Houston Texans – Blog

VanderBlog: Ravens Prove the Texans Right

by Marc Vandermeer

The natives are restless. And it’s understandable. After all, the Texans blew a chance to have home field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Then, with a shot to get hot in the post season, they fell hard, at New England and watched the Ravens knock off the top two AFC seeds on their way to New Orleans.

The Texans kept insisting (me too) that momentum was a victory away. They were right. The problem was, the Ravens proved it, not Houston.

Baltimore had lost four out of its last five games heading into the playoffs. Not good. No momentum. No chance.

Think again.

The Ravens took out Indy and Denver before stopping Tom Brady.  Now they’re the toast of the AFC.

Concerns about Baltimore in the regular season look silly now.

Lose to the Texans by 30? Didn’t matter. Lose to the Charlie Batch-led Steelers at home? No problem. Lose badly to Denver at home? Who cares?

Gary Kubiak said “you want to be really good at the end.” That sums up the Ravens. And also the Texans, who were far from their best when it mattered most. That’s why the coach was having none of it when media wanted him to comment on occupying the top seed. None of it matters until January.

Joe Flacco is getting anointed now as ‘elite.’ Whatever that is.  He has played phenomenally well in the post season with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. Flacco bashers should have given it a rest a long time ago but it took until now to quiet them down. Of course they’ll be back if he throws a couple of picks in the Super Bowl.

Matt Schaub’s regular season numbers are better than Flacco’s. Yards, completion percentage, it’s all there. Even Schaub’s yards per attempt number is higher than that of big-armed Joe. Look it up.

But Schaub is home getting torched for not making enough plays down the stretch. It’s fair to criticize him for that. He’ll be the first to tell you he has to play better ‘at the end’ next year. However, he’s not alone in needing to step up play at the most crucial time of year.

And barring injury or father time wearing down his skills, he will lead this team back to the playoffs with a shot to do things better next time.

But you’re knocking on the wrong door if you think improved QB play is all that’s needed to make the difference next year. The defense can’t be giving up 41 points in a playoff game. Special teams can’t give up touchdowns like the one in Indy for the go ahead score in the second half. All three phases have to elevate their game.

The Ravens, who were smashed by the Texans 43-13 on  Battle Red Day, serve as the latest inspiration for every playoff team with up-hill odds. They won two huge games on the road.  And the AFC and NFC top seeds went a combined 1-2 in the post season.

It took five playoff trips in this ‘new’ era of Ravens football to get to the Super Bowl. They were called chokers. Flacco was ridiculed. They kept improving the team and showing up in the post season party. It finally paid off.

That’s what the Texans need to do. Keep improving, keep getting into the playoffs.

As we all know, getting to the post season can be extremely difficult. The next step is even tougher. What matters most is being great in January.

Easier said than done.

You have yet to see the best of J.J. Watt. Can’t wait for next season #GoTexans #MegaWatt #MutomboFingerWag

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VanderBlog: It Ends…..for now

There is a lot to analyze and debate as a once promising season ended with a crushing defeat with the Texans falling to the Patriots 41-28 in Foxborough. The Texans beat the rest of the playoff field in the AFC with wins over Baltimore, Denver, Cincinnati and Indianapolis. But not the Patriots. And New England took it to them, scoring over 40 points in both match ups.

In the end, we’ll never know what difference clinching home field in the AFC would have made. But it certainly would have been better than playing Tom Brady in his back yard. Brady threw seven touchdown passes in two games against Houston. At Reliant, he probably would not be quite as prolific.

The Texans never really recovered from their late season funk, which saw them lose three out of four games and their grip on the number one seed. Red Zone issues plagued them and they struggled on third down on both sides of the ball. A healthy self-scout should reveal plenty of off season work for this organization.

The loss is especially tough to swallow because the Texans made it their goal to play at home in the playoffs and they failed to do that despite multiple chances. To their credit, they created the opportunity by blasting out of the gate 11-1. But they finished with a 2-4 run that cost them their best shot at getting to the Super Bowl.

There was so much to cheer about. Watt led the league in sacks. Arian Foster was terrific again. Andre Johnson looked as good as ever. Matt Schaub stayed healthy and put up a third 4,000 yard season. The team won their first road prime time game with a Monday Night victory over the Jets. They steamrolled the Ravens by 30, beat Manning on the road and prevailed in a showdown on a sloppy field in Chicago that showed their grit. They stung Jacksonville in overtime with Schaub throwing for 527 yards, tied for second best in NFL history. That win was followed by an epic overtime Thanksgiving day victory in Detroit. They eventually stonewalled the Bengals for their second-ever playoff win.

If the joy is in the journey, then it’s been a fun ride. Unfortunately, the finish will still lead the epitaph. A team that looked almost invincible became way too vulnerable at the worst time of the year. When the Texans were rolling early, Gary Kubiak was asked about the hot start. He said “you want to be real good at the end.”  They weren’t good enough.

In 2011, it was all about getting to the post season. In 2012, it was about getting home field advantage and getting to the Super Bowl. The focus has changed. The expectations are higher. In previous years you heard debates about what the team needed to do to make the playoffs. Now, they’re about what’s needed to get to the Super Bowl.

The Texans should not hang their heads. They lost five games, all to playoff teams, and have become a franchise with high expectations through back-to-back years of winning at least one playoff game. They have come a long way from a team that had difficulty putting together winning seasons.

But no one at Reliant Stadium is happy about losing earlier than hoped or expected. There’s plenty of room for improvement. The 2013 season starts now.

Thanks to all our fans who were waiting outside Reliant Stadium at 2 am when we got back from Foxboro #WeAreTexans

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Postgame notes: Patriots 41, Texans 28

FOXBORO — Courtesy of the Texans’ public relations staff, notes from the Sunday at Gillette Stadium, where the Texans lost 42-28 to the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round of the playoffs:

THE TEXANS

·         Fell in the Divisional round of the AFC Playoffs for the second consecutive season.

·         Finished the season 13-5 overall, which is the best record in franchise history.

·         Won time of possession for the second time this postseason and the 14^th time overall this season, holding the ball for 31:24.

·         Gained more than 400 yards of net offense for the second consecutive playoff game, finishing with 425 total yards a week after gaining 420 yards vs. Cincinnati (1/5).

·         Scored first for the second consecutive postseason game and 11^th time this year overall when K Shayne Graham booted a 27-yard field goal to cap the opening drive of the game.

·         Trailed at the end of the first quarter for the first time this postseason and the seventh time overall this season. Houston finished the year 2-5 overall when trailing after the opening period.

·         Trailed at halftime for the first time this postseason and the sixth time overall this season. Houston finished the year 1-5 overall when trailing at halftime.

·         Trailed at the end of the third quarter for the first time this postseason and the sixth time this season overall. Houston finished the year 1-5 overall when trailing entering the fourth quarter.

HEAD COACH GARY KUBIAK

·         Successfully challenged a play in the fourth quarter, arguing that a play ruled incomplete on the field was a completed pass in the end zone. The call was overturned, resulting in a 25-yard touchdown for the Texans.

TE OWEN DANIELS

·         Caught a game-high nine passes for 81 yards and extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 87, including regular season and postseason games, with a 10-yard catch in the first quarter.

RB ARIAN FOSTER

·         Tied RB Terrell Davis for the most rushing yards by a player in his first four career playoff games with 515, gaining 90 yards on the ground in the game. Foster and Davis are the only two men in League history to rush for more than 500 yards in their first four playoff appearances.

MOST RUSHING YARDS, FIRST FOUR PLAYOFF GAMES OF CAREER                                  

Player                           Team                                     Postseason(s)   Yards

Arian Foster               Houston Texans               2011-12                515

Terrell Davis               Denver Broncos                1996-97                515

Fred Taylor                 Jacksonville Jaguars        1998-99                493

John Riggins               Washington Redskins     1976, 1982           474

Eric Dickerson            Los Angeles Rams            1983-85                470

Eddie George            Tennessee Titans             1999                       449

·         Moved into 43^rd on the NFL’s all-time postseason rushing list with 515 career yards.

·         Finished the game with 153 yards from scrimmage (90 rushing, 63 receiving) to raise his career total to 663. His career average of 165.8 scrimmage yards per game in the playoffs is the highest in NFL playoff history.

MOST SCRIMMAGE YARDS PER GAME, NFL POSTSEASON HISTORY                                 

                                                                                                                        Total      Tot. Yds

Player                                   G     Rush      Yards     Rec.       Yards     Yards     /Game

Arian Foster                       4      105         515         23           148         663         165.8

Terrell Davis                       8      204         1,140     19           131         1,271     158.9

Merril Hoge                        3      39           247         14           129         376         125.3

Larry Fitzgerald                 6      0              0              42           705         705         117.5

Marcus Allen                      16   267         1,347     53           530         1,877     117.3

·         Scored a touchdown in his fourth consecutive playoff game when he reached the end zone on a 1-yard scoring run in the second quarter.

CB BRANDON HARRIS

·         Made his first career postseason start when the Texans defense opened the game with six defensive backs on the field.

K SHAYNE GRAHAM

·         Kicked a career-long 55-yard field goal to end the first half, surpassing his previous career-high of 53-yards set in 2009.

FS SHILOH KEO

·         Made his first career postseason start when the Texans defense opened the game with six defensive backs on the field.

WR ANDRE JOHNSON

·         Finished the game with 95 receiving yards on eight catches, raising his postseason career total to 358 yards in four games. His average of 89.5 yards per game in the postseason is the sixth-highest in League playoff history.

MOST RECEIVING YARDS PER GAME, NFL PLAYOFF HISTORY

Player                           G             Rec         Yds         Avg        Lg            TD           Yds/G

Larry Fitzgerald         6              42           705         16.8        64t          9              117.5

Hakeem Nicks           4              28           444         15.9        72t          4              111.0

Tom Fears                   6              30           587         19.6        -              5              97.8

Steve Smith                8              47           782         16.6        70           7              97.8

Charlie Brown            7              31           643         20.7        *60         3              91.9

Andre Johnson         4              25           358         14.3        40t          1              89.5

·         Extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a reception to 106, including regular season and postseason games, with an 11-yard catch in the first quarter.

·         Scored the first two-point conversion in Texans postseason history when he leapt to haul in a throw from QB Matt Schaub in the fourth quarter.

SS DANIEAL MANNING

·         Returned the opening kickoff 94 yards to the New England 12-yard line to set up a 27-yard field goal by K Shayne Graham. It was the longest kickoff return of his career in both regular season and postseason play and was the longest in Texans postseason history. His previous longs were 83 yards vs. New Orleans on 12/11/08 as a Chicago Bear and 60 yards in the 2011 AFC Divisional Playoff at Baltimore on 1/15/12. That return was also on the opening kick of the game.

·         Set an AFC Divisional Playoff record with 216 kickoff return yards in the game, bettering the previous mark of 208 yards by Dante Hall of Kansas City vs. Indianapolis on 1.11.04. It was the third-most kick return yards in NFL postseason history.

MOST KICKOFF RETURN YARDS, GAME, POSTSEASON HISTORY

Player                           Date                Tm      Opp   KR     Yds     Avg    Lg        TD

Andre Coleman        1/29/1995      SD       SF       8        244     30.5    98t      1

Ellis Hobbs                   1/21/2007      NE      Ind     6        220     36.7    80       0

Danieal Manning     1/13/2013      Hou   NE      4        216     54.0    94       0

Tim Dwight                 1/31/1999      Atl      Den    5        210     42.0    94t      1

Dante Hall                   1/11/2004      KC       Ind     7        208     29.7    92t      1

·         Averaged 54.0 yards per kickoff return, gaining 216 yards on four returns. That was the second-highest return average in NFL playoff history behind only Speedy Duncan’s 56.7-yard average (3-170) for Washington vs. San Francisco on 12/26/71.

HIGHEST KICKOFF RETURN AVERAGE, GAME, POSTSEASON HISTORY

Player                           Date                Tm      Opp   KR     Yds     Avg    Lg        TD

Speedy Duncan        12/26/1971   Was   SF       3        170     56.7    -          0

Danieal Manning     1/13/2013      Hou   NE      4        216     54.0    94       0

Trindon Holliday       1/12/2013      Den    Bal      3        158     52.7    104t   1

Ed Podolak                  12/25/1971   KC       Mia    3        154     51.3    -          0

Speedy Duncan        12/26/1964   SD       Buf     3        147     49.0    -          0

Fulton Walker            1/30/1983      Mia    Was   4        190     47.5    98t      1

WR DeVIER POSEY

·         Made his first career reception in postseason play when he hauled in a 24-yard pass in the second quarter.

·         Caught his first career touchdown pass when he dove to haul in a 25-yard scoring throw from QB Matt Schaub in the fourth quarter.

OLB BROOKS REED

·         Teamed with DE J.J. Watt to sack New England QB Tom Brady for a 9-yard loss in the first quarter, extending his streak of consecutive playoff games with a sack to four. Reed and Watt are tied for the most sacks in team playoff history with 5.0 apiece.

QB MATT SCHAUB

·         Threw for 343 yards in the game, giving him the first 300-yard passing game in Texans postseason history, and finished the game with a passer rating of 90.6, completing 34-of-51 passes for 343 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

·         Threw his first career touchdown pass in postseason play when he hit WR DeVier Posey for a 25-yard score in the fourth quarter.

·         Tossed his second touchdown pass of the game when he hit RB Arian Foster for a 1-yard touchdown

DE J.J. WATT

·         Teamed with OLB Brooks Reed to sack New England QB Tom Brady for a 9-yard loss in the first quarter, extending his streak of consecutive playoff games with a sack to four. Watt and Reed are tied for the most sacks in team playoff history with 5.0 apiece.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

·         FB Tyler Clutts and WR Lestar Jean made their playoff debuts in the game

·         Inactive players for the Texans were G Antoine Caldwell, CB Roc Carmichael, ILB Cameron Collins, T Andrew Gardner, NT Terrell McClain, CB Stanford Routt and G Cody White.

·         Captains for the Texans were WR Andre Johnson, FS Shiloh Keo, C Chris Myers, QB Matt Schaub, DE Antonio Smith and DE J.J. Watt. Schaub, Johnson and Smith went to midfield for the pregame coin toss.

·         The Texans won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.

The Texans fall to the Patriots 41-28 to end their playoff run. QB Matt Schaub was 34/51 for 343 yards and 2 TDs. #TexansGameday

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Third-quarter notes: Patriots 31, Texans 13

FOXBORO — Courtesy of the Texans’ public relations staff, notes from the third quarter at Gillette Stadium, where the Texans trail the New England Patriots 31-13 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs:

THE TEXANS

·         Trailed at the end of the third quarter for the first time this postseason and the sixth time this season overall. Houston was 1-4 when trailing at halftime in the regular season.

RB ARIAN FOSTER

·         Became just the second man in NFL history to rush for 500 or more yards in his first four career playoff games, joining Denver RB Terrell Davis (515). He reached the milestone on his 17^th carry of the game, a 1-yard gain late in the fourth quarter.

Second-quarter notes: Patriots 17, Texans 13

FOXBORO — Courtesy of the Texans’ public relations staff, notes from the second quarter at Gillette Stadium, where the Texans trail the New England Patriots 17-13 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs:

THE TEXANS

·         Trailed at halftime for the first time this postseason and the sixth time overall this season. Houston was 1-4 when trailing at halftime in the regular season.

RB ARIAN FOSTER

·         Scored a touchdown in his fourth consecutive playoff game when he reached the end zone on a 1-yard scoring run in the second quarter.

K SHAYNE GRAHAM

·         Kicked a career-long 55-yard field goal to end the first half, surpassing his previous career-high of 53-yards set in 2009.

At halftime, the Texans trail the Patriots 17-13 . RB Arian Foster has 57 yds on 11 carries, 25 yds on 2 receptions and 1 TD. GO TEXANS! #TexansGameday

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First-quarter notes: Patriots 7, Texans 3

FOXBORO — Courtesy of the Texans’ public relations staff, notes from the first quarter at Gillette Stadium, where the Texans trail 7-3 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs:

THE TEXANS

·         Scored first for the second consecutive game when K Shayne Graham booted a 27-yard field goal to cap the opening drive of the game.

·         Trailed at the end of the first quarter for the first time this postseason and the seventh time overall this season. Houston was 2-4 when trailing after the opening period during the regular season.

TE OWEN DANIELS

·         Extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 87, including regular season and postseason games, with a 10-yard catch in the first quarter.

CB BRANDON HARRIS

·         Made his first career postseason start when the Texans defense opened the game with six defensive backs on the field.

FS SHILOH KEO

·         Made his first career postseason start when the Texans defense opened the game with six defensive backs on the field.

WR ANDRE JOHNSON

·         Extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a reception to 106, including regular season and postseason games, with an 11-yard catch in the first quarter.

SS DANIEAL MANNING

·         Returned the opening kickoff 94 yards to the New England 12-yard line to set up a 27-yard field goal by K Shayne Graham. It was the longest kickoff return of his career in both regular season and postseason play and was the longest in Texans postseason history. His previous longs were 83 yards vs. New Orleans on 12/11/08 as a Chicago Bear and 60 yards in the 2011 AFC Divisional Playoff at Baltimore on 1/15/12. That return was also on the opening kick of the game.

OLB BROOKS REED

·         Teamed with DE J.J. Watt to sack New England QB Tom Brady for a 9-yard loss in the first quarter, extending his streak of consecutive playoff games with a sack to four. Reed and Watt are tied for the most sacks in team playoff history with 5.0 apiece.

DE J.J. WATT

·         Teamed with OLB Brooks Reed to sack New England QB Tom Brady for a 9-yard loss in the first quarter, extending his streak of consecutive playoff games with a sack to four. Watt and Reed are tied for the most sacks in team playoff history with 5.0 apiece.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

·         FB Tyler Clutts and WR Lestar Jean made their playoff debuts in the game

·         Inactive players for the Texans were G Antoine Caldwell, CB Roc Carmichael, ILB Cameron Collins, T Andrew Gardner, NT Terrell McClain, CB Stanford Routt and G Cody White.

·         Captains for the Texans were WR Andre Johnson, FS Shiloh Keo, C Chris Myers, QB Matt Schaub, DE Antonio Smith and DE J.J. Watt. Schaub, Johnson and Smith went to midfield for the pregame coin toss.

·         The Texans won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.