{"id":26905,"date":"2017-08-10T15:15:25","date_gmt":"2017-08-10T19:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=26905"},"modified":"2017-08-10T15:15:25","modified_gmt":"2017-08-10T19:15:25","slug":"takeaways-texans-first-preseason-game","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/08\/10\/takeaways-texans-first-preseason-game\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Takeaways From the Houston Texans First Preseason Game"},"content":{"rendered":"

Football is finally back! It may only be preseason and it may not count for much but preseason is still exciting after five months without football. We’ve gone through free agency, the NFL Draft, organized team activities, rookie minicamp, and training camp. Finally, we were able to watch the Houston Texans<\/a> play in a game. There were plenty of storylines heading into this game as well. We had the quarterback battle, the return of David Quessenberry<\/strong> <\/a>after he beat cancer, as well as just getting to see the rookies play in a real game. So, without further ado, here are three takeaways from the Texans first preseason game.<\/p>\n

Three Takeaways From the Houston Texans First Preseason Game<\/strong><\/h1>\n

The Texans traveled to Bank of America Stadium to take on the Panthers for both team’s first preseason game. Carolina pretty much controlled the game, leading in each quarter of a 27-17 win. Losses in preseason games don’t necessarily draw a red flag for teams as most of the game is played by second and third string players. The Texans may have suffered a loss, but coaches were able to get a good look at the rookies, as well as the players battling for a starting spot.<\/p>\n

1. The Rookie Quarterback is Ready<\/h3>\n

The only real concern about Wednesday’s loss to the Panthers is just how bad the first-team offense looked. The first series ended in a punt on fourth-and-18\u00a0after Lamar Miller<\/strong> <\/a>was stuffed behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of three yards and <\/span>Tom Savage<\/strong> <\/a>was sacked for a loss of five yards. Miller managed to get those three yards back on the following drive but a two yard completion to <\/span>Braxton Miller<\/strong><\/a> was the only other positive play, resulting in another punt.<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally, on the Texans’ fourth offensive possession, Deshaun Watson<\/strong> <\/a>jogged out onto the field. His first pass was a six yard completion to tight end RaShaun Allen<\/strong><\/a>. The remainder of Watson’s first half looks bad on paper but the rookie quarterback looked impressive. While he did overthrow it a couple of times, most of Watson’s incompletions were due to poor play from the receivers.<\/p>\n

Watson showed exactly what everyone expected, or hoped, he could be. The rookie quarterback managed the game well at the line of scrimmage and found ways to keep the play alive on multiple occasions. He was a little quick to escape the pocket but, in his defense, it was collapsing pretty quick as well. Watson finished his first NFL game completing 15 of 25 passes for 179 yards. Watson also carried the ball three times for 24 yards, capped off by this 15 yard touchdown\u00a0run.<\/p>\n

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Welcome to the NFL, @deshaunwatson<\/a>!#TexansGameday<\/a> #WeAreTexans<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ceE9VGwMRj<\/a><\/p>\n

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) August 10, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n