T.J. Yates: Houston Texans QB believes he will be better this week

HOUSTON -- Under heavy siege against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars as he took a beating from pass rushers, Houston Texans quarterback T.J. Yates has been unable to recapture the spark he displayed in relief against the San Francisco 49ers.

Since throwing two touchdowns against the 49ers and posting a 100.6 passer rating in relief of a concussed Tom Savage, Yates has been under major duress and has struggled mightily.

Yates completed 7 of 16 passes for 83 yards, one touchdown and one interception against the Steelers. He was sacked six times and briefly knocked out of the game before he was examined and cleared under the NFL concussion protocol. Against the Jaguars, he completed 38.7 percent of his throws for 128 yards, one touchdown and one interception as he was sacked four times.

"Yeah, it has been tough to recapture," Yates said. "Obviously the caliber of defenses we've played the past two weeks are up there with the tops in the league. When I got in the game against San Fran, I just went in there and just played, just read and react and go out there and play football. That's what I need to get back to, is just trusting my instincts, trusting my eyes, just go out there and let it rip."

That's easier said than done, though. Yates has been inaccurate, but the pass protection has been substandard.

Against the Steelers, Yates misfired twice in a prime red-zone opportunity and was intercepted in the end zone by cornerback Artie Burns.

"Early on, I just really didn't give us a shot," Yates said. "I was off, I was inaccurate. We were running the ball well, moving the ball downfield somewhat but the passing game was pretty bad, obviously. I've just got to go out there and just kind of let it loose."

For the season, Yates has completed 33 of 73 passes for 386 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions for a 68.6 passer rating.

"Just kind of move on," Yates said when asked what he can do to improve in the next few days before the season finale against the Indianapolis Colts. "It was about as rough as it gets passing the ball, but the sun came up the next day. We're going to do better this week."