Archives
October 2007
Sunday, October 28, 2007
12:54:00 AM MDT
Two weeks ago, the Texans were heading into a pair of pivotal divisional games that would determine the pecking order of the AFC South for weeks to come, and were doing so with victory fresh in their minds, having staved off the Miami Dolphins at home on the strength of Kris Brown's clutch, gimpy boot. At 3-2, Houston was in a great position to make a decisive statement that they'd arrived as a major player in the ultra-tough AFC play-off picture.
Cut to the present: after going into the fourth quarter of the Jacksonville game trailing by only seven points, the Texans lost their grip on Maurice Jones-Drew, and the Jaguars put the game away with ease, 37-17. Houston followed that up by waiting until the fourth quarter to show up against the Titans, roaring back from a 32-7 deficit to take a 36-35 lead before Rob Bironas kicked his now-infamous eighth field goal of the game to give Tennessee the win. While it's my opinion Houston could have definitely won both of these games and been perched at 5-2 going into this game with the resurgent Chargers, who had been declared dead by the public after their loss at the hands of the Chiefs in Week 4, losses all look the same in the standings, and now, Houston has one last must-win on their plate before the season begins to slip away.
What's more, the Chargers are coming off their bye week, so they've been preparing for this game for two weeks, and it's just as crucial to their postseason aspirations as it is to Houston's. And if this must-win wasn't daunting enough, the Texans will definitely be without Andre Johnson for a sixth consecutive game, and may be without Matt Schaub, who is shuffling injuries in a Steve McNair-ish manner at the moment. Many in the know are beginning to murmur that Sage Rosenfels isn't even a downgrade, but I disagree. Schaub has played well enough even without his best receiver, and Rosenfels is older and much less mobile. But that's another argument for another time.
The strategy here shouldn't be too tough for anyone to grasp: Stop LT and you can win. Let him run wild, and things will get ugly in a hurry. Mr. Tomlinson followed up his record-obliterating 2006 season with a slow start to 2007, but has been heating up of late, and now with a bye week to rest up, he'll be at the top of his game. Houston's defense against the run was stellar to start the year, but they have allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of their last three games, and appear likely to see that streak continue in San Diego.
While opponents' running games have begun to get going, Houston's has sputtered badly in recent weeks, with the rushing attack ranking 31st in the NFL. Part of this can be credited (or debited) to the fact that Ahman Green has been banged up since the Indianapolis, along with the fact that he's just kinda old. Whatever the reason, the running game isn't likely to improve this weekend against San Diego's sixth-ranked run defense. However, Houston's 10th-ranked passing game should continue to find success against the Chargers 25th-ranked pass defense. Look for Schaub/Rosenfels (Schaubenfels?) to take to the air just as frequently as they have all year in this game and end up in the 250-325 yard range.
I desperately want Houston to win this game, it would be great to see them level their record before a hospitable stretch of games (@ Oakland, New Orleans, @ Cleveland), but I think San Diego has too much confidence, too much to play for, and too much LaDainian Tomlinson. I can't let the homer in me call this one: Houston 23, San Diego 36. Sorry guys.
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12:54:00 AM MDT
Texans Try and Stop the Bleeding in San Diego
Cut to the present: after going into the fourth quarter of the Jacksonville game trailing by only seven points, the Texans lost their grip on Maurice Jones-Drew, and the Jaguars put the game away with ease, 37-17. Houston followed that up by waiting until the fourth quarter to show up against the Titans, roaring back from a 32-7 deficit to take a 36-35 lead before Rob Bironas kicked his now-infamous eighth field goal of the game to give Tennessee the win. While it's my opinion Houston could have definitely won both of these games and been perched at 5-2 going into this game with the resurgent Chargers, who had been declared dead by the public after their loss at the hands of the Chiefs in Week 4, losses all look the same in the standings, and now, Houston has one last must-win on their plate before the season begins to slip away.
What's more, the Chargers are coming off their bye week, so they've been preparing for this game for two weeks, and it's just as crucial to their postseason aspirations as it is to Houston's. And if this must-win wasn't daunting enough, the Texans will definitely be without Andre Johnson for a sixth consecutive game, and may be without Matt Schaub, who is shuffling injuries in a Steve McNair-ish manner at the moment. Many in the know are beginning to murmur that Sage Rosenfels isn't even a downgrade, but I disagree. Schaub has played well enough even without his best receiver, and Rosenfels is older and much less mobile. But that's another argument for another time.
The strategy here shouldn't be too tough for anyone to grasp: Stop LT and you can win. Let him run wild, and things will get ugly in a hurry. Mr. Tomlinson followed up his record-obliterating 2006 season with a slow start to 2007, but has been heating up of late, and now with a bye week to rest up, he'll be at the top of his game. Houston's defense against the run was stellar to start the year, but they have allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of their last three games, and appear likely to see that streak continue in San Diego.
While opponents' running games have begun to get going, Houston's has sputtered badly in recent weeks, with the rushing attack ranking 31st in the NFL. Part of this can be credited (or debited) to the fact that Ahman Green has been banged up since the Indianapolis, along with the fact that he's just kinda old. Whatever the reason, the running game isn't likely to improve this weekend against San Diego's sixth-ranked run defense. However, Houston's 10th-ranked passing game should continue to find success against the Chargers 25th-ranked pass defense. Look for Schaub/Rosenfels (Schaubenfels?) to take to the air just as frequently as they have all year in this game and end up in the 250-325 yard range.
I desperately want Houston to win this game, it would be great to see them level their record before a hospitable stretch of games (@ Oakland, New Orleans, @ Cleveland), but I think San Diego has too much confidence, too much to play for, and too much LaDainian Tomlinson. I can't let the homer in me call this one: Houston 23, San Diego 36. Sorry guys.
Written by carrtexans13 Blog about this entry |
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