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Houston Wins in Oakland, 24-17, But Injury Strikes Again
11/4/07
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Monday, November 5, 2007
3:49:00 AM MST
The Houston Texans responded after a 35-10 loss last week at the hands of the Chargers, never trailing in their win over Oakland, 24-17. If only the story could stop there.
X-Rays after the game revealed Pro Bowl cornerback Dunta Robinson, who has quietly held the Houston secondary together the past three years, sustained a slight ACL tear in Sunday's game, and will miss the remainder of the 2007 season.
Can't overestimate the effect Dunta's had on the Houston defense since he was drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2004 draft, and you can't underestimate how hard up Houston's defensive backs will be having lost him. DeMarcus Faggins and fourth-round rookie Fred Bennett will now be the starting corners, neither of whom will worry any opposing offensive coordinators this year. Houston will be very suspectible to the pass for the rest of the year.
That bad news aside, Houston did get their fourth win of 2007 and 10th with Gary Kubiak as head coach, beating Oakland 24-17. Houston improves to 4-5 on the year, while Oakland skids to 2-6.
Houston's first half was nothing short of a clinic on how to take control of a game. They ran the ball effectively with different personnel in the backfield, kept the offense on the field to get the defense long breaks between action, and finished drives with points. Defensively, the Texans came up with two interceptions and contained the Oakland rushing attack, which has been their best strength. All in all, it equated to a 17-0 lead at halftime. And in the second half.. well, they managed not to give the game away.
Oakland made a solid effort to get back in the game in the second half, twice trimming Houston's lead to seven. And while Oakland did run the ball with success in the second half, their inability to move the ball through the air forced them to use too much of the clock as they tried to pull off the comeback.
How can you complain about a win your backups at QB, RB, and WR got for you? Sage Rosenfels continued to show that the Texans can win without Matt Schaub if need be. He completed 11 of his 18 attempts for 181 yards, a TD and a pick, but the steadying presence he gave Houston went beyond the box score. He avoided mistakes that could have put blood in the water, and hit the big play when the game was on the line, connecting with Andre' Davis for the score that put Houston up 24-10 in the fourth quarter. Ron Dayne dusted his cleats off in the second quarter and ended up cranking out 122 yards on the ground, along with a TD. The receivers didn't do much, Ahman Green's 53-yard catch on Houston's first drive turned out to be enough to lead all Houston players in receiving yards, but Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter combined for seven catches, and didn't drop passes that could keep the Houston offense on the field.
And now, we rest, a full 14 days between games. And after that? Games against New Orleans, Cleveland Tampa Bay.. the schedule does not get easier. Houston will have to come out of the bye singularly focused and determined to get a win streak going against the Saints, who have been punching teams in the mouth of late while putting themselves back in the NFC South division race. But at least it's on Houston soil.
Until then, you wild and crazy readers, I say farewell. Well, probably not that long, but at least until the next entry. And that's my final offer.
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3:49:00 AM MST
Houston Wins in Oakland, 24-17, But Injury Strikes Again
X-Rays after the game revealed Pro Bowl cornerback Dunta Robinson, who has quietly held the Houston secondary together the past three years, sustained a slight ACL tear in Sunday's game, and will miss the remainder of the 2007 season.
Can't overestimate the effect Dunta's had on the Houston defense since he was drafted with the 10th overall pick in the 2004 draft, and you can't underestimate how hard up Houston's defensive backs will be having lost him. DeMarcus Faggins and fourth-round rookie Fred Bennett will now be the starting corners, neither of whom will worry any opposing offensive coordinators this year. Houston will be very suspectible to the pass for the rest of the year.
That bad news aside, Houston did get their fourth win of 2007 and 10th with Gary Kubiak as head coach, beating Oakland 24-17. Houston improves to 4-5 on the year, while Oakland skids to 2-6.
Houston's first half was nothing short of a clinic on how to take control of a game. They ran the ball effectively with different personnel in the backfield, kept the offense on the field to get the defense long breaks between action, and finished drives with points. Defensively, the Texans came up with two interceptions and contained the Oakland rushing attack, which has been their best strength. All in all, it equated to a 17-0 lead at halftime. And in the second half.. well, they managed not to give the game away.
Oakland made a solid effort to get back in the game in the second half, twice trimming Houston's lead to seven. And while Oakland did run the ball with success in the second half, their inability to move the ball through the air forced them to use too much of the clock as they tried to pull off the comeback.
How can you complain about a win your backups at QB, RB, and WR got for you? Sage Rosenfels continued to show that the Texans can win without Matt Schaub if need be. He completed 11 of his 18 attempts for 181 yards, a TD and a pick, but the steadying presence he gave Houston went beyond the box score. He avoided mistakes that could have put blood in the water, and hit the big play when the game was on the line, connecting with Andre' Davis for the score that put Houston up 24-10 in the fourth quarter. Ron Dayne dusted his cleats off in the second quarter and ended up cranking out 122 yards on the ground, along with a TD. The receivers didn't do much, Ahman Green's 53-yard catch on Houston's first drive turned out to be enough to lead all Houston players in receiving yards, but Owen Daniels and Kevin Walter combined for seven catches, and didn't drop passes that could keep the Houston offense on the field.
And now, we rest, a full 14 days between games. And after that? Games against New Orleans, Cleveland Tampa Bay.. the schedule does not get easier. Houston will have to come out of the bye singularly focused and determined to get a win streak going against the Saints, who have been punching teams in the mouth of late while putting themselves back in the NFC South division race. But at least it's on Houston soil.
Until then, you wild and crazy readers, I say farewell. Well, probably not that long, but at least until the next entry. And that's my final offer.
Written by carrtexans13 Blog about this entry |
Add to del.icio.us | digg this
