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The offseason investment in the Texans' running game showed up in Week 1, and general manager Nick Caserio was happy to talk about it on Texans All-Access.
David Montgomery and Woody Marks split the load
"Both backs really ran well," Caserio said. "David ran well. Woody ran well."
RB Woody Marks, in particular, has done something Caserio watches for closely in young players — he's made every touch count.
"Woody's really kind of maximized his touches," Caserio said. "You can go back to the preseason, the Vegas game — and in this game, I think he averaged five-plus yards a carry or whatever it was. So hopefully we can build on that."
RB David Montgomery, added in the offseason alongside reinforcements at tight end, gave head coach DeMeco Ryans something the Texans wanted: the confidence to keep the offense on the field in short yardage.
"There were some runs there. We kind of had these short-yardage situations where we had to get a yard or two — fourth-and-one, third-and-one," Caserio said. "And to be able to do that, DeMeco had confidence in the team's ability to do that, which is why we made the decision that we did."
Why Caserio sees the running game surging across the NFL
Caserio's read on Week 1 around the league was that Houston is far from alone in leaning on the run.
"It's interesting when you look around the league — it's almost like we've seen a little bit of a shift in the running game," he said. "I think Chicago ran for over 200. Kansas City ran for over 200 the other night. Baltimore does what Baltimore does."
His explanation of why it matters went straight to game control.
"The running game is a big part of success," Caserio said. "It enables you the ability to control the pace of the game to some degree, keep it in manageable situations. So overall, we did a decent job."
Keylan Rutledge's NFL debut: "That's why we drafted him"
The rookie up front held up, too. Asked about C/G Keylan Rutledge's first regular-season game, Caserio didn't hedge.
"Overall, he played pretty good football," Caserio said. "A lot of the things that we saw in the spring and in training camp, and even in the preseason — a small snapshot in the games that he played."
Then the line that matters most for a first-year lineman: "He's a good football player. That's why we drafted him. He has a good playing style."
Caserio noted there are corrections to make, as there are for every rookie after a debut, and framed the whole thing against the quality of the opponent.
"Overall, he went in there and did a pretty good job against a pretty formidable front."
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