Houston Texans: Regular Season Finale Should Be Treated Like Preseason Game

When the Houston Texans take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, they have nothing to lose but everything to gain for the 2011 postseason.

Win or lose, the Texans are the number three seed in the AFC, so the game needs to be treated as preparation for a serious playoff run.

The Texans will start T.J. Yates at quarterback, and head coach Gary Kubiak has been adamant that he has not even considered playing Jake Delhomme in the game.

That would be a huge mistake.

Yates needs some work and giving him the first half or even three quarters to get some game-time experience is a good idea.

However, a team that has already lost two quarterbacks this season should be prepared to lose another at some point. 

Getting Delhomme some live game reps before the playoffs is paramount in the event of a Yates injury. Delhomme hasn’t played live football in over a year now and throwing him in cold in the middle of a playoff run would be disastrous.

The Texans need to let him play at least a drive or two on Sunday just to let him get reacquainted with the speed of the game.

It would also let Yates get a chance to rest and take a breath before the playoffs. Asking a rookie to lead a team through the playoffs is already a huge amount of pressure; giving him a chance to clear his mind would do nothing but good for the young quarterback.

Kubiak should also do the same with running back Arian Foster and wide receiver Andre Johnson.

Foster doesn’t need many reps. It would be a wise decision to sit him after a series or two and let him rest his body.

The last thing the Texans need is for Foster to get injured in a meaningless game against a division rival that will be extremely aggressive.

Johnson is returning from his second hamstring injury of the 2011 season. 

The Texans should let him play as much as he needs to get confidence in his body and get back into game condition.

Getting key players rested and getting reps for backups should be the objective of this game. There is no need to push any harder than necessary as the team prepares for the franchise’s first ever playoff appearance.

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