The Houston Texans bested the New York Giants, 28-10, on Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium to improve to 2-1 heading into the final week of training camp.
Scoring drives aren’t honestly necessary in the preseason. Starters pick up two touchdowns in six minutes before the second-team defense gives up 14 points and costs a victory in front of the home crowd.
What matters is consistency from starters. C.J. Stroud and the offense looked promising on two drives even though they didn’t score. Stefon Diggs made a first-down catch while Dalton Schultz continued his quest as a security blanket for Stroud on third down with three receptions.
The defense was the scene stealer in front of what should be the lowest-attended game of the year. Jalen Pitre and Derek Stingely each picked off Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, with the former finding his way to the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown.
As a unit, Houston’s defense notched five turnovers, including three in the fourth quarter on New York’s final three possessions. Third-year receiver John Metchie III might have also secured a spot on the roster after a career day working against New York’s secondary.
Starters might be done this preseason after playing the entire first quarter. That’s a positive since coaches have likely seen enough heading into Week 1’s matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
Moving into the final preseason matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, coaches need to finalize their roster, so it’s important to see players on the bubble play extensively to prove their value.
Here are the snap counts for every player that contributed to the Texans’ Week 2 preseason win.
#Texans snap counts from 28-10 preseason win over #Giants @KPRC2 pic.twitter.com/TjYFz2mZ0D
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) August 18, 2024
Offensive snaps: 75
Defensive snaps: 63
Special teams snaps: 23
It was an overall solid snap spread for the Texans’ roster with just about every healthy body getting field time. Metchie, who finished with six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown, tied Xavier Hutchinson for the most snaps among offensive position players with 34.
Offensive lineman Nick Broeker, who saw action at both right guard and right tackle, led the Texans in total snaps with 57.
Defensive end Ali Gaye could be a name to monitor entering Week 3 after playing in 47 snaps. Kamari Lassiter, who made his preseason debut, saw 14 coverage snaps and wasn’t targeted once.
