Halftime Observations: Seahawks 16, Texans 13

Despite coming out as flat as the sparsely-populated crowd at NRG Stadium, the Seahawks used a 55-yard touchdown from Russell Wilson to Tyler Lockett to head into the break with a 16-13 lead over the Texans.

Here are three quick halftime takeaways from Houston:

1. Off to the races, Penny is eating behind a dominating offensive line.

As has been the case throughout his NFL career, injuries have kept Penny sidelined most of the 2021 season. But after a stellar effort against the 49ers last weekend, the former first-round pick showed off his playmaking ability with his best half of football in two years. Finding great success running behind tackle Jake Curhan and guard Gabe Jackson on the right side, he rushed seven times for 64 yards, already producing the most rushing yards he has had in a game since December 7, 2019 when he had 74 yards against the Vikings. His highlight play of the half came on the first play of the second quarter when he took a handoff from Wilson to the right and cut behind an excellent block from receiver Dee Eskridge, bolting outside and throwing a vicious stiff arm to break free to the sideline on his way to a 32-yard touchdown run. Aiming to make the most of the final five games of his rookie contract, the Seahawks will aim to keep feeding him in the second half against the NFL’s worst run defense.

2. Houston, we have liftoff? Explosives have returned in bulk for Seahawks offense.

Since Wilson came back from injury, the Seahawks’ offense has largely been grounded, particularly when it comes to explosive plays in the passing game. But against one of the league’s worst defenses, explosives defined the first half as Seattle racked up five passes of 16 or more yards and two runs of 12 or more yards. Continuing to showcase why they belong among the NFL’s premier quarterback/receiver duos, Wilson hooked up with Lockett for a 29-yard catch, a 24-yard catch, and his 55-yard touchdown towards the tail end of the half. He also competed a 16-yard crosser to Penny Hart and a 25-yard strike to Will Dissly. Meanwhile, Penny added a 13-yard run on the team’s opening drive along with his long touchdown run. In total, the Seahawks averaged 10.5 yards per play in the half and also were productive on third down converting three out of five opportunities.

3. Seattle’s defense continues to excel at making backup quarterbacks look like Tom Brady.

Considering how well Penny has ran the ball and the number of explosives they have racked up on offense, one would think the Seahawks would be up big at the half. But that hasn’t been the case because of a lackluster defensive effort against a rookie quarterback. Mills came out firing against soft coverages, completing his first 14 passes and throwing a five-yard touchdown to tight end Brevin Jordan. In total, he went 16 for 21 for 175 yards in the half and completed a pass to seven different receivers, with Brandin Cooks leading the way with five catches for 57 yards. Houston held the football for nearly 18 minutes in the half, including a 17-play drive capped off by a field goal, continuing a season-long problem for Seattle’s defense. Then, the Seahawks allowed Mills to complete and 18-yard pass to Cooks inside a minute to play to move the Texans into field goal range, allowing Ka’imi Fairbairn to knock a 61-yard field goal between the uprights to trim the deficit to three points before the half. It was an uninspiring effort by a defense that had been playing well as of late, but maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise after Cardinals backup Colt McCoy threw for 328 yards against them three weeks ago.