It's great to learn while winning and the Texans are doing just that.
The running game got past the century mark, with 115 yards, the defense racked up six sacks and all three QBs threw touchdown passes in the 24-20 victory over the LA Rams.
It was a bit of a see-saw affair that wasn't perfect but the squad looked better and the night ended with another fantastic finish by Jeff Driskel.
After totaling 5 sacks last week, the Texans went right back to work in that department early on with five in the 1st quarter. This was happening while the offense was having difficulty getting going.
The defense kept the Texans in the game, holding the Rams to six points in the 1st half until the offense exploded with a late touchdown drive.
Davis Mills found Philip Dorsett on a 3rd and 10 deep completion. The officials tacked on 15 more yards as Dorsett suffered a defenseless receiver hit while somehow hanging onto the ball and getting his feet down. There were only seven seconds to work with and Mills hit Nico Collins in the end zone for the go ahead score, the 4th catch of the night for the 2nd year receiver.
All four of his catches resulted in either a first down or touchdown. And he made some physical grabs that really whet your appetite for what's to come in September.
The 1st team offense still has plenty of work to do but it was very encouraging to end their night's effort with a quick yet hard-earned score. Dorset's 32-yard play was huge. And the 43-yard pass interference call he picked up on the final drive was as big as any play in the game.
In the 2nd half, Kyle Allen would get the offense rolling on the second possession, with the help of an improving ground attack and a 30-yard punt return.
Eventually, Allen would throw to rookie Teagan Quitoriano for a 6-yard TD connection and an eight point lead.
The Rams sandwiched two TDs around a Ka'imi Fairbairn field goal to grab a three point edge with time running scarce.
But Driskel and his offensive teammates put together another drive to earn the win. Last week it was a 90-yard march. This week it was 82 yards. He drilled a pass to Mason Schreck for the go-ahead score.
It was good to see Marlon Mack get more work, as Dameon Pierce had the night off. The team averaged 4.3 yards per carry but is still looking for improvement on the ground.
It'll be interesting to see how much work the starters get Thursday in the preseason finale. You'd love to see Mills and friends get more production. But the end result is things are moving in the right direction and Thursday presents another chance to make progress.
