The Titans Secret Weapon?
The Houston Texans playoff hopes might have been squashed last night after another heartbreaking loss. Kicker Kris Brown miss another game tying field goal that would have sent the Texans into overtime, this time he was in his own house when he choked. The Titans got a few favorable calls on the last drive of the game, including a phantom horse-collar call that turned a loss on the play into a 15 yard first down. Overall I think it came down to the Texans not being able to stop VY, but the refs did make a few bad calls that might have given the Titans a small edge. Either way, this video will piss off any Texans fan.
Category : Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans
Texans to the Playoffs?
The Houston Texans are one of the up and comers in the NFL this year. Defined by a high flying offense led by Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson, this team has the potential to outscore most teams on the journey to their first ever playoff in their brief existence (2002). The AFC is highly competitive this season, with many strong teams boasting better records than the 5-4 Texans, but at this point the Texans have what it takes to battle their way into one of six AFC playoff positions by continuing to win football games.
One can’t say enough about the 2009 Houston Texans. They are performing at a very high standard as we all saw last week when they nearly defeated the undefeated Colts. Matt Schaub is leading the league in passing yardage this season (2,653) and is tied with Drew Brees for the lead in touchdowns thrown (17). Andre Johnson is up to his usual leading the league in reception yards with 800, and throw in a duo of more than talented running backs in Steve Slaton and Ryan Moats who have been proving that they too can shoulder the load.
Now the playoff crunch is on. Every win or loss is crucial if the Texans want to solidify a spot. So will they make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history? Or will it just be another let down for the fans in Houston? The answer is not too far away.
In the remaining 7 games the Texans seem likely to pull off a minimum of three wins:
@ Jacksonville, vs. Seattle, and vs. St.Louis. They also face some tough sledding this winter: vs. Tennessee (who is not so terrible with VY at the helm), vs. Indianapolis, @ Miami, and vs. New England. Doing some quick math, if the Texans win their three “gimme’s”, and are able to split the difficult games, they will go 5-2, leaving them with a final record of 10-6 which may just squeak them into the wildcard position within this highly competitive division. These projections may be optimistic. Based on the Texans current success, the Texans should be battling with the Chargers (5-3), the Ravens (4-4), and the Jets (4-4) for that coveted wildcard spot.
Sticking my neck out, I am going to have to pre-eminently congratulate Houston, as I have to predict that the Texans are going to make it into this year’s playoff. I see the AFC shaping out seeded as so: 1.Colts, 2.Patriots, 3.Steelers, 4.Bengals, 5.Broncos, 6.Texans. The Chargers will be battling with the Texans for this last wildcard spot, but a weaker schedule falls into the hands of the Texans, and hence it looks like they will finally be feeling the sweet caress of the NFL playoffs.
NFL Preview – Is This The Year For The Texans Breakout?
There is a lot of optimism buzzing around Reliant Stadium in Houston but there is also a lot of pressure. Both head coach Gary Kubiak and quarterback Matt Schaub know that if they can’t put everything together, then they could both be looking for work elsewhere in 2010.
With the glass-half-full approach, the Texans have one of the most explosive offenses in the league and a solid young defense that is developing. With the glass-half-empty approach, the Texans have been injury-prone and haven’t performed well under pressure. The NFL odds makers are cautiously optimistic that it’s the former.
The good news for fantasy players is that the Texans are loaded with fantasy football riches and whether they win or not in real life, you’ll want to pay close attention to many of their players as draft day approaches.
Offseason Transactions
The Houston Texans had a relatively quiet offseason as far as transactions go, which is a good thing.
The Texans roster is talented but and it just needed some supplements.
First-round pick Brian Cushing is going to solidify an up-and-coming linebacking corps whilethe signing of defensive end Antonio Smith might cost the Texans more than they would like, at least he brings some needed experience.
Team Needs: Houston Texans
Gridiron Experts is randomly picking NFL teams to evaluate their off-season acquisitions. We are predicting their game plan heading into the NFL Draft, using last year’s stats as a guide for improvement.
The Houston Texans were supposed to make their playoff debut in 2008. The team had made huge strides in the last few seasons, establishing an identity as a young, talented team that no one should take lightly. Unfortunately the season started off on the wrong foot, after a loss to the Steelers, and hurricane Ike hitting Reliant Stadium hard, the Texans were 0-4 before they could blink. Despite the bad start, the Texans finished the season 8-8, winning 5 of their last 6 games, an accomplishment that Houston should use as motivation.
Free agency was short and sweet for the Texans, signing DE Antonio Smith to a 5 year $35 million dollar deal. The Texans
now have an excellent compliment to Mario Williams, and should create hell for opposing quarterbacks. As of now the Texans haven’t locked up their franchise player Dunta Robinson, or restricted player Owen Daniels, but deals are in the works.
Last season the Texans offense ranked high in many categories, including total passing yards per game. Their defense was banged up all season, resulting in many rookies stepping up into starting roles. With the addition of Antonio Smith, and with Dunta Robinson back healthy, the Texans defense should be able to bail out their offense more often, avoiding the countless shootouts they had in ‘08. Gridiron Experts can see Houston adding another corner or safety in the first round, but the addition of a power running back might be the missing link to help grind out games in the second half. At pick 15, the Texans are in a perfect position to sit and wait. With CB’s like Malcolm Jenkins or Vonte Davis falling to them, draft day might be an easy one for the Texans. Although Ohio State’s RB Chris “Beanie” Wells should also be on the board at 15, and seeing how RB Ahman Green was a bust, the sexy pick might be temping. The Texans still have running back Steve Slaton, but there’s no proof he can handle a seasons worth of carries. If any one of these three players are waiting there at 15th overall, the Texans should come away laughing.
