The Houston Texans can't give up on Schaub

The Houston Texans had more than I chance to win their game this week at home against the Seattle Seahawks. After leading the game 20-6 at one point the Texans let yet this game get away from them late. The score was 20-13 when Matt Schaub threw what may have been his worst interception as a Texan when he put a ball up in the vicinity of All Pro CB Richard Sherman while attempting to escape pressure. Sherman returned the interception for a TD to tie the game and force overtime. The Texans would go on to lose the game by a FG, and needless to say Schaub has been the brunt of a lot of judgement just 1 day after the tough loss. Schaub has now thrown 6 INT's this year, 3 of those have been returned for TD's. And after yet another sub par game fans are growing restless. There we're even a group of fans that formed a circle and proceeded to burn Schaub jerseys.

What fans must remember is that the NFL season is 16 weeks long. There's a lot of football left to play, and if the Texans have any chance at rebounding from this horrible loss Schaub will be the QB to carry them past it. Just last season Schaub was sitting pretty at 11-1 to in week 13 of the regular season, the Texans finished the year 12-4. Even back then Schaub was questioned and criticized for his play. Things didn't get any better after the Texans were torched by the Patriots to be eliminated from the playoffs. But even after all that Schaub came back this season and led his team to 2 straight comeback wins to start the season. They lost a tough game on the road against the defending Super Bowl Champs, and just recently lost to a Seahawks team many consider the all around best in the NFC. Matt Schaub may struggle at times, yes. But he didn't call a pass play on a 3rd and short, while leading the game, against the best secondary in football. He made a bad throw, but in no way should he have been throwing in that situation. Schaub has shown his resilience, and I have no doubt he'll bounce back from this game.

The Texans cannot panic after the loss they suffered. They still have the #1 ranked overall defense in football. Even with Schaub struggling WR Andre Johnson is still having a great season as well with 34 catches for 368 yards. RB Arian Foster just had his biggest game of the year this week with 102 yards on 27 carries and also caught a TD against the Seahawks. If the Texans can get back on track this week against a 49er team that has struggled at times this year and follow that with a win against the Rams they'll be sitting at 4-2. That's not a bad place to be with both the Colts and Titans already sitting at 3-1. After the Texans finish their NFC West swing in their schedule they get back to playing within their own division. If they can hold it together until then they'll still have a really good chance at winning  the AFC South.

Week 4 preview: Texans vs Seahawks

Coming off a disappointing loss to the Baltimore Ravens the Houston Texans now look to tame one of the hottest teams in the NFL this week facing off against the Seattle Seahawks. The Texans are tied for the lead in the AFC South and can't afford to lose this game. The Seahawks are fresh off a blowout victory against the San Francisco 49ers, and will be looking to implement the same game plan they had last week. Physical football is what the Seahawks pride themselves on, and the Texans will have quite a task trying to beat the Seahawks at their own game this week. Getting after Seattle QB Russell Wilson and creating turnovers will be keys this week as the Texans face the Seahawks at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

Players to watch on Offense:

Matt Schaub: If the Texans are going to have any chance at winning this game QB Matt Schaub will have to play much better this week. Schaub has struggled with turning the ball over already in this early season. Of the 4 INT's he's thrown this season 2 have been returned for defensive scores, and another led to a TD on the very next play. Schaub has to make better decisions this week. He'll have to make sure he's not just keyed on one WR against this aggressive Seahawks secondary.

Arian Foster: The Texans will need a big game from their Pro Bowl RB this week. Keeping Russell Wilson and that Seahawks offense off the field and tiring out the Seattle defense will be the goal this week. If Foster can get going it'll also open up some play action opportunities for the Texans. Using play action could neutralize the Seahawks pass rush and open up some big plays down field for Houston this week. Foster has yet to eclipse 100 yards rushing this season, and this would be a great game for him to put this team on his back and carry them to a victory.

Players to watch on defense:

Brian Cushing: The Seattle Seahawks run the read option as part of their offensive scheme. The Texans will have to be quick about identifying who's got the ball on defense. ILB Brian Cushing could be the key  to stopping this Seahawks attack. Cushing has shown he has great ball instincts, and they'll be needed early and often. Containing the rushing attack of the Seahawks would be a huge help to this defense. The more Russell Wilson has to drop back and pass the better chance the Texans defense will have at big plays.

JJ Watt: Watt has the ability to be a factor on defense in more than one part of the game. If he's not able to get to the QB he has the ability to get his hands up and tip passes on a pretty regular basis if he's not game planned for. Watt also has a knack for finding RB's behind the line of scrimmage as well. He's already gotten 2 sacks and 3 deflected passes this season. With Watt facing an opponent he's never faced there's a good chance he makes some plays this week, and the Texans will need each and every one.

Houston Texans must fix problems in a hurry

After 3 weeks the Houston Texans and 2-1, and now sit in a tie for the lead in the AFC South. They played 2 of those games from behind and narrowly escaped with wins. With a defense only that's only allows 249 yards a game and an offense that's loaded in terms of talent the Texans still have much to work on before taking the next step this year as a team. They'll have little time to think about the loss they just suffered in Baltimore this past week. The Seattle Seahawks are next on the schedule,followed by the 49ers and the St. Louis Rams. They can't afford to lose too many game's this season Andrew Luck's got the Colts at 2-1 and the Titans are also 2-1. These games are crucial for the Texans. The good thing is they do have a chance to win all 3 of those games. They'll just have to play perfect football and focus and these key things as a team.
Ball Security: There hasn't been a game this year that QB Matt Schaub hasn't thrown at least 1 INT. That's never a goof recipe for winning games in the NFL. The Texans were nursing RB Arian Foster slowly to start the season. The fact that Ben Tate has played so well is also factoring in on the carry count right now too. If the Texans are going to have success they'll need to get Foster touches early in the game. He always been a better runner that way. He takes advantage when the defense finally over commits. A healthy number of carries for Foster would benefit the offense a lot this week with the Seahawks secondary being so good. The Texans must fix this going forward if they plan on still holding at least a share of the AFC lead when this 3 week stretch is over.

Better Pass Rush: The Texans defense hasn't really played a bad game this season. They haven't played a perfect one either though. 2 players you know are going to make plays are JJ Watt and Brian Cushing. Both have 2 sacks on the season already, Cushing had the game tying INT against SD to open the season. Watt already has 4 passes defensed, he may break his own record of 16 by a DL this season, which would be crazy. But even with those 2 studs the Texans lack pass rush off the edges. 2011 1st rounder Whitney Mercilus was coming off a 6 sack season on limited snaps. He's gotten 1 thus far but hasn't been a disruptive force though. Brooks Reed a 3rd yr OLB is very effective in the running game defense but isn't much of a pass rusher. Playing against 2 mobile QB's and more of a spread in St. Louis the Texans will have to get more pressure off the outside these next 3 games. They have to emphasize destroying the pocket to be successful against those teams.

Special Teams Played: Special teams has been an issue for the Texans for years now. Last season they drafted K Randy Bullock out of Texas A&M but lost him to injury. He's now healthy, but isn't quite kicking like he is. Bullock has already missed 4 FG's through the first 3 weeks of this young season. He was drafted to make long kicks under pressure and has yet to do so. If Bullock keeps missing and taking points off the board for Houston they'll have a hard time winning games. The addition of P Shane Lechler has helped the punt coverage already this season. Buy after giving up a long return for a TD against the Ravens Tandon Doss last week the Texans must get better quickly. They'll be punting to Golden Tate of the Seahawks this week, LaMichael James next week, and Tavon Austin the following week. Evey one of those players are big play threats and should be played as such. Keeping special teams points off the board and making the opposing team start drives deep in their own territory should help the Texans bunches in the games.

The Houston Texans struggle, lose 30-9 to the Ravens

The Houston Texans went into this weeks game with what I would've called an advantage. The Ravens didn't have their Pro Bowl RB available after he suffered a hip injury last week, they were playing a Ravens team that had yet to post consistent football this season as well. This week was no different for the Ravens. But the Texans mistakes coupled with bad special teams play the Ravens won this game handily on Sunday.

Texans QB Matt Schaub threw yet another interception that was returned for a TD. This time by Ravens ILB Daryl Smith. Schaub never saw Smith and just threw the pass right to him. Schaub finished the game 25-35 with that 1 INT and no TD's. If Schaub can't get his turnovers under control the Texans will be in big trouble, he has 4 INT's already this season.

Texans RB Arian Foster once again had very few touches sharing time with Ben Tate. Foster is the workhorse of this Texans offense and since the season's started he hasn't been getting the number of touches he had in years past. Texans coach Gary Kubiak says he likes to get both backs touches, but it's not working right now. Foster needs early touches to get a feel for the defense. 12 carries is all Foster had in the game, a far cry from the guy who's led the league in total carries over the past 3 years.

The Texans defense still hasn't given up more than 300 yards in a game this season. The Ravens offense only scored 1 TD the others 23 points were from a punt return, a pick six, and 3 FG's. Even with the return of future Hall of  Fame S Ed Reed, and Ravens RB Ray Rice out, without any help from the offense it just wasn't enough.

Week 3 preview: Texans vs Ravens

Coming off 2 straight come from behind wins the Houston Texans have the 1-1 Baltimore Ravens next on their schedule. The Super Bowl champs will be looking to come out and get a win on their home field. This rebuilt Ravens team hasn't looked as good as they were last season on offense or defense, and the Texans will be looking to show they've closed the gap between themselves and the top tier in the AFC. 

Keys to the offense:

Arian Foster: While Foster has been splitting carries with his back up Ben Tate to start the season I think he'll see an increased workload in this game. Foster loves playing against top teams in the league. Last week Foster started to get into his groove last week to finish the game against Tennessee while Tate was hot early. I expect Foster to catch some passes too Sunday. The Ravens will load the box and force the Texans to throw the ball, but this should get some mismatches with a single LB being responsible to cover Foster out of the backfield.

Andre Johnson: The Texans WR has started the season playing very good. He caught 8 passes for 76 yards before being sidelined after a hard hit from Titans S Bernard Pollard. The last 2 times these have played Johnson's been a big factor, with 17 catches and 197 yards. If the Ravens decide to not double down on Johnson he could have another big game on Sunday.

Offensive line play: With All Pro LT Duane Brown not likely to play nursing a turf toe injury it'll be vital others can step up their play this week against an aggressive Ravens defense. If Brown doesn't play Ryan Harris will get the start in his place. Harris was a free agent signing in 201, and has been a key addition to the Texans. He'll have his hands full with Terrell Suggs this week. Along with Suggs Elvis Dummervil can also get to the QB. The right side of the Texans O line will need to play a great game too. If the Texans can't keep Matt Schaub clean their chances of winning won't be too high.

Keys to the defense:

Defensive backs play: The Texans have a pretty veteran filled DB unit. The youngest starter being Kareem Jackson playing in his 4th season. They'll need to be on their game this week with RB Ray Rice nursing his injured hip. The Ravens will probably go out and try to get an early lead through the air. After allowing Phillip Rivers to throw for 4 TD's in a half in week 1 they played much better against Jake Locker and the Titans. This will be a game they're tested in, if they can answer the call the Texans should have a great chance at a big road win.

Pressure Joe Flacco: The last time Joe Flacco played this Wade Phillips Texans defense he struggled mightily. To the tune of 21-43 for 147 yards with 1 TD and 2 INT's during their game in 2012 where the Texans won 43-13. Flacco never looked comfortable in the pocket that game, JJ Watt and the Texans defense made sure of that. Watt tipped a Flacco pass that was returned for a score by CB Jonathan Joseph. If Flacco is allowed to stand in the pocket and make uncontested throws he'll probably have a good game. The Texans defense needs big plays from guys like Earl Mitchell and Whitney Mercilus this week with big names like JJ Watt and Brian Cushing being game planned for.

The Houston Texans edge Titans in a 24-30 overtime thriller

The Houston Texans opened their season with a close road win. The team's second week wasn't going to be any easier as they faced a divisional rival in the Tennessee Titans. The Titans looked like a much improved team last week when they went on the road and beat the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

Once again the Texans trailed at halftime and had to fight their way back into this game, and once again the highly criticized QB of the Texans Matt Schaub put together drives to both tie and win his team the game. Schaub finished the game 26-48 for 298 yards with 3 TD's, and 2INT's. Schaub connected with rookie WR DeAndre Hopkins on 7 passes for  117 yards and the game winning TD throw in overtime. Texans wide out Andre Johnson left the game late in the 4th quarter after taking a big hit on the sidelines. Johnson did manage to hold on to the pass he was thrown on the play to set up the Texans TD and 2 point conversion that would tie the game. Johnson finished the game with 8 catches for 76 yards. The WR tandem combined for 193 yards for the game.

Also productive were the Texans RB's on Sunday. Ben Tate was in fire to start the game. His first run was for 60 yards and set up the Texans first TD. Arian Foster didn't have a great start to this game, but was very effective on the later drives to tie it up in the fourth and win the game in overtime. Foster finished with 19 carries for 79 yards and 1 TD, as well as a catch for 6 yards. Tate carried the ball 93 yards on his 9 carries and had a catch for 8 yards.

Defensively the Texans played really well most of the game. 7 of the 24 points the Titans  scored was off a INT return, and they only gave up 248 total yards for the game. ILB Brian Cushing was all over the field making plays, and finished with 11 tackles and 2 sacks. Texans DE JJ Watt also got 2 sacks and and 1 pass deflection. Watt who tipped 15 passes last season along with 20.5 is considered the NFL's best defensive player. With already 2 sacks and 2 passes deflected this season he's looking to prove the people right.

Week 2 preview: Texans vs Titans

Keys for the Texans on offense:

1. The running game: It's no secret that the Texans love to run the ball to set up their play action pass game. Both Arian Foster and Ben Tate will have to be productive this week if the Texans hope to pull it out against this Titans defense. Last week Arian Foster showed some frustration because of his lack of touches against the Chargers. I'm sure he'll see more time this week after finishing the game without any injuries or concerns. Coach Gary Kubiak said "Arian is at his best when he touches the ball around 25 times." So I'm expecting him to get at least amount of carriers this week. With Tate getting around 10-12.

2. Matt Schaub- The Texans QB had a rough start to this season, as his first pass attempt was tipped and intercepted last week. After that, Schaub buckled down and led his team back from being down by 21. Schaub has been the brunt of a lot of criticism from the media since the teams playoff loss to the Patriots. Schaub knows he'll have to continue to be on his game all year not just one game. Last week when he completed 34-45 passes for 346 and 3 TD's there was no questioning his will to win. The Texans will be looking for him to play just as good against the young and aggressive defensive line of the Titans.

Keys for the Texans on defense:

1. DE JJ Watt: Last week the Texans DE and reigning DPOY made some big plays at the end of the game to help get his team the win. Even though Watt did make some big plays to help his team to victory,  he didn't get a sack last week against the Chargers. Watt had 4 sacks in 2 games against the Titans last season, and he'll be looking to continue to be a problem for this Titans offensive line. The Texans know they'll have to get to Jake Locker when he drops back to pass to limit the damage of Titans RB Chris Johnson, and Watt could come up big playing against the young Titans QB Jake Locker.

2. OLB Whitney Mercilus: With JJ Watt getting lots of attention with double team's I expect to see Whitney Mercilus making plays this week against the Titans. Mercilus got a sack last week.against the Chargers and is looking to make this year a double digit sack season. Playing against a young QB that may ne forced to throw early if the Texans take an early lead, Mercilus may get the opportunity to make some big plays. If Mercilus isn't sacking the QB he'll be looking to tip some passes from the line of scrimmage for his and try to be difference maker for this defense on Sunday.

Texans mount epic comeback against the Chargers

This season is supposed to be a big one for the Houston Texans. Some would call it a Super Bowl or bust type season after the Texans started last year 11-1, before dropping 3 of their for last games. To start this season they were to face a San Diego Chargers team that was basically in rebuilding mode. Many looked at the game as a "gimme" to start the year. Hell the Texans looked guilty of that thinking until halftime. They couldn't get an offensive rhythm to start the game and fell behind big early. The Texans showed great poise as they overcame a 21 point deficit, and ended up beating the Chargers on Monday night.

To start the game Texans QB Matt Schaub had his very first pass attempt and it was intercepted inside the Texans 10 yard line. Phillip Rivers and the Chargers took full advantage of the short field pitching a TD to RB Ryan Matthews. As Schaub started off struggling Rivers on the other hand was red hot. He had 4 TD passes in the first half, but after the halftime break it was a like the Schaub and the Texans figured it all out. Once given the chance in the 3rd quarter Schaub led the Texans on drive after drive to get them back into the game. Schaub ended the game 34-45 for 346 yards and 3 TD's. His favorite target of the night was once again his All-Pro WR Andre Johnson who caught 12 passes for 146 yards against the Chargers. Johnson made some big plays on Monday night, one being a 3rd and long that kept a drive alive. Johnson, said after the game "there was no doubt in my mind we were going to win that game." RB Ben Tate had a good game as well, with Arian Foster not seeing any play throughout the preseason Texans coach Gary Kubiak wanted his touches limited to prevent any sort of injury. Tate shined in the moment, he had 9 carries for 55 yards. While Foster had 18 carries for 57 yards, and 5 receptions for 34 yards.

The Chargers didn't look like they could be stopped in the first half of the game offensively. But the Texans defense was able to show up in the second half and put a stop to the Phillip Rivers TD spree. Though Rivers threw 4 TD's he was under pressure most of the game, and only completed 48% of his passes for a total of 195 yards. Both JJ Watt and Brian Cushing made big plays in the second half for this Texans defense. Watt was quiet most of the game but on the last couple drives made his presence felt with a couple tackles in the backfield and a tipped pass. ILB Brian Cushing is fresh off signing a 6 year 55 million dollar contract extension earlier this week. He earned at least part of that money when he made made the biggest play of the game for the Texans during the 4th quarter when he intercepted a Phillip Rivers pass and returned it for a TD to tie the game.

Week 1 preview: Texans vs Chargers

To start the season the Houston Texans face off against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football. The Texans are eager to get this season under way. Coming off a year that ended with them being eliminated by the Patriots in a lopsided loss, the Texans are looking to put that behind them and open this year with a win.

The Texans are going to start the regular season with almost all their key players perfectly healthy on both sides of the ball. RB Arian Foster may be the exception. Foster didn't play the whole preseason because of back  pain and a strained calf. He's now closing in on being 100% and may get a full work load on Monday. Foster, a native of the San Diego area will be looking to have big game on Monday.

Going against a defensive unit in San Diego that was able to create turnovers last season I'm sure the Texans offensive gamelan will be to establish the run to set up their play action plays. I expect to see TE Owen Daniels being targeted early if he's defended by LB's. Daniels is a big mismatch when the Texans play action bootlegs are working. His combination of speed and good route running makes him an easy target to hit. Along with Daniels both Texans WR's Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins could have good games. The Chargers untested secondary may not be up to the challenge of stopping the duo.

On defense the Texans will be doing what they do best, rushing the QB. Wade Phillips likes to blitz often and early. I expect him to bring the heat against a Chargers O line that has shown it has a hard time protecting their QB. Texans DE JJ Watt is looking to have an even better season than he did last year when he won the Defensive Player Of The Year award. I expect him to really be a menace on the field. Not just for the QB but also on run plays. If the Chargers manage to keep two guys on Watt expect to hear the names of some others on Monday night. Earl Mitchell and Whitney Mercilus both come to mind. Mitchell, the new NT for the Texans has shown great quickness and awareness already in his limited preseason action. Mercilus sat out the preseason but is now ready to go. After leading the nation in sacks in 2011 he was drafted late in the 1st round and notched  6 sacks as a rookie. He's looking to improve upon that and become the Texans pass rushing presence off the edge.