by By JOHN McCLAIN, houston chronicle , The Houston Chronicle

The Good

Matt Schaub: Starting QB was a perfect 7-of-7 for 70 yards and engineered Texans' only TD drive.

Kris Brown: Clutch kicker picked up where he left off, going 3-for-3 on FGs.

Chris Brown: Solidified his spot as backup to Steve Slaton, picking up 25 yards and a TD on six carries.

Defense: The first team did not let the Chiefs' offense get on track at all.

The Bad

Dan Orlovsky: Backup QB was 9-of-20 for 121 yards but threw several bad passes, including two that could have been intercepted and returned for TDs.

The UGLY

The weather: The Texans did not escape the game injury-free, and the driving rain all night played a part.

INJURY REPORT

Texans players injured in Saturday's preseason win at Kansas City:

TE Joel Dreessen: Hyperextended knee

FS Troy Nolan: Broken hand

FB Boomer Grigsby: Sprained ankle

QB Rex Grossman: Pulled hamstring

OT Eric Winston: Sprained ankle

OLB Xavier Adibi: Broken finger

DE Tim Bulman: Bruised quad

Texans : Check out the best photos and our bloggers' reactions from the Texans' preseason opener. chron.com/ Texans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Texans' favorite color was Brown on a rainy summer night at Arrowhead Stadium.

Playing in a rainstorm so severe it emptied half the stadium in the first half Saturday night, Kris Brown kicked three field goals and running back Chris Brown scored the only Texans touchdown in a 16-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason opener for both teams.

"The difference in this game is that we played good defense and we didn't turn the ball over," Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. "When you play good defense and don't turn it over, you're not going to lose many no matter what time of year it is."

The defense forced three turnovers, including an interception by cornerback David Pittman that ruined the Chiefs' last drive and secured the victory.

"I'm pleased that we won, but we paid a price," Kubiak said. "We've got some guys really banged up, but that usually happens when you play in a mess like that."

The worst of the injuries appeared to be tight end Joel Dreessen (hyperextended knee), safety Troy Nolan (broken hand), fullback Boomer Grigsby (sprained ankle) and quarterback Rex Grossman (pulled hamstring).

The terrible conditions didn't affect many of the Texans , including the Browns.

Kris Brown connected from 23, 42 and 30 yards.

Chris Brown came off the bench and replaced Steve Slaton midway through the first quarter when the Texans were on their way to their only touchdown. Chris Brown caught a 16-yard screen pass and had runs of 12, 3 and 6 yards before scoring on a 2-yard run for a 7-0 lead.

"It's good to see Chris step up and run the ball in the red zone like that," quarterback Matt Schaub said. "We've really been working on that."

Schaub seemed at ease in the rain. On two series, he was 7-of-7 for 70 yards. He completed passes to six receivers before calling it a night.

"We moved the ball on the first series, but I took a sack I wish I had back," Schaub said. "We had to regroup and make sure we executed on that next series, and we did."

Uneven showing

Schaub was replaced by Dan Orlovsky, who was 9-of-20 for 121 yards. Orlovsky thought he was done after three quarters. Grossman was supposed to finish, but he pulled a hamstring, forcing Orlovsky back into the game.

"That's the worst rain I've ever played in, but it's not an excuse for some of the balls I wish I had back," Orlovsky said. "It wasn't a big deal to go back in the game. My mindset is to always be ready to play. I just wish I had played better."

Orlovsky was wild high on some of his throws. Two could have been interceptions returned for touchdowns, but the Chiefs dropped the ball.

"My hat's off to our linemen, especially the centers because we were able to protect the ball," Orlovsky said. "I was glad we didn't turn it over, and that turned out to be real important."

The Texans led 13-3 at halftime. The Chiefs didn't score a touchdown until the fourth quarter, when two major penalties kept alive a drive that ended with quarterback Tyler Thigpen's 1-yard pass to tight end Brad Cottam.

Keep it simple

It was new defensive coordinator Frank Bush's first game, and he played a base defense for the most part. The idea was to let his players try to beat the player in front of him.

"For a first preseason game, I thought we were pretty solid in all three phases," middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "I was happy to see our (reserves) keep them from coming back to win. They did well, especially when you consider the elements.

"A game like this is something we can build on."

The Texans had a chance to not allow a point in the first half for the first time since 2004, but a 48-yard field goal as time expired by Ryan Succop ruined that notion.

"It's very important to win a game like this," Kubiak said. "First, there was the weather. Then, we had to overcome some injuries. For instance, we had to play a one-back scheme after Boomer went out because I didn't want to put (starting fullback) Vonta (Leach) back in.

"Some guys really stepped up when we needed it the most. We found a way to dig down deep and make the plays it took to win."

john.mcclain@chron.com

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