Here's the top defensive 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 defensive players below:
Top 5 defense
- LB E.J. Speed - 92.0
- LB K.C. Ossai - 78.0
- LB Jamal Hill - 72.3
- DB Myles Bryant - 72.3
- DE Darrell Taylor - 66.9
Speed might be the best No. 4 linebacker in the NFL. After taking over in place of Azeez Al-Shaair and Henry To'oTo'o, the former Indianapolis Colts starter finished with four tackles, including two for a loss.
Bryant, who is expected to begin working drills at safety with C.J. Gardner-Johnson sidelined, totaled a team-leading six tackles and a pass breakup. His tackle grade of 82.9 was the highest among all Texans' players.
Bottom 5 defense
- DL Marlon Davidson - 32.4
- LB Nick Niemann - 37.4
- CB Arthur Maluet - 38.4
- LB Jake Hansen - 46.4
- DL Haggai Ndubuisi - 46.7
Davidson's days could be numbered with potentially one of the other defensive linemen returning. Known for being a potential positive in run defense, his 29.3 grade marked the lowest of all defensive players.
Other notables
- DB Jaylin Smith- 56.2
- DB Damon Arnette - 58.6
- DB Russ Yeast - 62.5
- DL Tommy Togiai -47.0
- DE Casey Toolhill - 59.3
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans PFF grades: Top & Bottom defensive players in loss vs. Vikings
Category: Football
