Here's the top offensive players for the Houston Texans in their 26-7 preseason win against the Detroit Lions on Saturday afternoon.
Graham Mertz perhaps locked up a roster spot with his 6-yard touchdown pass to Quintez Cephus to secure a 2-1 preseason for the Houston Texans in a 26-7 victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday at Ford Field.
Mertz, the Texans' sixth-round pick out of Florida, did everything asked of him and more during the first half of Saturday's performance as the final dress rehearsal of the preseason. Taking over in place of C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills, Mertz finished 14 of 16 for 145 yards with two passes of over 20 yards downfield. He also ran 20 yards off two carries.
Mertz's highlight throw came in the first quarter to Xavier Hutchinson for a 24-yard pickup on third-and-11, setting up Houston in Detroit territory. He then scooped up another first down, this time on third-and-9, with an 11-yard scamper.
Pro Football Focus handed out player grades for those who took a snap in Houston's win against the Lions and we broke them down by offense and defense. Below are the five highest and lowest grades on the offensive side of the ball after a surprising performance at Ford Field.
There were a few surprises in terms of the highest- and lowest-graded players, both on offense and defense. In fact, most of you can already guess who graded out in stellar and horrendous fashion.
Here's a look at the five best offensive players below:
Top 5 offense
- WR Cornell Powell - 82.0
- QB Graham Mertz- 78.1
- WR Jayden Higgins - 78.6
- FB Jakob Johnson- 76.4
- Xavier Hutchinson - 76.1
Hutchinson locked up the No. 3 receiver spot after posting a 71.9 receiving grade. What was more impressive was his 69.3 blocking grade, which ended up being higher than three offensive linemen. Higgins' run blocking grade of 78.3 also deserves some love.
Bottom 5 offense
- OT Connor McDermott - 37.4
- OL Austin Deculus - 38.2
- TE Irv Smith Jr. - 43.5
- OL Eli Cox - 45.1
- LaDarius Henderson - 45.6
While Higgins made an impressive 14-yard diving grab in the first quarter, his overall afternoon was forgettable. Deculus posted the lowest pass-blocking grade on either line at 25.8. Jordan offered little in the running game, but he did post a 77.2 pass-blocking grade, which happened to be the highest among all runners.
Other notables
- WR Jaylin Noel - 52.7
- WR Braxton Berrios - 56.2
- OT Aireontae Ersery - 71.1
- RB Woody Marks - 60.3
- WR Daniel Jackson - 71.1
- RB Dameon Pierce - 59.0
Ersery, the Texans' projected starting right tackle, only saw action from the left side since Cam Robinson didn't play. Last week, he impressed in pass protection but this week, it was more so a balanced approach with a massive uptick in run blocking at 69.6, while his pass-blocking grade of 70.6 remained impressive, too.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans PFF grades: Top & Bottom offensive players in win vs. Lions
Category: Football
