What About Schaub?

There's a few ways I could dress up the story of Houston's season, right about now. Yes, they did start with a bang, spanking the first-place Chiefs 20-3 (never forget the Mario Rumble!), followed by the 34-21 win in Carolina that Texans' fans have been hanging their bragging hat on ever since. Then, of course, the injury bug bit, and I could easily wax on about the six-game absence of Andre Johnson and flickering presences of Matt Schaub, DeMeco Ryans, and Ahman Green being the reason Houston's lost five of six, the most recent of which was a 35-10 tar-whooping at the hands of the Chargers (turns out they're still really good). I'm certainly tempted to.

Regretfully, that wouldn't change anything, except maybe my reputation as a whiner. The Texans team is 3-5 no matter what anyone says to justify their swift descent to the cellar of the AFC South. Tennessee, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis sure don't care, all of whom won last week, deepening the hole Houston's dug for themselves just a little more.

So with the football world seemingly closing in on the Houston Texans, a trip to Oakland just might be the thing to right the ship -- if only for a week.

Oakland, like Houston, has had a small handful of pleasant surprises this year. Their run game has been a major plus, and cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha leads one of the NFL's better pass defenses. Also like Houston, injuries have tempered their offense, with Josh McCown having missed several games with a foot injury, and running back LaMont Jordan slowed by the back problems that have haunted him for years. Daunte Culpepper has been the fill-in at QB, but has been adequate at best, which is why Josh McCown should be welcomed back as the starter for this game with open arms. Ronald Curry enjoyed a 10-catch, 133-yard receiving day in Week 1 with McCown at the helm, success their passing game hasn't been able to duplicate with Culpepper.

Oakland is 2-5, though, and with good reason(s). Their run defense, reliable last year, has been a major liability this year, as they're coughing up nearly 150 yards a game on the ground. Houston has struggled to establish the run game this year, so hopefully they commit to the run on offense early. Attacking Oakland in the air is a much tougher proposition, and with Sage Rosenfels making his first start of the year, I don't want to see him throw it more than 20 times. Ahman Green will play tomorrow, albeit sparingly, and between him,Ron Dayne, and former Raider Adimchinobe Echemandu (didn't even have to check the spelling!), Houston will find room running the ball if they make the effort.

On defense, it's simple. Oakland has been a run-heavy team all year, and were even more with Culpepper at QB. McCown will throw it, especially with Houston's secondary below league-average against the pass, but the battle will be won on the ground. Houston's run defense has been gashed by Maurice Jones-Drew, LenDale White, and a guy named LaDainian Tomlinson of late, and they get another tough test with Oakland. If they can stop LaMont Jordan and Justin Fargas the way Tennessee did last week, Houston will control this game.

There's no dressing this up, now; this is the season. The Texans have winnable games at home for New Orleans and in Cleveland after this, but it all starts here. The season's on life support right now, and even that might be generous, but if Houston can't win this game, that's it, it will be time to start looking toward next year already. And honestly, if Houston can't beat Oakland, they don't deserve to indulge such distant fantasies as the play-offs, because play-off teams beat 2-5 teams, period. I'm not sure Houston will. But.. I feel just confident enough to predict it. My pick: Houston, 23-17.

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