.
