Texans Rookie Breaks Silence After Disappointing First Game

The Houston Texans' offense didn't have the best season opener in Week 1 vs. the Los Angeles Rams.

The same could be said for Texans rookie tackle Aireontae Ersery, who started his first NFL game on the road on the right side of Houston's new-look offensive line, and things didn't quite go as planned.

Ersery finished the day as the Texans' worst graded PFF offensive lineman (41.6), allowing five total pressures, two hurries, and a sack, pairing with a less-than-ideal start to the year for this revamped Houston offensive front.

Yet now with Week 2 vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on tap, Ersery is taking what he learned from his rookie debut in LA and remaining focused on staying prepared.

"You can say I got a whoopin', or whatever you want to call it," Ersery said heading into Week 2. "But, I've just got to be put in a position to be ready to go."

Ersery was subject to some sudden changes on the offensive line right before Week 1's opener.

Right guard Ed Ingram would be listed out with an abdominal injury that pushed Cam Robinson into the starting lineup at left tackle, and thus, switching Ersery over to the right side of the line.

It turned out not to be too seamless a transition for the rookie in his first NFL game, but in the aftermath, Ersery seems to be sharing the same sentiment as many others on the roster are after the loss: flushing the bad week and moving on to the next.

"I think just flushing it. Last week was last week. We know we had a chance to go down there and score in the red zone," Ersery said. "The game played out how it played out. We can't control that. The only thing we can control is how we play... The biggest thing is just flushing it and moving on."

It's been through the help of both his teammates and coaches around him and his own drive that Ersery is ready to walk back up to the plate to prove himself vs. the Buccaneers. The second-round pick in this year's draft has high expectations for what he could bring to this roster and offensive line, and he knows last week wasn't the standard he needs to meet.

"It's a little bit of leaning on [veterans], leaning on the coaches, just leaning on my brothers around me. That wasn't the standard for me. That wasn't the standard for this team and the culture here. Just knowing you've got to play better, and that motivates you."

Week 2 at home vs. Tampa Bay will be another test against a challenging defensive front, but with a week under Ersery's belt and a home crowd to back him, perhaps a better outcome will be on the table for Monday night.

Texans Reveal Offensive Line Starters vs. Bucs

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Sep 12, 2025 7:30 PM ET

The Houston Texans will be enacting a few adjustments on their offensive line in Week 2 vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from what they rolled out in their season opener.

Here's the five-man offensive line that the Texans will be starting on Monday night, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.

LT: Aireontae Ersery
LG: Laken Tomlinson
C: Jarrett Paterson
RG: Ed Ingram

RT: Tytus Howard

Compared to how the Texans started their season last Sunday, there's definitely a few big changes of note.

For starters, guard Ed Ingram was officially ruled a full participant in Friday's team practice after being sidelined in Week 1 with an abdominal injury. That puts him in line to be ready to go for Monday. In turn, it's caused a chain reaction of follow-up movements to take place.

Texans veteran Tytus Howard shifts over from right guard to right tackle, the place he was expected to be for Week 1 after practicing there throughout training camp before Ingram's injury. Week 1 vs. the Rams, he was the best-graded contributor on the starting lineup via PFF, and now he'll try to keep that positive momentum going at the tackle spot.

That also leads to Aireontae Ersery, Houston's starting rookie tackle from last week, switching to the left tackle spot after being on the opposite side for his NFL debut, while previous starter Cam Robinson heads to the bench.

Ersery's Week 1 was far from the strongest in terms of his PFF grade, sinking with a brutal 29.4 pass-blocking grade. But with the new changes, he can slot in where he lined up throughout college and where expected to begin the season to protect C.J. Stroud's blind spot on the left side, which could be a major help to getting back on track for his rookie year.

And for the domino, starting center Jake Andrews will likely be inactive for Sunday with an ankle injury, leading to backup Jarrett Patterson being the backup to take his place. The second-year starter played in 18 snaps last week to log a 59.1 PFF grade, and will be tasked with the challenge of limiting star defensive tackle Vita Vea come Monday.

That makes left guard Laken Tomlinson the only starter upfront to not see any adjustments from where he's started last week, inevitably marking a much different outlook on the offensive line, but also a bit similar to what the Texans had been planning for their starting offensive line throughout training camp.

It'll be a fascinating turnout on Monday night in NRG Stadium to see how this Texans' offensive line unfolds, but it'll certainly be a much different look from how they started the day just one week ago.

Seahawks Fans Left in the Cold as Kellen Moore Dominates Boise TV Airwaves

Sorry Seahawks fans

New Orleans Saints' head coach Kellen Moore is already having an impact on the television market, just one week into his first season in the National Football League as a head coach. In Boise, Idaho, FOX Sports will be locally broadcasting the San Francisco 49ers vs. New Orleans Saints game on Sunday.

This isn't the norm. Typically, according to over the cap's Nick Korte, it's very rare for FOX to not locally air a Seattle Seahawks game in Boise, even when taking the 49ers into account. However, when you put Kellen Moore in the equation, it makes a bit more sense. The first-year head coach is like Boise's Beyoncé. While he was at Boise State, he set the NCAA record for most wins by a college quarterback (50) and the school record for passing yards (14,667) and touchdown passes (142).

If you're a Seahawks fan in Boise, hopefully you have the Sunday Ticket package. For at least Week 2, you won't be able to watch your team on the local channel. Maybe seeing a Moore victory eases some of the frustration for the Boise State-Seahawks fans in the region.

With Boise watching, Saints head coach Kellen Moore could break yet another record

When Kellen Moore was hired as the head coach of the New Orleans Saints back in February, he became the youngest head coach in team history, beating out former HC Sean Payton by over a year. This Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Moore has a shot at another record. If he manages to come out of his second-ever game with a W, he would be the youngest coach in team history to do so, once again beating Sean Payton.

It could be his easiest chance all season as well, as the 49ers will be without their starting quarterback (Brock Purdy) and tight end (George Kittle) on Sunday. However, Kellen Moore is taking no chances, saying that just because San Francisco is missing those two players, their capacity for what they can do isn't limited. "Structurally, I think they'll still have a lot of advantages, a lot of opportunities within that system," Moore told the media earlier this week. "

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