Houston Texans: Three players the team needs to improve to win in week two
By T.A. Mock
Whitney Mercilus, OLB
Whitney Mercilus has been the definition of solid since the Houston Texans drafted him in the first round of the 2012 draft out of Illinois. The former defensive end has morphed himself into a well-rounded pass rusher and a solid run defender.
Mercilus’ season ended early in 2017 due to a torn pectoral muscle. After surgery and recovery from that, he was able to rehab and get ready for the start of training camp. Unfortunately, early on in training camp, he tweaked his hamstring and was unable to see any game action in the preseason.
So, this past Sunday’s game against the Patriots was his first game in nearly eleven months. Naturally, there was going to be a lot of rust to shake off but, there ended up being more than I thought there would be.
Must Read. Despite a lackluster game, JJ Watt is more than back. light
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Mercilus was the 74th best linebacker in week one, yikes. To make matters worse, he had a grade of a 49 for his pass rushing against the Patriots. That is not very good for a guy that is supposed to help pioneer one of the league’s best pass rushing attacks.
JJ Watt had a pretty nice first game back but, he can’t do this alone. The Texans need Mercilus to improve against the Titans to stop a more mobile quarterback in Mariota. The Titans also have solid tackles in Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin that’ll make the job more difficult.