Just when you think you have an idea of where the Texans are headed, they surprise you. They don’t haul off and have a franchise-best record in the face of injuries and an under-rated offense.
No, the Texans always seem to go in the opposite direction of expectations, as they did Sunday when the Baltimore Ravens cruised to an effortless 41-13 victory over Houston in Week 10.
For a season that was promising after coming off a franchise-first .500 record, the Texans (3-6) have suffered a major setback heading into Week 11 of a less-than-promising 2008 season.
Rosenfels falls through
After dropping their first four games of the 2008 campaign, the Texans seemed to begin a downward spiral with Houston looking up from the bottom of the division ladder while dealing with quarterback controversy.
Those issues would come to a screeching halt when the Texans pulled off three consecutive wins against Miami, Detroit and Cincinnati to come within one game of .500 and sat in second place in the AFC South with Indianapolis and Jacksonville. Momentum seemed to follow the Houston team as opposed to running from it.
Heading into Minnesota in Week 9, the Texans fought to stretch the streak to four, but came up short in a game in which momentum began to fade for head coach Gary Kubiak and his squad.
The injury to starting quarterback Matt Schaub proved daunting, as the Texans lost the captain who helped lead the team to a 3-1 home record this year. When backup Sage Rosenfels ran in from the sidelines, many saw it as his chance to prove his argument to be a starter.
Despite the loss against the Minnesota Vikings, hopes were high heading back to Houston with the home-field advantage at Reliant Stadium – that is, until kickoff Sunday.
The hope and enthusiasm of 70,522 screaming fans was shattered as they watched their team implode – Rosenfels tried to break the record for most interceptions in a quarter, while on defense the secondary was as effective as the cheerleaders.
Combine those efforts with penalties on both sides of the ball at the most inopportune times and you have one of the ugliest losses ever handed to the Texans.
Rosenfels completed 28-of-38 passes, hitting Houston receivers for 294 yards in his second start of the season. Unfortunately for Rosenfels, he connected with Raven defenders just as often and with equal success, at least in Baltimore’s eyes.
The struggling quarterback was picked off four times in Sunday’s game, including a batted-ball interception that occurred inside the end zone in the first quarter, in what quickly become a nightmare for Texan fans and players.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse, Rosenfels heaved the ball down the field, hitting a purple jersey right between the numbers, again in the third quarter and two more times in the fourth.
But don’t worry, No. 18 fans, Kubiak kept him in for you.
The offensive line could be to blame for some of Rosenfels’ downfall, but the unit continues to get better. When you’re left standing as your pass hits an open defender in the chest, the greatest O-line in the world couldn’t save you.
The defensive secondary looked like Swiss cheese, allowing receivers to break through open holes for points. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was quick to exploit the passive defenders, hurling a 43-yard pass down field to wide-open receiver Yamon Figurs on third and long in the first quarter for a touchdown on his way to 185 yards on 15-of-23 passing and two touchdowns.
Too little, too late
The positives of this Houston team remain positives, even after Week 10’s disaster.
Houston’s receiving core is solid, given that a halfway-decent quarterback stands behind center. The running back tandem of Ahman Green and Steve Slaton has proven effective even against a talented Raven defense, minus the effects of a holding call that snatched a 58-yard touchdown run from Slaton.
The defensive lines have been solid all year, holding most teams to minimal yards on the ground despite miscues from the secondary. But in the end, Houston’s pros are outweighed by its cons.
The lack of leadership at quarterback, and perhaps head coach, remains constant for the franchise. A secondary picked on by opposing quarterbacks has haunted the Texans over the last few seasons and has been one of the biggest culprits for losing team momentum.
That momentum slipped through the fingers of the Texans once more, and with such gusto that it’s hard seeing a team come back from such a tragedy this late in the season.
What looked promising two weeks ago has been erased, anda surge to get back to or above .500 before season’s end looks bleak as Houston continues its uphill battle against the Colts in Indianapolis next week.
