Texans vs. Dolphins Notebook: Stroud, Anderson Shine, Defense Struggles
The Houston Texans fell to the Miami Dolphins 28-3 in their preseason opener on Saturday evening.
Despite an interception by Texans linebacker Denzel Perryman on the first play from scrimmage, Houston could never gain momentum.
The two of them have very different expectations heading into the regular season, but they shared the same objective of wanting to win in preseason Week 2.
So, following the Texans' "second game" of this season, here's what we learned:
1. C.J. Stroud Looks More Poised
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud seemed to show signs of nervousness with each dropback against the New England Patriots in last week's preseason opener. He was often hesitant and waited a long time to release the ball.
However, the second-overall pick out of Ohio State looked poised and confident throughout his four drives against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday. The 21-year-old completed 7-of-12 attempts for 60 yards.
Stroud isn't labeled as a scrambling quarterback, but he's more than capable of using his legs to move outside of the pocket and he did so a couple of times against Miami.
On one play, Stroud recognized pressure early, rolled out to the right side and found receiver Noah Brown for a 14-yard reception. A couple of plays later on third-and-7, he rolled out towards the left side and connected with Robert Woods for a few yards over the first down marker.
Despite only having three points to his name, Stroud flashed his quick decision-making, a calm reaction to pressure by either stepping up in the pocket or rolling outside and he simply found his rhythm in a full-speed game setting. He didn't really accomplish any of these general QB positives against the Patriots, so it's good to see him rebound.
Ryans' goal for last week's game was for Stroud to "command the offense." However, his poor performance combined with his lack of snaps eliminated the possibility of accomplishing that goal. Earlier this week, receiver Robert Woods said that Stroud has been commanding the offense and looked much better during practice. Since Stroud played the entire first half against the Dolphins, he may have accomplished the original goal on the second run.
2. Will 'Terminator' Anderson and The Starting Front Seven Shines
Texans linebacker Denzel Perryman started the game, as well as a coach could ask, as he picked off Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and ran it to Miami's 7-yard line. Unfortunately, Stroud's one bad drive came after Perryman's interception, as he threw two incompletions and Houston split the uprights.
On the very next second drive, rookie edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. and defensive lineman Maliek Collins stormed to the Miami backfield and tackled running back Raheem Mostert for a five-yard loss near the goal line.
Anderson's reign didn't end there though. The third overall pick was unblocked on a second-and-10 snap and took advantage by bulldozing rookie running back De'Von Achane and sacking Skylar Thompson, who fumbled the ball but recovered immediately. The result of the play was a 14-yard loss thanks to the Alabama product.
Anderson has said throughout training camp that he wants other teams to see his elite speed and power. Anderson explained that scouts mainly focused on his speed during the NFL Draft period. Even though he wasn't guarded at the snap, he absolutely crushed Achane.
Defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins was also aggressive in the first half, as he recorded a QB hit and a tackle for loss. Edge rusher Jonathan Greenard had a vicious tackle for loss by throwing running back Salvon Ahmed to the ground.
3. Too Many Long Gains Allowed
The Texans' inability to stop the Dolphins on long runs and receptions was the main factor in their loss. Ahmed, running back Raheem Mostert, and receiver Braxton Berrios each had long gains (at least 15 yards) on the Dolphins' second drive alone.
In fact, the Texans allowed approximately 12 plays of at least 15 yards and there were several more of at least 10 yards. The massive difference in first downs (23-10) is a good summary of the game.
Many of the long gains were from run plays as Miami finished with 205 rushing yards compared to the Texans' abysmal 32.
Third-down was also the Dolphins' friend as they converted on a stellar 9-of-15.
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