Texans defeat 49ers, 17-0

 

Texans finish preseason 3-0 and are looking forward to a somewhat successful season this year. 

For the regular season opener, you want to keep the odds of healthy and fresh legs high. Considering the opener is against a division rival, the Indianapolis Colts, you definitely want your full roster of starters ready for action. Texans starters played longer than I would have liked in this game, which was a bit of a risky. It's very dangerous to keep the starters in that long for a preseason game. 

Dameon Pierce, who is going to be a problem for the NFL, played a huge part in the Texans' "bulls on parade" down the field in the first quarter. He rushed for 37 yards and a touchdown on six carries. While the San Francisco 49ers initially played backups, that shouldn't take away from the fact that Pierce gobbled up some large amounts of turf on every play like Pac-Man (the game). Lovie Smith said the Texans would play a run-first offense, so hopefully Pierce can embarrass and put pressure on some opponent defensive line-ups this season. 

Now on to the QB side of things, Mills alternated between some questionable passing decisions (the end zone interception), and others that showed surprising field IQ (the Chris Moore touchdown). Ultimately he was replaced by Kyle Allen on the first drive of the second half.

During training camp, the SFL staff said that Nico Collins and Davis Mills will be the one-two combo that the Texans need. Collins is a very talented wide receiver. The roadblock will be not having team mates make poor decisions that result in penalties long enough for the duo (Mills/Collins) to connect.

The second half seemed like a typical Texans game. The steam sort of fizzled as the fourth quarter rolled around. After the half, things were pretty yawn worthy. Probably the most exciting play of the in the 2nd half was the major hit that Eric Murray put on a Niners receiver despite getting a first down. 

Now that the preseason is over, the Texans can REALLY focus on the regular season. I don't think much is expected this season due to the full line-up of new faces. Lovie will have a lot to prove this season as head coach. He showed the same fire and determination to win games during the interviews as he did during training camp.