November 26, 2012
Tired Texans Try for Top Seed
by Bob Hulsey

After a grueling stretch that saw the Texans survive ten quarters of football in five days, the 10-1 conference leaders now move through the home stretch of December. With the goals of wrapping up the AFC South title for the second year in a row, the team also seeks to claim the top seed in the AFC playoffs for January which would clinch home field advantage up through the conference title game, the final step before Super Bowl XLVII in nearby New Orleans.

Going 4-0 in November gave the Texans no breathing room at all against the other top seeds as Baltimore (9-2), New England (8-3) and Denver (8-3) also cruised through the month undefeated, yet each saw injuries that could impact the final standings.

For Houston, their defense lost OLB Brooks Reed to a groin strain against Detroit that will likely hold him out until the playoffs. Other defenders like top CB Jonathan Joseph, DT Shaun Cody and ILBs Bradie James and Tim Dobbins are nursing injuries that could take time to heal.

It's really no surprise Wade Phillips' defense suffered some wounds after a brutal rainy night game in Chicago followed by physical overtime duels with a determined Jacksonville squad and a Turkey Day tussle with the Lions in Detroit. What had been such a stingy defense was singed for 68 points over the five-day stretch, leaving some to question if the keys had been found to exploiting Phillips' schemes.

Yes, those keys are called Justin Blackmon and Calvin Johnson.

But a huge helping of Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and some fortunate officiating allowed the Texans to eke out wins over both Blackmon and Johnson late in overtime after trailing much of the game. Fans of the old Oilers should understand that Houston isn't used to winning the close ones when the air turns cold. It's a testament to Gary Kubiak's charges that they didn't quit and found a way to win. That is what champion teams do.

The final stretch doesn't get any easier. A road trip to Tennessee is always dicey, and a Monday Nighter in New England should be a cold reminder to the Texans why they want home field advantage. Those games will be followed by a home-and-home against stubborn Indianapolis sandwiched around a home tilt against Adrian Peterson and the Minnesota Vikings.

The Texans have never won in Indianapolis yet most thought this would be their year as rookie quarterback Andrew Luck took his lumps in the NFL. Luck, however, has the Colts in contention for a wild card berth and will be hungry to seal an improbable worst-to-first season. Houston owns a three-game division lead and will need to exorcise some old demons to repeat as division titlists.

The Patriots and Vikings, too, have playoff hopes so there won't be any breathers over the final four weeks.

While Schaub is getting national attention for a holiday hit in the jewels from Ndamukong Suh, he has ramped up the passing game with 527- and 315-yard performances, the most ever by a quarterback in consecutive weeks in league history.

Andre Johnson has been the main weapon with 461 of those receiving yards, his announcement he is ready to take over in the final weeks. Tight end Owen Daniels is returning from back injuries while his backup, Garrett Graham, is coming forward as a short pass weapon.

Let's not forget RB Arian Foster continues to chug along with relief aid from Justin Forsett, who has been an immense help while Ben Tate sits out with a nagging hamstring injury.

While the left side of the offensive line has remained stable, the right side has had to juggle assignments due to injuries and ineffectiveness. Some combination will need to step up for the stretch run.

J.J. Watt continues to amaze along the defensive line with 14.5 sacks on the year despite more double-team efforts to slow him down. Antonio Smith has also played well along the line, but the pass rush will need for Connor Barwin and first-rounder Whitney Mercilus to apply more pressure outside.

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