Changes

The Texans have released wide receiver Kevin Walter. Walter was getting fairly long in the tooth and the release of Walter may be a sign that the Texans are expecting a larger contribution from Devier Posey. Posey was a guy that they drafted out of Ohio State based mostly on potentially as opposed to consistent results. A large number of people out there are very excited about the results that the Texans defense has brought to the table in recent years. Wade Phillips is a great defensive coordinator who players like Kareem Jackson love playing for.

Expectations

The biggest free agent signing that the Texans have made in the off-season is former Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed. Reed is expected to be a major leader on a defensive squad that already has emerging and established stars in Brian Cushing and J.J. Watt

The Texans are expected to win the AFC South. The Indianapolis Colts have to prove that they string two good seasons together in a row under their franchise quarterback Andrew Luck. The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans are two teams that are currently in the wilderness right now. They have to make evaluations based on the core of their talent and the Texans owner Bob McNair has already shown a willingness to spend money and build the core of his team. People may not notice this, but the fact that they signed Mister Alexander may be a real surprise move within the real of 2013 free agency.

It might be a good idea for the Texans to pursue a tight end like Ben Watson or possibly a tight end in the draft. Owen Daniels is a very physical tight end and he may get injured quite often. People within the Texans front office should make a note of the durability issues that have been tied to Arian Foster in recent years.

Coaching

The fact that the Texans brought in Karl Dorrell in 2012 is something that people still need to make a note of. Dorrell has been working with Matt Schaub and T.J. Yates as the Texans’ quarterbacks coach. Dorrell has a vast amount of experience with the Miami Dolphins organization and with his time as the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. The Texans also made the adjustment by hiring Jeff Zgonina as a defensive line coach. Zgoinna had a very good run as a player with the St. Louis Rams. He could certainly play a key role in coaching the defense if Wade Phillips were to become ill.

The Colts came into the game with a 9-4 record, looking to clinch a wildcard playoff spot. In the first quarter the Texans shut out the Colts. Houston’s opening drive was sparked from a 52 yard pass from Schaub to Andre Johnson, advancing the ball to the Indianapolis 19. After gaining 8 yards, Shayne Graham kicked a 29 yard field goal to open up the scoring. After the Colts were unable to move the ball, the Texans engineered another scoring drive, this time for a touchdown, as Schaub hit Andre Johnson for 3 yards in the end zone.

In the second quarter Colt Running Back Mewelde Moore fumbled back to Houston, who was unable to gain a first down on their next series. On their next possession the Colts drove for an Adam Vinatieri field goal to trail 10-3. The Texans answered with another field goal. The Colts got the ball back with under 4 minutes in the half but couldn’t establish much. Then Pat McAfee’s punt was blocked by Bryan Braman, who recovered the ball and ran for an 8 yard touchdown, stretching the Houston lead to 20-3. But the Colts came roaring back with a 30 yard kickoff return to start their drive at the 26. Quarterback Andrew Luck then completed a 13 yard pass to Donnie Avery, followed by a 61 yard touchdown pass to T.Y. Hilton, to finish up the first half scoring, in which Houston led 20-10.

Indianapolis failed to establish anything on their opening drive of the third quarter, but Houston drove for a field goal. The Colts then rallied with a steady drive that put them at the Houston 31 when Vick Ballard ran 23 yards to give the Colts a first and goal at the 8 yard line. Luck then completed a scoring pass to Dwayne Allen, as the Colts trailed 23-17. In the final period the Colts hurt their cause with a penalty on a punt that cost them 15 yards, as the Texans started on the Indianapolis 39. Schaub drove the team inside the 30 before Graham added a field goal to pad the Texan lead to 26-17 with eight and a half minutes left to play. The Colts failed to move the ball and the Texans added another field goal to secure the victory and the division title with about a minute left on the clock.

The Texans clearly showed that they weren’t rattled by the Patriots blowing them out the previous week. One of the keys on defense was they were able to sack Luck 5 times, whereas the Colts only sacked Schaub 3 times. The Colts can still make the playoffs but their offensive line needs to reduce sacks, as Luck remains one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league. The Texans simply need to turn up the power on their defense and continue their brilliantly balanced offensive strategy.

In the first quarter the Patriots scored touchdowns on their first two possessions while the Texans were unable to put any points on the board. The Patriots’ first scoring drive was set up by a 25 yard strike from Brady to Stevan Ridley, setting up first and goal at the 4. After the Patriots lost 3 yards and recovered their own fumble, Brady found Aaron Hernandez in the end zone for 7 yards. The second touchdown drive was set up when Texan QB Matt Schaub threw an interception to Devin McCourty, which gave the Patriots the ball at their own 18. Brady then drove the team downfield, stunning the Texans with a 37 yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lloyd, giving them a 14-0 lead.

Early in the second period Brady moved the team again and benefited from a defensive pass interference call on Danieal Manning, which gave the Patriots a 26 yard gain to the Houston 31. Brady then completed 15 and 12 yard passes to Wes Welker to set up a 4 yard touchdown pass to Hernandez and the Patriots went to the locker room with a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Patriots scored another touchdown on their second possession of the third period, with a magnificent 63 yard hailmary from Brady to Donte Stallworth. The Texans finally put points on the board on their next possession with a steady drive of short passes and defensive penalties that led to a one yard run by Arian Foster, cutting the Patriot lead to 28-7. Then both teams cooled down the rest of the period, but fourth quarter action offered plenty of excitement with the most scoring.

Brady opened the final period deep in Houston territory and connected with Danny  Woodhead on a 16 yard pass that led to a fumble scooped up by Lloyd, who broke the plane of the goal to give the Patriots a more comfortable 35-7 lead. Houston went three and out and the Patriots got the ball back at their own 32. They mixed up the plays with running and passing as the drive resulted in a 14 yard touchdown pass from Brady to Ridley, blowing out the Texans 42-7. Although it was too late for comebacks at that point, the Texans were able to add another touchdown near the two minute warning with a 1 yard run by T.J. Yates.

Aside from his one interception, Schaub was accurate on 19 of 32 passes for 232 yards, but he was overshadowed by the more dynamic Brady, who nailed 21 of 35 throws, with four yards shy of a 300 yard night. The Patriots out gained the Texans on the ground as Ridley was the rushing leader for New England, gaining 72 yards on 18 carries.

The Patriots, who have clinched their division title with a four game lead over the Jets, advanced to 10-3, while the Texans, who have clinched at least a wildcard spot, fell to 11-2 edging the Colts by two games. Interestingly, the Texans host the Colts next week and the Texans can take the division title with a victory. If the Colts win, the title might be up in the air because the teams will meet again a few weeks later for the season finale in Indianapolis. The Texans simply need to get back to their solid defense to resume their otherwise brilliant season.

In the first quarter the Titans went to work right away and scored on their first drive. Texan QB Matt Schaub threw a 54 touchdown pass to Lestar Jean after advancing to the their own 46 on five plays. The Titans responded with a Rob Bironas field goal then both teams were stopped on their next two drives before the Texans’ Keshawn Martin ran back a punt for 42 yards, giving Houston the ball at the Tennessee 20. Five plays later Schaub found James Casey for a five yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 14-3.

The second quarter was dismal for the Titans, as RB Chris Johnson fumbled and Antonio  Smith recovered to give the Texans the ball at their own 37. The Texans were unable to capitalize on the series but got the ball back quickly when Locker was picked off deep in his own territory by Tim Dobbins, who set the Texans up at the Tennessee 3. Arian Foster was given the ball twice and ran for a touchdown. After both teams stalled on their next possessions, the Titans closed out the half with a Locker interception, picked off by Glover Quin as the led Texans 21-3.

The Titans still looked weak early in the third quarter, taking the opening drive nowhere, resulting in a punt, although they started at their own 36. The Texans got a first down then stalled and punted but the Titans responded with more self-destruction as Locker lost the ball on a scramble, giving the Texans the ball at the Tennessee 36. The Texans then added a Shayne Graham field goal to increase their lead to 24-3. The Titans finally came to life with a 34 yard touchdown pass from Locker to Kenny Britt to cut the lead to 24-10. But both teams were scoreless in the final period, in which the Titans added a few more turnovers to their montage of regrettable plays.

Schaub, as usual, gave a stellar performance, completing 21 of 35 passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns. Locker, however, had problems, completing 21 of 45 passes with one touchdown but the three interceptions were very costly, despite his 309 yards in the air. The Texans gained 125 yards on the ground while the Titans were held to 89 yards rushing. Part of the key to the Texans’ running game was mixing it up between Justin Forsett, Arian Foster and Ben Tate while the Titans’ running relied mainly on Johnson and improvisational scrambling by Locker.

In order to clinch the division all the Texans need to do is keep doing what they’re doing with a brilliant mix of passing and rushing combined with strong defense and turnover recoveries. The Texans continue to have the best defense in the AFC and fourth best in the NFL in terms of fewest points allowed.

Detroit won the toss and elected to receive the ball. J.J. Watt promptly sacked Detroit QB Matthew Stafford on the first play from scrimmage. However, Stafford and the Lions held the ball for almost 10 minutes, culminating with running back Mikel Leshoure scoring on a 2 yard run. That was all the scoring that occurred in quarter number one. The Texans first 3 possessions resulted in 3 downs and out. It appeared as though it would be a long day at the office for the Texans offense vs. a solid Detroit defense. Likewise, up until their final possession of the quarter, the Lions went 3 and out twice after the scoring drive.

Things were much more interesting in the 2nd quarter, when both teams tallied 14 points. The Texans got on the board when Arian Foster started his new string of consecutive games with touchdowns, by scoring on a 6 yard run around left end. The Lions regained the lead on a 5 yard TD throw from Stafford to wide receiver Mike Thomas. Once again, the Texans came right back and drove the ball 75 yards in under 4 minutes, tying it at 14 all on a 9 yard TD pass by Matt Schaub to Owen Daniels. It didn’t take long for Detroit to once again answer that score with one of their own. On the ensuing kickoff the Lions returned the ball to their own 41. Two pass plays later Stafford found Calvin “Megatron” Johnson for a 22 yard score. The half ended with Schaub being sacked and the Lions leading 21-14.

The 3rd quarter began with a field goal by the Lions Jason Hanson giving them a 10 point lead. Then came the undeniable turning point in the game. The Texans Justin Forsett ran 81 yards for an apparent touchdown. However, along the way, replays showed his knee and elbow clearly touched the ground around the 50 yard line. Normally a replay would have brought this one back. But in his anxiousness to right this wrong, Detroit coach Jim Schwartz threw his challenge flag which is not allowed in the NFL. Scoring plays and turnovers are automatically reviewed and challenging the play is an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Even worse for Schwartz and the Lions, the act negates the video replay and the play stands as called. A Texans TD! Credit must be given to Forsett for continuing on with the play when no whistle was blown. After that, the Texans evened the score at 24 on Shayne Grahams 32 yard field goal.

The 4th quarter found both teams scoring a touchdown. The Lions was early and the Texans late on another short (1 yd) TD run by Foster. Into overtime we went, which saw misses by both teams kickers (Graham’s from 51 yds and Hansons from 47). Then with 2:21 remaining in the OT, Graham kicked the game winner from 32 yards away. It was a sweet victory for Texans fans to go along with Thanksgiving dessert.

The Texans are now solidly atop the AFC South with a 10-1 record. They lead the 2nd place Colts by 3.5 games with 5 to play. They have a 2 game lead on the Pats for the best record in the conference. They now have 10 days to prepare prior to meeting the Titans in Nashville on December 2nd. During that time the defense must find an improvement in pass coverage after allowing Stafford to complete 31 passes for 441 yards and 2 touchdowns on Thursday. J.J. Watt continues to excel, but the secondary may be in need of shoring up. Foster ran for 102 yds and 2 TD’s.

In the first quarter the Texans received first and scored quickly. Schaub’s magic drive was just 5 plays starting at their own 16. First he completed to Andre Johnson for 7 yards then Johnson on the next play for 22 yards. Johnson then received a third straight pass, but this time for 45 yards deep in the middle of the field. On the next series the Jaguars fumbled, getting the ball back at their own 37. The Jaguars got the ball back after stopping the Texans. QB Chad Henne hit Justin Blackmon for 63 yards, advancing the ball to the Houston 18. The drive culminated with a 13 yard pass to C Barwin for a touchdown.

At the end of the first quarter the game was tied at 7. The second quarter was full of intensity for both teams. The Texans scored a touchdown on a drive that only consisted of 4 plays, ending with Schaub completing a 1 yard pass to Casey. The Jaguars added a Josh Scobee field goal followed by a Shayne Graham field goal for the Texans. The half closed with both teams tied at 17.

Both teams found scoring opportunities in the third quarter. The Jaguars kicked a field goal then due to a Texan fumble, the Jaguars got the ball at the Houston 11. In five plays they were able to get the ball in the end zone with a short pass from Henne to Marcedes Lewis. The Texans drove the filed but were stopped at the 9 before they kicked a field goal. By the end of the third quarter the Jaguars were leading 27 to 20.

Schaub found bad luck at the start of the fourth quarter when he threw an interception to Paul Posluszny, giving the Jaguars the ball at their own 30. A few plays later Henne connected with Justin Blackmon for an 81 yard touchdown play. Schaub then showed his resilience by moving the Texans from his own 20 to the Jaguar 3 on a series of short passes, finishing with Garrett Graham catching a 1 yard touchdown. The Jaguars failed to answer and the Texans got the ball back with under 4 minutes left in regulation. Starting from their own 10, they drove the field, helped by a 20 yard Schaub pass to Johnson. The drive ended with a touchdown pass to Graham. The fourth period expired with 34 points for each team.

The Texans had a chance to end the game before regulation time expired, but they missed a field goal from 47 yards. In overtime each team scored a field goal then the Texans won the game on a 48 yard pass play from Schaub to Johnson for a touchdown. The Texans gave up over 350 yards in the air and over 80 yards on the ground. They must tighten up on defense in preparing for the Lions in Detroit on Thanksgiving, November 22.

In the first quarter only the Texans put points on the board, a lone field goal. Matt Schaub steadily moved the ball with at 11 yard pass to Andre Johnson and a 13 yard pass to Arian Foster, which brought the Texans inside the Chicago 10. The Texans advanced as far as the 2 but settled for a Shayne Graham field goal. The rest of the quarter was defined by turnovers.  The Bears fumbled, then the Texans were intercepted, then the Bears were intercepted.

Both teams scored in the second quarter. The Bears were able to get the ball to the Houston 33, before settling for a Robbie Gould field goal, making the score even at 3. Both teams stalled until the Texans went back on top with a touchdown. A key play was a 25 yard run to the Chicago 3 yard line by Justin Forsett, which set up a short touchdown pass from Schaub to Foster, making the score 10-3. Cutler was intercepted by Kareem Jackson but neither team scored the rest of the half.

The Bears narrowed the lead to 10-6 in the third quarter on their third possession. Thanks to a 45 yard pass play from Jason Campbell to Brandon Marshall, the Bears moved the ball to the Houston 10, leading to the field goal. The Bears controlled the clock in the third quarter, as the Texans were held to a few short drives.

Chicago missed a field goal early in the fourth quarter then the Texans added a field goal and held on to win. Late in the game field position became the central theme, starting with the Bears’ missed field goal. The Texans then drove to the Houston 41 before Donnie Jones punted the ball and the Bears were pinned at their own 14. The Bears were forced to punt after three downs, giving the Texans the ball at their own 47, leading to their final field goal.

Arian Foster gained 102 yards on the ground for the Texans, who continue to look like division champions while the Bears need more yards on the ground and better management of turnovers. It was unclear on the extent of the concussion suffered by Jay Cutler, who completed 7 of 14 throws for 40 yards with two interceptions. Jason Campbell appears to be prepared to start against the 49ers next week.

The Texans at 8-1 are looking more and more like the team to beat in the AFC. They have a top 3 defense at keeping yardage to a minimum. Schaub did not get the ball to his top receiver Andre Johnson as much as may have wanted but still got the job done. The Texans must now face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have only won one game so far this season.

In the first quarter the Bills and Texans each punted after their opening drives. The Bills punted again and then the Texans broken the pattern with a touchdown. The Texans returned a punt to their own 23. On first down Kevin Walter caught a pass for an 18 yard gain. Then Schaub completed a pass to Andre Johnson for 6 yards followed by an Arian Foster run for 14 yards. The next play was a touchdown pass from Schaub to Owen Daniels for 39 yards. The Texans ended the quarter up 7-0.

Buffalo answered with a drive that ended in a short missed field goal. Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to move the ball a few times, in which he hit Clifford Spiller for 28 yards. On the next series the Texans appeared to be aggressive as Schaub completed a pass to Johnson for 13 yards. Then Foster ran for 21 yards. Then Schaub hit James Casey on a short pass play that gained 24 yards. The Texans took the ball to the 28 but settled for a field goal attempt and failed. The Bills were able to take the ball to the Houston 4 and then kicked a successful field goal. The Bills got possession again with 52 seconds left in the half. After three completions, the Bills kicked another field goal, closing the half at 7-6.

The Texans extended their lead in the third quarter 14-6. The Texans answered a 3 and out series by the Bills with a drive that started on the Buffalo 43 following a punt return. On third down Schaub connected with Andre Johnson for 34 yards. Johnson was injured on the play, which gave the Texans first and goal at the 4. Foster ran the ball in for a touchdown. On the next series Fitzpatrick started hitting deep receptions for the Bills. He connected with Delvin Jones for 15 yards and Scott Chandler for 27 yards. The Bills worked their way to the Houston 21 before kicking another field goal, narrowing the lead to 14-9. The Texans answered with a short drive and a punt that led to the Bills punting.

Early in the fourth quarter the Texans scored another touchdown. The drive was built on a series of short plays and a key 18 yard pass play from Schaub to Johnson. The ball was spotted on the Buffalo 9 and Schaub connected with Graham two played later for the touchdown, giving the Texans a 21-9 lead. The Bills threw three incompletion and had to put again. The Texans drove the ball steadily to the Buffalo 30 and chose to go for it on fourth down but the Schaub pass to Johnson fell incomplete. Buffalo coughed up the ball on their next series, giving the Texans the ball at their own 32 with 3:12 left on the clock. The Bills got the ball back again but were unable to score.

The Texans improved their record to 7-1 at  the top of the AFC South while the Bills remained at the bottom of the AFC East with a 3-5 record. The Bills gave up opportunities by penetrating the red zone 3 times, but only achieved two field goals. Critics suggest that Bills Coach Chan Gailey gave up on the run too soon and focused too much on the passing game. Even though Ryan completed 25 or 38 passes and gained 239 yards passing, it wasn’t enough to overcome the more balanced Texans.

After being embarrassed by Aaron Rogers and Green Bay the previous week, Schaub helped bring the Texans back into the game with by completing 23 out of 37 passes. The Texans set a franchise record for points, finishing with 420 yards. Head coach Gary Kubiak stated that the team finally buckled down and worked together to make this a memorable game.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a bright day for the Ravens. The team was missing their star linebacker Ray Lewis who was off the field with a torn tricep. A previously injured player Terrell Suggs, was back on the team and this was his first game since Achilles tendon surgery last May. The previous year’s defensive player of the year, Suggs was a highlight and sacked Schaub in the first quarter, finishing with three solo tackles. However, even though Suggs brought his A game, Baltimore’s defense was outmatched without both Lewis and Webb who were both injured. A number of their star players were out with injuries and Safety Ed Reed, who had been playing with a torn labium in his shoulder, left the game in the last quarter after sustaining a chest injury.

The team was struggling with their defense and the Ravens gave up the most points since meeting Indianapolis back in 2007. Defensive player Suggs stated that while it wasn’t the end of the world, the team wasn’t taking their defeat lightly. The Raven’s offense wasn’t much better. Although the Ravens started out the game with a 3-0 lead, they started unraveling in the first quarter. The Texans took advantage and moved up their game as the Raven’s defense dwindled.

The Ravens will now be traveling to Cleveland for their Week 9 match up with their division rivals. This short break gives them the chance to assess what went wrong in the game as well as fix it for their next match up.

The Texans, on the other hand, will go on to play against the Buffalo Bills November 4th. As the team moves forward in the season, hopes are high for Schaub to continue their winning streak. It’s hard to say whether the Texans will make their Super Bowl dreams a reality this season, but with several key players, they have a strong chance of making it this season. Their strong rebound against the Ravens has shown fans and commentators that they are the team to watch. After the next game, the Texans will go on to face off against the Bears, Jaguars, and then Lions, with games every week. During this week off, the Texans will be tightening their game and getting ready for a strong rest of the season.

The Jets appeared to be in the midst of a quarterback controversy between Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez in front of their home crowd, but to mix things up at one point they included both men in the lineup on as Sanchez lined up as a receiver.

In the first quarter the Texans scored quickly on 8 plays that moved the ball 85 yards, topped off by a 34 yard touchdown pass from Matt Schaub to Owen Daniels. After Sanchez was unable to answer for the Jets, the crowd started chanting for Tebow, who appeared on the next drive for a play that led to an incomplete pass. Later in the first quarter Schaub intended a pass for Andre Johnson that was picked off by Antonio Cromartie, which led to a successful Jets drive that resulted in a 27 yard touchdown pass from Sanchez to Jeff Cumberland, putting the game in a tie.

RB Arian Foster, who assembled 100 yards in the first half, scored an easy 13 yard touchdown to give the Texans a 14-7 advantage with about eleven minutes left in the half. Shayne Graham added a field goal that gave the Texans a 17-7 lead at the half. He kicked another field goal in the third quarter to put the Texans on top 20-7.

On the following kickoff, McKnight ran the ball the length of the field for a Jets touchdown, giving them new life, trailing the Texans 20-14. After the extra point the Jets tried to surprise the Texans with an onside kick that failed, giving the Texans great field position. Despite Schaub’s 30 yard completion, the drive ended with a 22 yard field goal that gave the Texans a 23-14 lead. The Jets added another field goal with 11:55 left in the fourth quarter before being picked off late in the game.

Schaub threw for 14 of 28 for 209 passing yards while Daniels made four catches for 79 yards. Foster finished the game running for a total of 152 yards. WR Andre Johnson, who was well covered by Cromartie all night, only caught one pass for 15 yards and dropped another pass. Sanchez completed 14 of 31 passes for the Jets, netting 230 yards and one touchdown. Tebow threw one pass that fell incomplete.

If the Texans are to remain unbeatable, they must improve their defensive secondary, which appeared to be confused Monday night. The Texans, who are three games ahead of Indianapolis in the AFC South, get to play at home for a few weeks but must now face the 2-3 Packers, who are hungry for a win. The Texans must, therefore, tighten up on defense and continue doing what they’ve done on offense minus the pair of interceptions thrown by Schaub.