Houston to face Atlanta in second test of preseason

J.J. Watt signs an autograph for a young fan after
Thursday's practice session.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved
 

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2014 TexSport Publications

 

HOUSTON, TEXAS (August 15, 2014) With the Houston Texans beginning their current preseason schedule with a 32-0 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, many fans are wondering if 2015 is just going to be a reboot of 2013, where the Texans went 2-14.

There have been a few changes on Kirby Street, with a new head coach, new offensive and defensive coordinators and a new starting quarterback, but what most people witnessed against Cardinals didn't seem like much of anything had changed.

New head coach Bill O’Brien has implements changes designed to bring the Texans back to the top of the league and eventually lead them to the playoffs.

Houston will take to the grass inside NRG Stadium for their first home exhibition gave of 2014 against the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday, August 16, 2014

The Falcons arrived in Houston on Tuesday, August 12 in preparation for the matchup; which includes three combined training sessions on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Being able to practice with the team they are going to face on Saturday certainly should provide players from both teams to excell and catch the eyes of the coaches and staff who will determine if they will make it past the final roster cuts and be able to play the regular season.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, who was signed as a free agent on March 20, 2014, started at quarterback and played the entire first half, completed six of 14 passes for 55 yards while throwing two interceptions.

Case Keenum is working to regain his starting
role as quarterback in 2014.
Photo by Darla Tamulitis-La Vita Loca Photography
Copyright 2014 All Rights Reserved

Former Houston Cougars quarterback and Texans starting quarterback from 2013, Case Keenum completed three of five passes for 29 yards.

He played the entire third quarter with rookie Tom Savage competing two of three passes for 14 yards.

The offense could not seem to get the ball moving down the field; only generating 172 net yards and possessing the ball a little less than 18 minutes on offense.

The only bright side from the game was the defensive duo of defensive end J.J. Watt and rookie linebacker Jadeveon Clowney.

With each player seeing limited action, they both picked up a solo tackle, with Watt adding a sack to his preseason statistics.

The duo were involved on every play and their penetration and aggressiveness will certainly help the Texans as the preseason continues and the regular season begins.

The Falcons are coming off a 16-13 preseason win over the Miami Dolphins and a 4-12 record in 20-13.

Game time on Saturday is set for 7 p.m. CDT in Houston.