What We Saw: Preseason Week 2

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Texans @ Cowboys

Final Score: Texans 20, Cowboys 14

Writer: Dan Adams (@dadams0323 on Twitter)

 

Some preseason games are fun to watch, despite all the backups and the game ultimately not mattering. This game was not. Dallas struggled to find competent quarterback play outside of two Cooper Rush-led drives and turned the ball over four times. For their part, the Texans also struggled offensively. Their only offensive touchdown came after recovering a fumble at the Dallas 23-yard line. The difference tonight was that the Texans did not turn the ball over, and turned those four Cowboys’ turnovers into 17 points. This was a slow, ugly game, that the Texans held on to win 20-14.

 

Houston Texans

 

Quarterback

 

Tyrod Taylor: 2/5, 10 yards

Davis Mills: 10/16, 115 yards | 1 carry, 7 yards

Jeff Driskel: 1/2, 14 yards | 5 carries, 23 yards

 

Tyrod Taylor was unimpressive on his three drives. His longest completion was five yards, and he did not take any downfield shots. Despite that, he struggled to complete passes or move the chains. It certainly looks like the Texans will be a run-first offense that doesn’t ask Taylor to do much.

Davis Mills received extended playing time, and looked a little overmatched against the defense Dallas started tonight. Once the Cowboys’ backups came in, Mills looked more comfortable but still wasn’t very impressive. He didn’t make any mistakes though, which is probably the biggest key for him to get a chance to play later this season.

Jeff Driskel closed the game out and had a few designed runs called for him. Perhaps those plays are a preview of what the offense will look like with Taylor in the regular season, as they probably don’t want to risk Taylor in the preseason but will likely incorporate his rushing into their weekly gameplan.

 

Running Backs

 

Mark Ingram: 7 carries, 24 yards, TD

Phillip Lindsay: 4 carries, 2 yards 

David Johnson: 1 target

Rex Burkhead: 1 carry, 4 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 12 yards

 

For reasons only the Texans know, Mark Ingram was their primary running back tonight. On their first drive, following a fumble recovery deep in Dallas territory, Ingram handled four carries on the seven-play drive. He was the running back they went to on fourth-and-one, as well as at the goal line.

 

 

Phillip Lindsay got a carry from the 4-yard line on that opening drive and then started the second drive. He did not have much room to run, and on two of his carries, he was met in the backfield by a defender. David Johnson was only used as a third-down back and was a non-factor. All three backs saw snaps with Davis Mills, which is a little surprising given that all three are veterans that probably do not need much preseason work to get ready.

As if the backfield wasn’t crowded enough, Rex Burkhead also saw action in this game. He had a little success in the receiving game, and would probably slot in as the backup third-down back behind Johnson. This backfield is shaping up to be awful for fantasy football and is probably best avoided.

 

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

Brandin Cooks: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 10 yards

Chris Conley: 3 targets

Keke Coutee: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 29 yards

Alex Erickson: 3 targets, 2 reception, 18 yards

Jordan Veasy: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 30 yards

Chris Moore: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 33 yards

 

There wasn’t much to report about the Texans’ receivers, as the team as a whole did not really pass the ball much. Brandin Cooks, as the depth chart and talent behind him would suggest, looked like the primary read on most plays while he was in the game. Chris Conley started opposite of him and finished without a reception despite the ball hitting him in the hands. Keke Coutee and Alex Erickson were the other receivers who worked with the starters, but they did not get much work as the Texans mostly played from two-receiver formations. The Texans also used four different tight ends with their starters, which probably means the days of streaming Jordan Akins are over.

 

 

Dallas Cowboys

 

Quarterback

 

Garrett Gilbert: 3/5, 30 yards, Sack, Fumble

Cooper Rush: 10/8, 97 yards, 2 TD, Sack | 1 carry, 7 yards

Ben DiNucci: 14/19, 120 yards, 3 INT, 3 Sacks | 2 carries, 10 yards

 

Garrett Gilbert had a tough game. On his first drop back, he slipped and fell before throwing an incomplete pass. On his second, he was strip-sacked despite having plenty of time in the pocket and a clear running lane in front of him. One of his completions was an impressive catch by CeeDee Lamb in traffic and was not a good throw. Gilbert looked hesitant in the pocket and late on his throws.

Cooper Rush came in on the third drive, and the offense looked markedly better with him out there. His first throw was a long one to Amari Cooper that drew defensive pass interference, his second throw was a bullet to Blake Jarwin up the seam. Rush’s first touchdown pass came on a screen to Tony Pollard, and his second was a perfectly timed throw to Cedric Wilson in the back of the end zone.

 

 

With Dak Prescott still recovering from injury, the Cowboys’ backup quarterback job could be one of the most important camp battles for fantasy football this season, and Rush getting some work with the starters might suggest the Cowboys do not have full confidence in Gilbert.

Ben DiNucci is not the answer. DiNucchi threw three interceptions, including a pick-six, and that doesn’t really do his performance justice for how bad it was. Most of his completions came on either very quick passes or passes where the Texans defense was sitting back because the Cowboys had a long way to go to get a first down. The interceptions were ugly throws, and he’s fortunate only one of them was returned for a touchdown.

 

 

DiNucci’s third interception looked pretty similar to the one shown above, except that it was in the middle of the field and there was an extra defender in the way. His second interception came on a late throw into the flat that was behind his target, and if the defensive back hadn’t stumbled when making the catch it was an easy touchdown return. Hopefully, for the Dallas receivers’ sake, we do not have another DiNucci start this season.

 

Running Backs

 

Tony Pollard: 5 carries, 20 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 16 yards, TD

Rico Dowdle: 6 carries, 31 yards | 1 target

Brendan Knox: 5 carries, 8 yards

 

Tony Pollard got the start tonight while Ezekiel Elliott sat out. Pollard did a good job of being patient behind the line and waiting for his blockers to set up and showed some nice burst once he found the hole to run through. His touchdown reception came on a designed screen, he was mostly untouched on the play but did have to run through a pretty lackluster tackle attempt.

 

 

Rico Dowdle was the next running back in, and he too looked pretty good. Dowdle has had a nice preseason so far and could be a name to watch if anything happens to Pollard or Elliott. On this run, he does a good job of letting his blocks set up before cutting back to the outside for a nice gain.

 

 

Pollard saw all of the first-team snaps, so Dowdle is probably nothing more than a handcuff to a handcuff at this point. Still, that role is worth monitoring in an offense that projects to be as explosive as the Cowboys. Brendan Knox had one nice run but otherwise did not have any lanes to run through.

 

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends

 

CeeDee Lamb: 2 targets, 1 reception, 13 yards

Amari Cooper: 1 carry, -4 yards

Michael Gallup: 2 targets, 1 reception, 4 yards

Cedric Wilson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 22 yards, TD

Noah Brown: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 35 yards

Blake Jarwin: 1 target, 1 reception, 25 yards

Dalton Schultz: 1 target, 1 reception, 9 yards

 

Amari Cooper returned from injury to start tonight and drew a 26-yard defensive pass interference penalty on his first target. His only touch that went into the box score was an end-around, and unfortunately, Cooper tripped over the field and was tackled for a loss.

CeeDee Lamb had his requisite highlight tonight:

 

 

More importantly for Lamb’s fantasy value, he only came off the field for one snap while the starters were out there. Additionally, he saw more work in the slot this week after mostly working outside last week.

 

 

It looks like all three Dallas receivers will move around the formation, but it also looks like Lamb is locked into snaps when Dallas does go to only two-receiver sets. After mostly sitting out in those formations last season, that change would give Lamb a lot more opportunities this season, and he’ll need those opportunities to pay off his ever-rising ADP. Noah Brown and Cedric Wilson were the next two receivers up, and they both had some nice moments. Wilson had the touchdown reception from Rush shown above, and Brown made this highlight-worthy catch:

 

 

Dalton Schultz and Blake Jarwin basically split the starting tight end snaps and each caught their only target. Jarwin had the splashier play, but neither player really factored in as a receiver. If either one wins the starting job they’re worth looking at for fantasy, but with both healthy this is probably another spot to avoid.

 

 

 — Dan Adams (@dadams0323 on Twitter).

Series Navigation
Introduction
Patriots @ Eagles
Bengals @ Washington
Chiefs @ Cardinals
Bills @ Bears
Jets @ Packers
Falcons @ Dolphins
Ravens @ Panthers
Lions @ Steelers
Titans @ Buccaneers
Texans @ Cowboys
Colts @ Vikings
Broncos @ Seahawks
Raiders @ Rams
Giants @ Browns
49ers @ Chargers
Jaguars @ Saints

2 responses to “What We Saw: Preseason Week 2”

  1. Isaac Hernandez says:
    August 23, 2021 at 6:18 pm

    Test

    Reply
  2. Clint Graves says:
    August 24, 2021 at 12:20 am

    Great read thank you!

    Reply

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