Texans football is back.
As rain fell on the field in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Houston Texans started their season on the road against the New England Patriots on August 10. It’s a game of firsts for many on the team: this game marked the professional debuts of head coach DeMeco Ryans, quarterback C.J. Stroud, and linebacker Will Anderson. (Stroud was the No. 2 pick in this year’s NFL Draft; the Texans traded up to draft Anderson at No. 3.)
Stroud is competing for the starting quarterback job alongside QB Davis Mills. And his first NFL drive had a little bit of everything. Stroud completed a pass to wide receiver Nico Collins – the first pass of his NFL career. Unfortunately, his first sack followed soon after. And then his first pick. On back-to-back plays, Stroud got sacked by Patriots defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale, then intercepted by Patriots safety Jalen Mills.
Stroud finished 2-for-4, passing for 13 yards and one interception — and one sack. New England quarterback Bailey Zappe got sacked, too. Will Anderson burst forward, pressuring Zappe to throw. Swarmed by the defense, Zappe instead ducked, and linebacker Denzel Perryman blitzed up the middle to sack Zappe for a seven-yard loss. But the Patriots had gained enough ground to set up a 44-yard field goal by kicker Nick Folk. (Incidentally, Zappe has a hometown connection too: he came from the school formerly known as Houston Baptist University.)
With eight minutes before halftime, Mills made a quick handoff to running back Dare Ogbunwale, who dropped the ball. Before he could pick it up, he got leveled by Patriots defensive lineman Sam Roberts. New England recovered. But Houston’s defense kept the Patriots from capitalizing on that turnover.
Rookie receiver Tank Dell overcame a brief stumble to turn in a 13-yard punt return. Then he took off on the next play for a 24-yard scramble. Another wide receiver made a splash, too. With just two minutes left in the half, Mills threw to WR John Metchie III, who caught his first pass in two years.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – MAR 02: John Metchie #WO18 of the Alabama Crimson Tide speaks to reporters during the NFL Draft Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on March 2, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Metchie, 23, missed his entire rookie season after being diagnosed with leukemia last year. According to the National Institutes of Health, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is an aggressive type of acute leukemia in which there are too many immature white blood cells (promyelocytes) in the blood and bone marrow. Thankfully, his treatment was successful. Metchie was cleared to participate in this year’s training camp. “I feel 110 percent, actually,” he told reporters during camp.
“I feel better now than I ever did in college, and I feel better than I was before I got diagnosed.”
Metchie saw his first action as a Texan with a 6-yard catch and run.
But the highlight of the half was rookie receiver Tank Dell. After catching a pass and tiptoeing past the 10-yard-line, Dell made it first and goal for the Texans with 18 seconds left. But he didn’t stop there. On the very next play, Dell made a frankly astonishing grab: inside the end zone, he reached out both hands to grab Davis Mills’ pass. He accidentally flipped the ball high into the air as he fell to the ground. But Dell persisted, reaching out one arm to grab the ball and then securing it with both hands — all while flat on his back. After review, refs upheld the touchdown.
Rookie Texans receiver Tank Dell makes an astonishing catch. (Photo from the Houston Texans)
The 5’8”, 165 lb. receiver from the University of Houston caught his first touchdown of the season. Dell’s juggling act gave his team its first lead of the game. The Texans went into halftime leading 7-3. Their new head coach was pleased with the team’s last plays of the half. “I love the way we finished,” Ryans said at halftime.
Quarterback Case Keenum came in at QB for the second half. It’s a homegoing of sorts for Keenum, who joined the team undrafted after six years at UH. But that was 11 seasons ago. Since his 2012 debut, he’s played for eight different teams. This is his 3rd stint with the Texans.
Keenum led his team on an eight-play, 55-yard scoring drive. He tossed a pass to receiver Xavier Hutchinson who hurdled past the 10-yard line for first and goal. On 3rd and goal, tight end Dalton Keene pushed his way in for a one-yard touchdown. Kicker Jake Bates missed the extra-point kick. But Houston still led New England 13-3 with 7:20 to go in the third quarter.
Houston maintained that ten-point lead throughout the quarter, as the Texans defense stymied New England’s offense. Trace McSorley came in at QB for the Patriots. But with just a minute left in the third, former Patriots defensive end Chase Winovich made a huge play for the Texans. Winovich sacked McSorley, causing him to topple over. Then the Houston defense nearly came up with a safety: running back J.J. Taylor barely managed to spin out of the grasp of Texans defensive tackle Byron Cowart. That’s how the third quarter ended.
Houston started the fourth quarter with great field position, making it easy for them to score. Early in the fourth, Keenum threw his second touchdown of the game, connecting with WR Alex Bachman on a five-yard pass. The Texans took a 20-3 lead with 9:52 left in the game.
New England made a change at quarterback, bringing in the dynamic rusher Malik Cunningham. He evaded Houston’s defense on several running plays, including a crucial one late in the game. With 1:54 remaining, Cunningham took off for a nine-yard touchdown. New England decided to attempt a two-point conversion, which failed. The Texans won, 20-9.
“Defense did a good job of swarming,” Ryans said in a postgame press conference. He added: “I think our offense continued to get better as the game went on.” He said the game was a good start for the Texans: “I think it was a good start for us, good first run with coaches, players, everybody working together. I thought it was a good first start, but we can always continue to improve.”