Here's the top offensive players for the Houston Texans in their 20-10 preseason loss against the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday afternoon.
The Houston Texans couldn't start off the preseason on a high note, dropping their first game to the Minnesota Vikings in a 20-10 defeat. Behind rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy and several plays from new quarterback Sam Howell, Minnesota's passing game took control.
The Texans responded after McCarthy's opening drive with a scoring streak of their own. Davis Mills, who got the start at quarterback in place of Pro Bowler C.J. Stroud, marched the offense 74 yards in 10 plays to score on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Braxton Berrios that gave Houston the 7-3 lead.
“I was really pleased with our first offensive group,” Ryans said. “The way they stepped out very efficiently. I liked everybody just being very calm and composed. Davis did an excellent job of driving the ball down the field, commanding the huddle, putting the ball in really good placement.”
Three interceptions from Graham Mertz kept Houston away from the end zone in the second half. Howell, who was traded from Seattle to Minnesota this offseason, led the Vikings' offense after McCarthy, going 11-of-13 for 105 yards. He led Minnesota to a pair of scores: a 38-yard field goal by Reichard and his own 1-yard touchdown run.
Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in Houston's loss against the Vikings 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 U.S. Bank Stadium.
There were 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 offensive players below:
Top 5 offense
- WR Braxton Berrios - 91.0
- OL Ed Ingram - 84.4
- RB Dare Ogunbowale - 79.1
- TE Cade Stover - 76.0
- OL Jake Andrews - 73.6
Berrios' 14-yard score marked the second-longest play from scrimmage for the Texans' offense on Saturday. He finished with three catches for 33 yards, which ranked second among Texans' pass-catchers.
Bottom 5 offense
- OT Blake Fisher - 27.1
- OL Eli Cox- 41.6
- QB Graham Mertz- 42.5
- TE Luke Lachey- 43.1
- OL Juice Scruggs - 44.8
Mertz's performance was dreadful, but it's hard to feel like Fisher is ever going to crack the starting lineup again. He allowed six pressures and two sacks among his 33 snaps. As a run blocker, his 29.3 grade was the lowest individual grade of any player on either side on the afternoon.
Other notables
- WR John Metchie III - 69.9
- WR Jaylin Noel - 66.9
- RB Woody Marks - 62.9
- QB Davis Mills - 64.4
- OT Aireontae Ersery - 52.1
Metchie led the Texans with four catches for 44 yards. Three receptions were for first-down pickups. Mills' consistency in the offense was quite impressive, especially on third-down passes. He only averaged 7.1 yards per attempt, but it's clear he's taken a liking the offense under new play-caller Nick Caley.
Ersery, the Texans' projected starting right tackle, only saw action from the left side since Cam Robinson didn't play. While his run-blocking grade of 43.1 ranked among the bottom half of offensive linemen, his 77.7 pass-blocking rating was the highest among all players on either line.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans PFF grades: Top & Bottom offensive players in loss vs. Vikings
Category: Football
