Holy smokes, Houston just coughed up a 17-0 lead, watching the Las Vegas Raiders rip off a 19-0 run in the second half to win 22-20! I mean, yeah, it’s preseason Week 2, August 20, 2026, but losing like that, even against a bunch of third and fourth stringers, still stings. You never want to see your squad blow a lead like that, no matter the stakes.
The Right Side of the O-Line Is Ready for Action
Now, it wasn’t all doom and gloom in that NRG Stadium game. There were some definite bright spots, especially on the right side of that offensive line. They mixed things up a bit, with Rutledge starting at left guard and Neal Brown at center. But man, it was Trent Brown at right tackle and Ed Ingram at right guard who really got things rolling on the opening drive. Those guys were absolutely paving the way! Woody Marks busted out all 37 of his rushing yards right behind those two. You can bet your last dollar the Texans are gonna lean on that right side for running plays when the regular season finally kicks off. It’s a clear signal for where the ground game will attack.
Short-Yardage Struggles Have to End
But here’s the kicker, and it’s a real head-scratcher: the short-yardage plays. This squad has an unfortunate habit of making what should be “gimmie-puts” turn into absolute nightmares. Even on that good opening drive, a 2nd and 1 run by Woody Marks over the left side went nowhere. They salvaged it on the next play, sure, and converted two 3rd and 1s later in the second quarter. But the second half? Oof. They faced four plays needing 1-2 yards for a first down, and they failed on ALL of them! We’re talking 2nd and 2 for no gain, then a sack on 3rd and 2 in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, a 2nd and 1 for no gain, followed by a -1 yard run on 3rd and 1. That kind of stuff goes a long way to explaining why those guys were playing the whole second half of a preseason game, and why Houston is sitting at 0-2.
Look, the accepted truism says preseason doesn’t matter much for the regular season, and most of that epic collapse came against deep depth guys. But those *are* the players who need to step up if injuries hit, right? This kind of showing makes cut-down day a whole lot easier for the coaches, especially for defenders who couldn’t get off the field. And for fringe NFL players like Brett Rypien, who get so little time to prove themselves, this is the brutal reality. Houston’s 0-2 record doesn’t count, but fixing those short-yardage issues and finding reliable depth? That’s what really matters when the regular season finally kicks off.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Battle Red Blog.
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