What a difference a year makes.

A season ago the Texans were the joke around the state. A loss
to the Cowboys, a horrible second half of the season and a big step
back in terms of wins.

This year, though, the Texans have to be the pride of Texas.

Sure, they lost three consecutive games heading into this
Saturday’s wildcard playoff matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
And maybe the quarterback position is about as steady as a house of
cards in an earthquake.

But the Texans have to like their chances in the franchise’s
first ever playoff game regardless.

The Texans have what every good playoff team needs – a tough run
game and a steady defense. If those two aspects of their game can
step up, then there rookie quarterback T.J. Yates can simply steer
the bus to a victory.

Sounds easy right?

Yates should have some added confidence, too. Remember, the
Texans last win came against these same Bengals nearly a month ago
– a game that Yates drove the offense down the field in the last
minute before finding Kevin Walter for the go ahead touchdown.

Thanks to the great start, the Texans get the added boost that
is home field advantage. Houston fans have been waiting for 18
years for a playoff game – expect them to be loud and proud.
There’s a reason why the Reliant Stadium atmosphere is consistently
ranked near the top in the NFL.

It’s hard to imagine Saturday’s game being any sort of cakewalk,
but the Texans will and should be the favorites heading into it.
Let’s just hope they show more fight than what the Cowboys did in
their elimination game with the New York Giants on Sunday
night.

The Cowboys’ performance only adds to the lure of the failures
of Jerry Jones, Tony Romo and a largely overrated team.

It’s hard to imagine a team can’t get up for a game as big as
the Dallas’ on Sunday. Their season on the line and the Cowboys
didn’t even get off the bus.

Then again, it happened to them before. See the 44-6 whooping
that the Philadelphia Eagles put on the hapless Cowboys in
2008.

That being said, the whole state should be behind the Texans as
they enter the playoffs. Not that it will help much being that most
will be in front of their TV sets instead of in the stadium, but it
has to count for something.

While the Texans could very well come out on bottom of a dog
fight on Sunday – though I doubt that will be the case – this
season will forever go down as on of the most memorable in the
team’s history.

Regardless of what happens, at least the Texans aren’t the
Cowboys.

Keith MacPherson is the Sports Editor of The Courier. He can be
reached at kmacpherson@hcnonline.com or follow him on Twitter
@ConroeSports

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What do you guys think about this.

For two seasons, the Houston Texans have been the NFL’s
hottest tease.

Twice hyped out of training camp as a legitimate up-and-comer, head coach Gary
Kubiak’s team has broken from the gate fast to prolong the prognosticator’s
zeal before, only to stumble badly in the second half en route to maddening
also-ran status.

But this year, thanks to a perfect storm of divisional mediocrity behind them,
it appears the Texans are finally ready to crack the playoff code.

Owners of a 1 1/2-game lead over second-place Tennessee in the AFC South and
already 3-0 against fellow division inhabitants this season, Houston enters its
final pre-bye test against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday at Raymond James
Stadium feeling deservedly good about itself — albeit with just the right
amount of caution.

“We’re sitting where we want to be, first in the division, 6-3,” Kubiak said.
“But as everyone knows, things can go downhill fast in this league, so we have
to remain focused. We’re controlling the football and the clock, so we’re doing
a good job of keeping [opponents] off the field. They’re only going to get
tougher as we move forward.

“We’ve got enough guys around here that have been through enough tough times to
know how hard they’ve worked for this opportunity that they’re fixing to go
into here over the course of the next seven weeks.”

Previously a pass-happy outfit with the tandem of quarterback Matt Schaub and
wide receiver Andre Johnson, the Texans have taken giant leaps toward changing
their identity in 2011, boasting the league’s second-ranked rushing offense and
a defense that’s allowed the fewest total yards en route to the best record
after nine games in franchise history.

Armed with running backs Arian Foster (656 rushing yards) and Ben Tate (623),
the Texans average 155.1 yards per game on the ground, while the defense
surrenders 274 yards and 17.4 points per game.

“I tell you guys [the media] all the time, [the goal] is hopefully get a team
that’s good enough when you show up on Sunday that you can win three different
ways,” Kubiak said. “Right now, I think we’re heading very much towards that. I
think we feel like we can play defense with anybody in the league and we feel
like we can move the ball with anybody in the league.”

Houston won its third straight by routing Cleveland, 30-12, last week with 124
rushing yards from Foster and 115 more from Tate, establishing a franchise-
record 261 rushing yards in the process. Foster has rushed for at least 112
yards in three straight games and gone over 100 from scrimmage in his last six
contests, the longest streak in the league.

The Texans are 4-0 when giving up fewer than 90 rushing yards. They allowed
just 44 to the Browns.

Tampa Bay, meanwhile, is 0-4 when gaining fewer than 100 yards on the ground.
Buccaneers running back LeGarrette Blount has averaged 100 rushing yards and
5.6 yards per carry over his last six home games, but the team has only eight
touchdowns in 22 red-zone opportunities this season.

The Bucs trail New Orleans by 1 1/2 games in the NFC South after dropping a
27-16 decision to the Saints last Sunday.

“It’s hard to win in this division when you’re not scoring touchdowns,” Tampa
Bay quarterback Josh Freeman said. “It’s just taking advantage of the
opportunities. Everything in the red zone is more condensed. It’s got to happen
faster and we just haven’t been making plays.”

Defensively, Tampa Bay made a big move on Wednesday, claiming lineman Albert
Haynesworth off waivers a day after he was released by New England. The
Buccaneers lost defensive tackle Gerald McCoy for the season with a torn right
biceps he sustained in last week’s defeat.

Johnson has missed Houston’s last five games with a right hamstring injury and
is questionable to return for Sunday’s contest.

SERIES HISTORY

The Buccaneers and Texans have split two previous regular-season meetings, with
Tampa Bay recording a 16-3 victory in Houston’s only prior visit to Raymond
James Stadium back in 2003. The Texans topped the Bucs by a 28-14 count in
Houston during the 2007 campaign.

Houston’s above-mentioned win in 2007 gave Kubiak a 1-0 lifetime record against
Tampa Bay as a head coach, while the Buccaneers’ Raheem Morris will be taking
on both the Texans and Kubiak for the first time as a sideline boss.

WHEN THE TEXANS HAVE THE BALL

In four road games in 2011, Schaub has completed 82-of-128 passes (64.1
percent) for 1,119 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception for a
109.5 rating. He also needs just four touchdown passes to reach 100 for his
career. The Texans had a club-record 261 rushing yards last week and Foster
seeks a fourth consecutive game with 100-plus yards on the ground (115, 112,
124). The standout running back also surpassed Domanick Williams (23
touchdowns) for the most rushing touchdowns in Texans history last week, and is
averaging 106 rushing yards and scored seven touchdowns in his past six
November games. Foster (656 rushing yards) and Tate (623 rushing yards) are the
first running back duo to have 600-plus rushing yards apiece through a team’s
first nine games of a season since Denver’s Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell in
2005. Johnson needs two receptions to reach 700 in the second-fewest games
(120) in NFL history behind only Marvin Harrison (114), but may be held out
another week with Houston having an upcoming bye.

For the Tampa Bay defense, cornerback Ronde Barber has started 191 consecutive
games, the most by a corner in league history. He is also the only player in
NFL history with 25-plus sacks (27) and 40-plus interceptions (42). Defensive
end Adrian Clayborn is tied for second among NFC rookies with three sacks,
while safety Tanard Jackson aims for a third home game in a row with an
interception and rookie middle linebacker Mason Foster has 41 tackles, two
sacks and a forced fumble.

Statistically, the Texans’ offense is sixth in scoring (26.2 ppg), eighth in
total yards (393.6 ypg), 14th in passing yards (238.4 ypg) and second in
rushing (155.1 ypg). On defense, the Buccaneers are lowly in all four
categories, placing 24th in points allowed (24.5 ppg), 29th in total yards
allowed (398.9 ypg), 28th in pass defense (266.5 ypg) and 26th against the run
(132.4 ypg).

WHEN THE BUCCANEERS HAVE THE BALL

Freeman aims for a fourth consecutive win at Raymond James Stadium. Last week,
he completed 27-of-37 passes (73 percent) for 281 yards and a touchdown and a
103.5 rating. When Blount has 18 or more carries, the Buccaneers are 7-1, and
in those eight games he has rushed for 834 yards (104.3 per game) and five
touchdowns. In his past six home games with 15 or more carries, Blount has 676
yards (112.7 per game) and four touchdowns. Wide receiver Mike Williams
averages 4.9 catches per home game in his career (13 games, 64 catches), while
tight end Kellen Winslow had a touchdown last week and has a catch in 84
straight games. He has 10 or more catches in two of three career games against
Houston as well, compiling 21 receptions for 200 yards and a touchdown over
those two contests. Wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe aims for a fourth game in a
row with a 20-plus yard catch this week.

Houston rookie linebacker Brooks Reed had a career-best two sacks last week and
aims for a fourth consecutive game with a sack. Eighth-year end Antonio Smith
has 16 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble on the season, while free
safety Danieal Manning has 32 tackles and two interceptions in his first season
with Houston. The free-agent acquisition won’t play this week due to a
fractured tibia, however.

By the numbers, Tampa Bay is 24th in scoring offense (18.4 ppg), 15th in total
yards (343.5 ypg), 11th in passing yards (245.4 ypg) and 24th in rushing yards
(98.1 ypg). Houston’s defense is third in points allowed (17.4 ppg), first in
total yards allowed (274.0 ypg), second against the pass (182.6 ypg) and fourth
against the run (91.4 ypg).

KEYS TO THE GAME

Unfortunately for the Bucs, it seems their main weaknesses — running the ball
and scoring points — play right into the hands of a top-four team in both of
those categories league-wide.

With Johnson either unavailable or not at 100 percent, the Texans will lean
even harder on the two-headed running monster of Foster and Tate, who’ve taken
the pressure off a happy-to-oblige Schaub. The Buccaneers are going to have to
keep the pair in check to have a chance this week.

As mentioned earlier, it’s another litmus test — a game on the road against a
credible foe — for a Houston team that’s a would-be playoff contender and has
never really won a status-clinching late-season game. The Texans still need to
show they’re up to the task.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

The Bucs have a way of winning these kinds of games. Get them at home and match
them with an opponent seemingly content to play down a level or two, and it’s
often spelled an unlikely victory for opponents of Tampa Bay in the past.
However, if you’re a believer in the Texans’ renaissance, you have to believe
they’ll find a way here over a foe that’s superior in no other way but home
turf.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texans 27, Buccaneers 14

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Comment Below!.

Maybe this time, the Houston Texans will still be there in
the end.

Similar to the last two seasons in which they’ve started 5-3 and 4-2,
respectively, the Texans are piquing the interest of NFL prognosticators once
again in 2011 with a 5-3 break from the gate.

Unlike 2009 and 2010, however, it seems the planets are aligning for them to
finish the race this time.

Because unlike those two years, the competition alongside Houston, which
entertains AFC North representative Cleveland Sunday at Reliant Stadium, in the
AFC South doesn’t seem up to par as before. That is, unless Peyton Manning
rises from the walking dead in Indianapolis.

Short of that miracle, the Texans reached the halfway point last week with a
half-game lead over the second-place Tennessee Titans, with Jacksonville
languishing on another lower floor at two games ahead of the winless Colts and
their Curtis Painter-led race to the draft board.

Houston has defeated its three divisional opponents by a combined 99-28 score,
following a 41-7 win at Tennessee on Oct. 23 with last Sunday’s 24-14 victory
over the Jaguars. The Texans are also 3-1 at home this season.

“We can control our fate, and that’s the way we want it,” Houston owner Bob
McNair said after his team improved to 3-0 in divisional play for the first
time. “I think the guys understand where they are and I think they really
stepped up [last week].”

The renewed uptick warrants credit for first-year defensive coordinator Wade
Phillips, whose team is third in the league in total yards allowed, fifth in
both scoring defense and against the pass and tied for ninth in sacks.

The Texans were 30th in the NFL after allowing 376.9 yards per game in 2010.

Houston allowed just 174 yards to Jacksonville, the first time in franchise
history in which two straight foes were kept below the 200-yard mark.

“I do have a ton of confidence right now in the way we’re playing defensively,?
Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said. “I know there are some statistics as far as
points and yards, the last two or three weeks, that are off the charts. We’re
playing very well.”

Cleveland has also distinguished itself on the defensive side, allowing just 20
points and 299.1 total yards per game in spite of a 3-4 record that’s still
dead last in the tough AFC North.

The Browns scored just 46 points while going 1-3 in four October games,
however. A fourth-quarter touchdown pass from Colt McCoy to Joshua Cribbs in
last week’s 20-10 loss at San Francisco was the team?s first end-zone trip in
two games.

“Back home, I hope they don’t go into a frenzy like the world is going to end,”
Cribbs said after the game.

The Cleveland offense has been without running back Peyton Hillis for the past
two games due to a strained left hamstring, and he’s questionable for Sunday’s
contest as well. Backup Montario Hardesty is also on the injured list and is
expected to miss multiple games with a calf tear suffered last week.

In their absence, carries would go to Chris Ogbonnaya, signed off Houston’s
practice squad on Oct. 18, and Thomas Clayton, signed this week after a workout
at the team’s practice facility.

SERIES HISTORY

These teams have split six lifetime meetings, with the Texans evening the
series by virtue of a 16-6 win in Cleveland in 2008. The Browns posted a 27-17
home victory over Houston the previous year but are just 1-2 in their three
prior trips to Reliant Stadium, dropping decisions there in both 2005 (19-16)
and 2006 (14-6). Cleveland’s lone positive result against the Texans in Houston
was a 22-14 triumph in the 2004 season finale.

Kubiak is 2-1 all-time against Cleveland during his tenure with the Texans,
while the Browns’ Pat Shurmur will be opposing both Houston and Kubiak for the
first time as a head coach.

WHEN THE BROWNS HAVE THE BALL

In his past three games on the road, former University of Texas standout McCoy
has completed 65-of-111 passes (58.6 percent) for 667 yards with four
touchdowns, an interception and an 84.2 passer rating. Hillis needs six catches
to reach 100 for his career, while tight end Benjamin Watson needs nine catches
to reach 100 with the Browns. Watson tied his season-best with 64 receiving
yards last week. Rookie wide receiver Greg Little, a second-round pick in this
past draft, ranks second in the NFL among rookies with 29 receptions, trailing
only Cincinnati’s A.J. Green’s 33. Cribbs recorded his second touchdown catch
of the season on a 45-yard reception last week.

Houston’s defense is tied with Baltimore with an AFC-best 19 sacks, and rookie
linebacker and 2011 second-round selection Brooks Reed aims for a third
consecutive game with one. Linebacker Brian Cushing leads the Texans with 54
tackles and posted his first interception of the season last week. End Antonio
Smith has 16 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble in eight games, while
cornerback Jason Allen has 27 tackles and three interceptions.

Statistically, Cleveland is 28th in scoring offense (15.3 ppg), 26th in total
yards (305.7 ypg), 20th in passing yards (218.1 ypg) and 29th in rushing yards
(87.6 ypg). The Texans are fifth in the league in scoring defense (18.1 ppg),
third in total yards allowed (286.8 ypg), fifth in pass defense (189.4 ypg) and
sixth versus the run (97.4 ypg).

WHEN THE TEXANS HAVE THE BALL

In his past three games, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub has four touchdowns, no
interceptions and a 102.1 passer rating. He needs four touchdown passes to
reach 100 for his career. Running back Arian Foster aims for a sixth straight
game with 100 or more yards from scrimmage, following efforts of 166, 184, 101,
234 and 124 yards. He recorded his 12th career 100-yard rushing game and third
of the season last week. Foster has five touchdowns in the past two games (four
rushing, one receiving) as well, and in his past five games in November, is
averaging 102.4 rushing yards per game with six touchdowns on the ground.
Backup running back Ben Tate averages 5.2 yards per carry (97 attempts, 508
yards). Wide receiver Andre Johnson posted 10 catches for 116 yards (11.6
average) in Houston’s most recent matchup with Cleveland back in 2008, but is
uncertain to return this week from a nagging hamstring injury that’s kept him
out of the past four games. If he plays, Johnson needs two catches to reach 700
for his career and would do so in the second-fewest games (120) in NFL history,
trailing only Marvin Harrison (114). Wide receiver Kevin Walter had seven
catches for 93 yards with a touchdown in that 2008 win over the Browns, while
tight end Joel Dreessen aims for a third consecutive game with a touchdown
catch.

On defense, the Browns allow 171.9 passing yards per game, second-fewest in the
NFL behind Pittsburgh’s 171.6. Linebacker D’Qwell Jackson leads the team with
65 tackles and cornerback Joe Haden tops all Cleveland players with 10 passes
defensed. Rookie lineman Phil Taylor, the Browns’ first-round choice in last
April’s draft, has two sacks in his past three games and is tied for third
among AFC rookies with three sacks.

By the numbers, Houston is eighth in scoring offense (25.8 ppg), seventh in
total yards (395.2 ypg), 11th in passing yards (253.4 ypg) and fourth in
rushing yards (141.9 ypg). Cleveland is eighth in scoring defense (20.0 ppg),
fifth in total yards allowed (299.1 ypg) and the aforementioned second overall
in pass defense (171.9 ypg), but ranks just 26th against the run (127.3 ypg).

KEYS TO THE GAME

Should he be healthy enough to go, Houston’s Johnson could be prolific after
posting 10 catches for 116 yards the last time the teams met, though the Browns
have been one of the league’s tougher teams to throw on.

While on the subject of injuries, the banged-up Browns could find an even more
difficult road against the sixth-best rush defense in the league this week.
Replacements Chris Ogbonnaya and Thomas Clayton have a combined career total of
35 rushes for 125 yards, but will need to produce if called upon.

The Texans have traditionally found adversity when beginning the second halves
of recent seasons, as their last win in the ninth game of the season was in
2007. It’s a hump the team must get over both for this week and beyond.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Johnson may be back in the fold. Foster’s on a roll and the Texans’ defense has
held five of eight opponents to 14 points or less. Oh, and they’re playing at
home as well, where they’re 3-1 this year. There weren’t a lot of reasons to
pick against the Texans anyway, but without Hillis at 100 percent for
Cleveland, there’s one less.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Texans 30, Browns 14

©2011 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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By Alfie Crow

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Nov 4, 2011 – The Cleveland Browns bring their struggling offense to Reliant Stadium to take on the Houston Texans. No one seems to think the Browns will be able to score enough points to win the game, however.

Every NFL expert on ESPN.com picked the Houston Texans to win, as did every expert on CBSSports.com.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated doesn’t give the Browns much of a chance, either:

Andre Johnson hurt his hamstring Oct. 2 against Pittsburgh. The team said at the time he’d either be out a few days or three or four weeks. This is the fifth week without Johnson being back to normal, and it looks iffy whether he’ll play. Why is there no panic in the Houston streets? Because the Texans have learned to play well without Johnson. With him starting, they’ve averaged 27 points a game this year; without him starting, they’ve averaged 25.

Houston 27, Cleveland 12

Peter Schrager, like everyone else picks Houston to win but thinks the game will actually be close. Just kidding.

Cleveland at Houston: The Texans are 28-2 under Gary Kubiak when running the ball 30 times in a game, something they did in last week’s win over the Jaguars. They’re also 3-0 in the AFC South for the first time in franchise history and the defense has held opponents to less than 200 total yards in consecutive weekends for the first time ever. It’s tempting to take Colt McCoy in his “homecoming” trip to Houston, but he’s struggled in Pat Shurmur’s short-passing offense of late and there’s just not enough firepower on that offense to keep up with Houston. Everyone in the media tripped all over themselves while praising the Cleveland front office back in April for their draft day trade, but couldn’t this team use Julio Jones?

The pick: Texans 28, Browns 13

For more on the Cleveland Browns, visit SB Nation’s Browns blog Dawgs by Nature. For more on the Houston Texans, visit SB Nation’s Texans blog Battle Red Blog.

Read More: Andre Johnson (WR – HOU), Colt McCoy (QB – CLE), Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans

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What are your opinions.

By Alfie Crow

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Like SBNation.com on Facebook.

Nov 4, 2011 – The Cleveland Browns bring their struggling offense to Reliant Stadium to take on the Houston Texans. No one seems to think the Browns will be able to score enough points to win the game, however.

Every NFL expert on ESPN.com picked the Houston Texans to win, as did every expert on CBSSports.com.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated doesn’t give the Browns much of a chance, either:

Andre Johnson hurt his hamstring Oct. 2 against Pittsburgh. The team said at the time he’d either be out a few days or three or four weeks. This is the fifth week without Johnson being back to normal, and it looks iffy whether he’ll play. Why is there no panic in the Houston streets? Because the Texans have learned to play well without Johnson. With him starting, they’ve averaged 27 points a game this year; without him starting, they’ve averaged 25.

Houston 27, Cleveland 12

Peter Schrager, like everyone else picks Houston to win but thinks the game will actually be close. Just kidding.

Cleveland at Houston: The Texans are 28-2 under Gary Kubiak when running the ball 30 times in a game, something they did in last week’s win over the Jaguars. They’re also 3-0 in the AFC South for the first time in franchise history and the defense has held opponents to less than 200 total yards in consecutive weekends for the first time ever. It’s tempting to take Colt McCoy in his “homecoming” trip to Houston, but he’s struggled in Pat Shurmur’s short-passing offense of late and there’s just not enough firepower on that offense to keep up with Houston. Everyone in the media tripped all over themselves while praising the Cleveland front office back in April for their draft day trade, but couldn’t this team use Julio Jones?

The pick: Texans 28, Browns 13

For more on the Cleveland Browns, visit SB Nation’s Browns blog Dawgs by Nature. For more on the Houston Texans, visit SB Nation’s Texans blog Battle Red Blog.

Read More: Andre Johnson (WR – HOU), Colt McCoy (QB – CLE), Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans

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Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) – The Houston Texans have been a team on the
rise for the past few seasons, but Sunday’s thrashing of the Tennessee Titans
may finally have served as the franchise’s coming out party.

Still in search of their first ever playoff appearances, the young Texans were
a trendy pick to make some noise last year following a 9-7 campaign in 2009.
However, the club stumbled to a 6-10 mark as injury and inconsistent play
plagued the team all season.

If Houston failed to register on the decibel scale in 2010, the recent 41-7
pounding of the Titans may have been its “Helter Skelter.” The Texans recorded
their largest margin of victory in team history and the road win moved them
ahead of the Titans and into first place in the division by a half-game.

“It’s hard going on the road and that was a pretty big game and when you get a
chance to win like that, to grasp it and play the way we played in the second
half, it made me feel good,” said head coach Gary Kubiak.

It’s no surprise that the best win in Texans’ history may have been their most
complete. They outgained the Titans 518-148 and saw both Arian Foster and Ben
Tate run for over 100 yards. Foster, the league’s reigning rushing champion,
added another 119 receiving yards — the bulk of that on a 78-yard touchdown
reception — and found the end zone three times on the day while becoming the
32nd player in NFL history to post 100 yards rushing and receiving in the same
game.

Foster was slowed early on by a nagging hamstring injury, but has totaled 685
yards from scrimmage over his last four games.

“Anytime that you can run the ball, especially in our offense, it opens up the
passing game because a lot of what we do is predicated off of play-action –
anytime that you can run the ball effectively it takes pressure off your
quarterback,” said Foster.

Quarterback Matt Schaub needed the breather. He had been sacked seven times
over the previous two games, but managed 296 passing yards and a career-high
147.7 passer rating without getting sacked once. Impressively, Schaub’s big
outing came despite star wide receiver Andre Johnson missing his third game in
a row due to hamstring injury.

Houston has now won both of its division games this year and begins four-game
stretch over five weeks in which it can pull away in the AFC South, a division
that is wide open thanks to Peyton Manning’s injury that has left the usual
juggernauts, the Indianapolis Colts, 0-7.

The Texans host the 2-5 Jaguars this Sunday and then welcome the 3-3 Browns to
town before visiting Tampa Bay prior to a Nov. 20 bye. Houston then comes out
of the break with a road game against Jacksonville. Taking three of four in
that span — including both over the struggling Jags — will put the Texans in
the driver’s seat towards a postseason spot.

“It is big for us. To be 2-0 in the division at this point coming up on the
halfway point, we have nine more games left, so there is nothing handed out
just yet,” cautioned Schaub. “We have got to get ready to play a Jacksonville
team at our place, but it is a big step for this team.”

The Texans were 4-2 at this point last year coming out of a bye, but went on
to lose eight of their next nine games to fall out of contention. That history
should have Houston prepared for what is to come.

“We’re not out trying to make statements; we’re trying to win ball games and
that’s the main thing,” said Foster. “We’re going to go back to work this week
and whatever happens happens, but I won’t get caught up in this being a
statement game, that’s not what we’re focused on.”

Kubiak had good and bad news for his club on Monday. The head coach revealed
that safety Danieal Manning had to have surgery on a fractured left tibia
suffered the previous day and will miss at least four weeks.

However, Kubiak added that both Johnson and fullback James Casey (chest) could
play this weekend.

BENGALS’ SCOTT READY TO STEP IN; SO IS JONES

Chances for running back Bernard Scott haven’t come often, so the third-year
back has to make the most of it when he is on the field.

Scott will get a chance to show his stuff this Sunday as he is the expected
starter versus the Seattle Seahawks while Cedric Benson serves his one-game
suspension.

The Bengals knew that the suspension to Benson was coming — it was originally
a three-game ban that was reduced — so that may be the reason Scott got a
season-high 11 carries two weekends ago versus the Colts. The 198-pound back
also got some extra work as the club was off this past weekend.

The additional time to prepare should be big for Scott, who hasn’t rushed for
100 yards in a game since Nov. 22, 2009 during his rookie year and didn’t post
more than 50 on the ground in a game last year. Offensive coordinator Jay
Gruden doesn’t expect to alter his approach without Benson, even with the
Seahawks yielding a respectable 105 yards per game on the ground.

“We’re not going to stop running the ball because their good. We’re going to
challenge our offensive line, our fullbacks, backs and tight ends and see what
they can do,” said Gruden.

Sunday could also mark the season debut of cornerback Adam Jones, who began
the season on the physically unable to perform list due to a herniated disc in
his neck. The oft-troubled Jones practiced on Monday.

“I feel like I’m ready to go. I’ve done a great job preparing, the coaches
have been a great job preparing me. I give them all the credit for it,” said
Jones. “I’m just taking it one day at a time and when it’s time for my number
to be called, I’ll be ready.”

Jones will add depth to a secondary that features starters Leon Hall and Nate
Clements and has helped the Bengals rank second overall in total defense
despite the offseason loss of Johnathan Joseph.

One has to wonder just how much Jones will be able to give right away. The 28-
year-old former first-round pick, who can also help in the return game, has
played in just five games since the start of the 2009 season.

The Sports Network

Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Still recovering from minor leg surgery,
Houston Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson will miss Sunday’s game against the
Tennessee Titans.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said Friday that Johnson is “not where he needs
to be.” Kubiak said the receiver is doing well, but needs to make another step
in his recovery before the team is comfortable with him playing.

Johnson underwent the procedure October 4 to repair a right hamstring injury
suffered two days earlier, in a game against Pittsburgh. During the second
quarter of the 17-10 win, he turned upfield after making a catch and went
down without being hit, grabbing the back of his right leg immediately.

Playing without the star receiver — who has scored 52 touchdowns and racked
up 9,516 yards for Houston since 2003 — will be an added challenge for the
Texans, who have lost their last two contests without him.

Houston is 3-3 as it heads into Sunday’s divisional showdown against the
Titans in Nashville. Tennessee is 3-2 and leads the AFC South, half a game in
front of the Texans.

The Sports Network

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By Scott Schroeder

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Oct 14, 2011 – The Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens looked like it would be a pretty evenly matched game just a couple of weeks ago, but fast forward to Sunday and one will see that the Texans will be missing two of their best players in Andre Johnson and Mario Williams. Knowing that, it would seem to make sense that the Week 6 NFL picks and predictions will probably favor the hosting Ravens.

First up on the stroll through this week’s NFL expert picks is SB Nation’s own Andrew Sharp. Sharp went 7-6 against the spread last week, but who really counts picks against the spread when you play to win the game.

Houston at Baltimore (-8.5) … Baltimore’s my early favorite to win the AFC, but the Texans are too good to be getting 8.5 points on the road. Right? It just… It’s really scary to bet on Kubiak-coached team.

The experts at CBS Sports were unanimous in selecting the Ravens to win outright, but Will Brinson and Dave Richard both chose the Texans when factoring in the spread. Over at ESPN, the Ravens were the unanimous pick as well and Sports Illustrated’s Peter King believes the Texans will lose, too.

With the injuries, it’s easy to see why the Ravens are the pick of the experts this week, but one never knows when Arian Foster, or his counterpart in Ray Rice, might make things interesting.

Read More: Andre Johnson (WR – HOU), Mario Williams (LB – HOU), Arian Foster (RB – HOU), Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens, Oct 16, 2011 4:05 PM EDT

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Not much else going on in the NFL world today.

Mark Berman
KRIV-TV

HOUSTON — Houston Texans linebacker Mario Williams suffered a torn pectoral muscle on Sunday and will miss the rest of the season, FOX 26 Sports has learned.

Williams suffered the injury in the first quarter of the Texans’ 25-20 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

He left the game and didn’t return to action but did watch the second half from the sideline.

Texans officials have not been available for comment.

Williams is expected to have surgery this week.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.