Texans' Martinas Rankin has up-and-down game against Eagles

With starting left guard Senio Kelemete ailing with an illness and injuries, the Texans inserted rookie Martinas Rankin into the lineup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rankin had an up-and-down game as the running game gained no traction. He also committed two false start penalties. He has five penalties this season.

"I thought he battled," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said of Rankin. "He had a couple of false start penalties, but sometimes that's not always that particular person's fault – silent cadence – there's a lot of things that go into that.

"I thought he battled hard. He's a tough guy. He's good on the inside. I think he's a little bit more of a guard than he is a tackle, and I thought…