NFL News & Analysis

PFF ReFocused, NFL Preseason Week 1: Green Bay Packers 28, Houston Texans 26

The Green Bay Packers had star performers in the trenches in the team's 28-26 win over the Houston Texans on Thursday night.

PFF's ReFocused series features immediate takeaways from the two analysts who graded the game live. The two offer a detailed breakdown of the game's most notable performances before the grades and advanced stats are reviewed and finalized by Senior Analysts.

All of PFF's grades and advanced stats from this game and the other games played this week will be finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers within 24 hours of the final whistle. ELITE subscribers can view player grades, advanced statistics, positional snap counts and more in Premium Stats 2.0.

Final Score

Green Bay Packers 28, Houston Texans 26

Green Bay Packers

With an opposing offensive line struggling throughout, the expected result would be a defensive line wreaking havoc. While it wasn't an otherworldly performance by any one individual, a few players did stand out. Montravius Adams and Kingsley Keke were a handful to block and generated pressure consistently. 

When the Packers turned to their outside zone run game in the fourth quarter, Justin McCray was a reach block machine, making a number of nice blocks over the final two drives to help free up space for Green Bay runners.

Houston Texans

The battle for the final wide receiver spots could be an intriguing one if tonight was any indication of how things have been developing in camp. Jester Weah had arguably the catch of the day of all the NFL, as he plucked a wayward throw from Joe Webb with one hand. Johnnie Dixon also put forth a strong effort with two catches for 28 yards.

Linebacker Dylan Cole turned in a nice opening quarter for the Texans' defense, showing up especially strong in the run game where he had a number of stops to help keep the Packers' running backs at bay.

Green Bay Packers

While he ended up getting on the board with a score early in the third quarter, it wasn't J'Mon Moore‘s finest effort. The second-year wideout was Green Bay's most targeted receiver on the night (5) but only managed to turn those into seven yards and a pair of drops, including one in the end zone on a fourth-down play earlier in the same drive he would ultimately score on that was nullified by a penalty away from the ball.

Rookie first-round pick Rashan Gary got his first live NFL action but didn't make an impact. While he did win a few reps on the night, he was largely held in check by a Texans OL that was ripe for the picking.

Houston Texans

If the Texans were hoping for some improved performance out of their offensive line, they didn't get it in this game. The starters and depth players all struggled, most notably in pass protection. There were some good blocks in the run game, but it was a good thing Deshaun Watson wasn't playing tonight.

The Texans did a nice job slowing down the Packers' wide zone attack early on but weren't quite up to the task later in the game once the second- and third-stringers were out there. Defensive interior Javier Edwards was on the receiving end of several of McCray's reach blocks, while linebacker Xavier Woodson-Luster‘s struggles were most notable at the second level.

[Editor's Note: All of PFF's player grades and advanced statistics are finalized and made available to ELITE subscribers before 5pm ET on the Monday following each weekend's slate of games during the season. Sign up today to gain access!]

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