HOUSTON, Texas — Carolina Panthers tight end Jeremy Shockey criticized members of the Houston Texans for not putting their hands over their hearts during the national anthem.

Shockey said he saw “about 10 players” who didn’t do the traditional gesture when the anthem is played, and he told some of them how he felt during Carolina’s 28-13 victory.

“I was pretty upset in the way they weren’t showing respect to America during the national anthem,” Shockey said. “This is America, and you should at least give respect to America.”

Shockey’s statements didn’t make their way back to the Texans’ locker room before it closed, and the team had no comment. Shockey’s rant came in response to a reporter’s question about the Texans’ defense.

“This is America and this is just a game and they should not only be very proud of this country, but very gifted to be living here,” Shockey said. “Maybe they just forgot to do it or something, but I don’t see how you could forget to do that.”

Shockey sports a red, white and blue tattoo on his right biceps portraying a bald eagle draped in a U.S. flag.

He caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Cam Newton in Sunday’s game, then pointed at linebacker DeMeco Ryans and appeared to yell at him and cornerback Jason Allen.

The 8-3 Houston Texans went into their game at Reliant Stadium against the 7-4 Atlanta Falcons Sunday in front of 71,545 fans in a very unusual position, LEADING the AFC South by two full games over the Tennessee Titans. Houston also came in the contest tied for the best record in the AFC with the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens.

The way Wade Phillips has revived the Texans defense, Houston fans would have felt pretty good going in the matchup except for one thing—starting quarterback Matt Schaub went down with a season-ending foot injury that required surgery two weeks ago, and backup Matt Leinart went down with a season-ending broken collar bone last week. That mean the quarterbacking duties fell squarely on the shoulders of third-string rookie quarterback T.J. Yates.

Texans Coach Gary Kubiak assured the media and fans in the days before the game that Yates knew the offense and was up to the challenge he faced. Just in case there were problems, or in the event of an injury to Yates, the team brought in eleven year veteran NFL quarterback Jake Delhomme to serve as the backup. They also had six year NFL veteran Kellen Clemens for insurance.

Atlanta won the coin toss and immediately went three-and-out. Yates led the Houston offense out, but they were unable to pick up a first down on their first possession, and the Falcons took back over on offense at their 24 after a Brett Hartmann punt.

Houston got the ball back almost immediately when Kareem Jackson intercepted Matt Ryan. Yates drove his team down the field and the Texans appeared to be headed for a score. The Falcon defense stiffened, and facing a third down, Yates was hit as he threw the ball downfield. The Falcons picked up the ball and returned it into the end zone, but after a lengthy discussion the officials mistakenly ruled that Yates fumbled the ball, but that a Falcons player had stepped onto the field from the sidelines, and the ball was dead at that spot. Kubiak threw the challenge flag, but apparently the officials were blind and upheld the ruling on the field, and Atlanta went back on offense.

Shortly after the Falcons began their next drive Jason Allen picked off Ryan and Houston was back in business. Thanks to a false start on fourth-and-one, Neil Rackers came in to attempt a 43-yard field goal. The kick was good, and with 4:03 left in the opening period, Houston took a 3-0 lead.

Atlanta was unable to sustain a drive on their next possession and punted the ball away to Houston. Yates led the offense back on the field at the Houston 17. The possession was a three-and-out, and Atlanta took back over on their 29. The Texans defense held and forced an Atlanta punt.

Yates drove his team down the field, hitting Andre Johnson on a deep post pattern down to the 4. Two plays later he hit Joel Dreessen for a touchdown, and after Rackers nailed the PAT, Houston was on top 10-0.

Atlanta came back and moved down the field 79 yards before stalling out at the Houston 1. Matt Bryant kicked a field goal pulling his team back to within a touchdown at 10-3. The Texans began their next drive at their 20 and went into the two minute offense. They made it to midfield, but ran out of steam and punted back to Atlanta and Ryan and company took back over.

The teams exchanged punts, and Houston got one more shot with just under a minute left till halftime. They weren’t able to get a drive going and the half ended.

Houston got the ball to begin the second half of play. They went three-and-out , but Atlanta couldn’t get a drive going on the ensuing possession either. Houston got the ball back and moved down the field, but stalled out and Rackers came out to attempt a 54-yard field goal. The kick fell 2 yards short, and Atlanta took over on their 44.

The decision to try the field goal turned out to be a killer, as Ryan led the Falcons down the field, hitting Roddy White from the four, capping a 56-yard, 7-play drive that took 2:38, and tying the game at 10 with just less than two minutes left in the third quarter.

Houston got the ball back and began an impressive drive. Yates was moving the team down the field, when tragedy suddenly struck. While running a deep route, Pro Bowl receiver Andre Johnson suddenly pulled up gimpy on his left leg. A hush fell over the stadium as Johnson fell to the turf. It was obvious that he had re-aggravated a left leg hamstring injury that required surgery and sidelined him for six games.

Shortly after that Yates was intercepted for a pick six, but fortunately former Texan Dunta Robinson was called for defensive holding, negating the score and giving the Texans new life and a fresh set of downs. They took full advantage of the opportunity, moving 85 yards in 19 plays in 10:41, scoring on a 1-yard Arian Foster touchdown with 6:05 left in the game. After Rackers added the PAT, Houston regained the lead, 17-10.

Atlanta had one last play into the end zone on the final play of the game with a chance to get the tying touchdown, but the pass from Matt Ryan went off the hands of the intended receiver, preserving the 17-10 victory. With the win, Houston remains tied for the BEST record in the AFC with a 9-3 mark and a 2-game lead over the Tennessee Titans in the AFC South with 4 games left in the season. The 9 wins ties the most wins in a season. In 2009, the team went 9-7.

The victory moves Houston closer to clinching their first playoff win in team history. Needless to say, it was an ecstatic team owner Bob McNair after the game. “It’s wonderful and I’m so happy for the city because our fans have waited for so long for a team they can really be proud of. If they’re not proud of this team they’re not going to be proud of any team because they are absolutely astounding. The way they have performed and overcome adversity is a lesson in life for all of us. We just have to keep playing the way we’ve been playing. We’re a heck of a ball club at this point. Our defense has just been magnificent and then when our defense eased up on the third quarter and they scored a touchdown our offense got geared up and we started running the ball. It’s that combination, if you have a strong defense, you can run the ball and you can keep the other team from running it too much you’re going to have a lot of success and that’s what we are doing.”

The win was the sixth in a row. The Texans will be in Ohio on Sunday to take on the Bengals as they try to get to double-digit wins for the season. At least there’s one NFL team in Texas that looks like a winner!

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.

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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After losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers in successive AFC Championship Games in the late 1970s, former Houston Oilers coach Bum Phillips delivered a famous speech to his fans.

“One year ago, we knocked on the door,” Phillips said in his folksy Texas twang. “This year, we beat on the door. Next year, we’re gonna kick the son of a [gun] in.”

Alas, it didn’t happen. The Oilers were upended in the first round of the playoffs without meeting Pittsburgh a third time, ending their short, marvelous run.

Now their replacements, the Houston Texans, feel they are ready to kick in the door to the playoffs for the first time since they were born in expansion in 2002.

And, fittingly, the man probably most responsible for their resurgence is Phillips’ son, Wade.

The Texans have been elite on offense since former Mike Shanahan assistant Gary Kubiak took over as head coach in 2006. The Texans haven’t gotten over the top and into the playoffs, however, because of a bad defense.

Phillips has changed that dramatically.

Given his popular name in the city, Phillips was a natural hire as defensive coordinator for Kubiak once Phillips was fired as Dallas Cowboys coach. Phillips compiled a respectable, not great, record of 83-66 in stints as a head coach with Dallas, Buffalo and Denver. But his reputation as a defensive coordinator is impeccable.

His defenses as coordinator or head coach have finished in the league’s top 10 on 12 occasions. Further, he has reached the playoffs in the first season with the last seven teams he has taken over as coordinator or head coach.

The defense the Browns face Sunday in Houston checks in this week at No. 3 in the league yardage rankings and fifth in scoring. It was 30th and 29th, respectively, last year.

Phillips hasn’t done it alone. The Texans invested heavily in new players on defense, adding cornerback Johnathan Joseph and free safety Danieal Manning in free agency, and devoting their top five picks in the draft to that side of the ball. Defensive end J.J. Watt and linebacker Brooks Reed were their top two selections and are making an impact as starters.

Reed has taken over for Pro Bowler Mario Williams, who was lost for the year with a torn pectoral muscle. Williams was making a controversial career move from defensive end to outside linebacker in Phillips’ attacking, 3-4 scheme. He had five sacks in six games.

The resurgent defense hasn’t exactly turned down the heat on Kubiak, whose six-year playoff drought is the longest among active NFL head coaches. In preseason, Texans owner Bob McNair said, “I expect us to not only make the playoffs but to go far into the playoffs.”

And that statement was made before longtime division powerhouse Indianapolis lost franchise quarterback Peyton Manning.

With the Colts buried at 0-8, the Texans are 5-3 and hold a half-game lead on Tennessee in the AFC South.