After letting the quarterback battle play out for a good portion of the preseason, the Houston Texans named Brian Hoyer the starter entering the 2015 season favoring his veteran knowledge of the game. However, that plan did not last the entire game against the Kansas City Chiefs as Hoyer was yanked with time remaining and Ryan Mallett replaced him. Now the Texans have questions to answer at the position as head coach Bill O'Brien stressed he would evaluate Hoyer and Mallett throughout the week.
Hoyer's day did not go as planned as the quarterback went 18-of-34 for 236 yards and one touchdown and an interception. He was replaced for Mallett who finished his short time on the field by throwing for 98 yards and one touchdown. Evaluating the performance of both quarterbacks could be tough. Hoyer was under pressure the entire game as the Texans' offensive line struggled against the Kansas City front. However, he did commit two turnovers inside the redzone which led to Chiefs' touchdowns. Now the Texans have a lot to consider.
"We'll review the film and we will find out once we head into next week," O'Brien said, via ESPN.com. "I'll go in there and watch the tape and make an honest evaluation. And make a decision one way or the other going into the Carolina game."
There is no question that Mallett wants the starting spot. His reaction to not getting named the season starter was a highly talked about point from the team's season on Hard Knocks. The quarterback told the media after the game that he prepares every week like he will be the starter and then simply waits for his name to be called. That helped him connect well with DeAndre Hopkins and could lead him to be named the No.1 guy next week.
Neither Hoyer nor Mallett got much help from the offensive players around them and it might not be changing much in Week 2 as Arian Foster is not expected to be back. Foster was hopeful that he would be back on the field sooner rather than later, but O'Brien told the media via CBSSports.com that he did not expect the running back to get onto the field until Week 3 at the earliest. The Texans are anxious to get Foster back to hold down the run game. Alfred Blue put up 42 yards in his place while Jonathan Grimes added just 28 yards.
For now, it is clear that Hopkins has made the easy transition to a top wide receiver after the departure of Andre Johnson. The receiver put up 98 yards and two touchdowns off nine catches. Nate Washington led the way with 105 yards. Meanwhile Jaelen Strong did not get his name in the boxscore despite a good preseason.
