Here's the top defensive players for the Houston Texans in their 26-7 preseason win against the Lions on Saturday afternoon at Ford Field.
Graham Mertz perhaps locked up a roster spot with his 6-yard touchdown pass to Quintez Cephus to secure a 2-1 preseason for the Houston Texans in a 26-7 victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday at Ford Field.
Mertz, the Texans' sixth-round pick out of Florida, did everything asked of him and more during the first half of Saturday's performance as the final dress rehearsal of the preseason. Taking over in place of C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills, Mertz finished 14 of 16 for 145 yards with two passes of over 20 yards downfield. He also ran 20 yards off two carries.
Mertz's highlight throw came in the first quarter to Xavier Hutchinson for a 24-yard pickup on third-and-11, setting up Houston in Detroit territory. He then scooped up another first down, this time on third-and-9, with an 11-yard scamper.
Houston's lone defensive mistake happened in the second quarter when Kyle Allen found rookie wideout Issac TeSlaa for a 33-yard touchdown. TeSlaa, a third-round pick out of Arkansas, made a move to the outside against D'Angelo Ross that left him open on the corner for the easy touchdown. The defense finished with three sacks for a loss of 22 yards and a takeaway, thanks to an interception caused by Jalen Mills against backup Hendon Hooker
Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in Houston's win against the Lions and we broke them down by offense and defense. Below are the five highest and lowest grades on the offensive side of the ball after a surprising performance at NRG Stadium.
There were a few surprises in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense. In fact, most of you can already guess who graded out in stellar and horrendous fashion.
Here's a look at the five best defensive players below:
Top 5 defense
- DB Arthur Maulet - 90.4
- DE Dylan Horton -83.8
- DB Jalen Mills - 83.0
- LB Jake Hansen - 79.8
- DL Tommy Togiai -79.0
Togiai is making a case to secure a spot on the active roster over Foley Fatukasi. His 91.4 run grade was the highest marker of any defensive player through two preseason games, while his 78.8 tackle grade was second-highest on the afternoon.
Bottom 5 defense
- DB D'Angelo Ross - 26.7
- LB E.J. Speed - 27.0
- LB Jamal Hill - 36.4
- DE Casey Toolhill - 37.5
- DL Junior Tafuna - 38.6
Last week, Speed finished with the highest grade. This week, his 32.8 coverage grade was the second-lowest among all skill players for the afternoon.
Other notables
- DB Jaylin Smith- 81.3
- DB Damon Arnette - 63.3
- DB Myles Bryant - 62.8
- DB Tremon Smith - 69.4
- LB Chrisitan Harris - 72.2
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans PFF grades: Top & Bottom defensive players in win vs. Lions
Category: Football
