Arian Foster Was Hung out to Dry Against the Ravens

Arian Foster had the Texans logo shaved into the left side of his head, a symbol of team with a fanbase as rabid as it is well-behaved. Houston's Pro Bowl running back was to lead his team to a berth in the AFC title game, but also to legitimacy as an NFL franchise that could compete for the league's highest honor. He would have to do it in Baltimore against a Ravens team that hadn't lost at home all season, against a defense that hadn't allowed a 100-yard rushing game in the postseason. Ever. The game would stand apart from the other three matchups in the NFL's divisional round playoff weekend.

Jacoby Jones happened. The Texans punt returner charged from his own five-yard line to field a Ravens punt on the hop in the first quarter with predictably drastic results (why teams still try to do this, I have no idea). The fumble put the Ravens--who went three-and-out on their first series--on the Texans doorstep. Baltimore needed three plays to score and take a 7-3 lead.

The Texans defense happened. Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco picked a bad week to whine about being disrespected. Completing barely half of one's passes and taking five sacks doesn't do much for endearing oneself to the media...unless you're playing in Denver. Ray Rice, managing less than three yards per carry, fared just as poorly.

Seventeen of the Ravens' 20 points came from turnovers, but the Texans had Baltimore pinned down for the rest of the game, a performance capped by a goal-line stand late in the third quarter that kept the Texans, at 17-13, within one score of the lead.

Gary Kubiak and Rick Dennison happened. The Texans head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively, called upon T.J. Yates, their third-string quarterback, as often as they did Foster. The pair, who split play-calling duties, operated a balanced offense for most of the game, passing the ball as often as they ran it (why they tried to do this, I have no idea). Yates, who threw three bad interceptions at crucial points in the game, proved to be disappointing.

When first-string quarterback Matt Schaub was active, the Texans threw the ball about 29 times per game. With Yates, that ambition dropped to about 20 pass attempts. While Yates and Schaub posted similar completion percentages, the downfield passing suffered. In two postseason games, only twice did Yates complete a pass longer than 20 yards.

The debate of whether or not a team can survive without big play ability has taken on other permutations, including the ongoing discussion in Denver with You Know Who. The fact of the matter is that even the worst teams need to chuck it deep once in a while. But preferably, those passes are not heaved into double or triple coverage in the vicinity of a future Hall-of-Fame safety.

And then Arian Foster happened. In a game that was setting itself over to be trampled by the Texans feature back, Foster finally buckled. With over 20 carries in the first three quarters, fatigue was evident. Foster started Houston's first possession in the fourth with three straight carries, good for 14 more yards. But Yates couldn't convert for a first down, and the Texans had to punt, trailing with 11 minutes to go.

On his next run up the middle, Foster fumbled, and the ball was ironically recovered by Jones, who was playing wide receiver. Yates was intercepted on the very next play, and Foster wouldn't get another touch for the rest of the game. 

Foster finished the game with 27 carries and five receptions, a plethora of touches, even for him. That's not to say that the Texans couldn't have run more. Derrick Ward and Ben Tate were both dressed and both active. The two running backs filled in eloquently for Foster when he was struck with a case of "anti-awesomeness" in September. Tate especially did so, answering that call with two 100-yard rushing efforts in the first two weeks of the season. Neither touched the ball on Sunday.

With Foster overused, the Texans had nowhere to turn but to Andre Johnson, who found himself draped in purple jerseys for most of the second half. In last week's win over the Bengals, Yates found Andre Johnson five times; those receptions went for 90 yards and a score. Johnson was even more involved against the Ravens, tallying eight grabs for 111 yards, but that increased output came at considerable expense.

With the exception of a few carries for the AFC in the upcoming Pro Bowl, Foster's season is over. There may be no greater seal of approval for Foster's play than that displayed by Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who traded jerseys with Foster after the game. Lewis, whose bust should appear in Canton the second he hangs up his cleats, recognized the passion that Foster exuded for his sport and his team. Game respect game, as they say.

While the Ravens will find themselves in another AFC title game, Foster will find himself in a battle to secure a long-term contract from the team that hung him out to dry in Baltimore. After having rushed for nearly 3,000 yards in the last two seasons, the now-restricted free agent earned only $525,000 for the season, well below market value.

As Foster's carries were mis-managed on Sunday, one would hope that the front office would avoid a similar mistake. Not many guys shave their team's mark into their heads. If Foster were left dangling on the vine in 2012, it would certainly explain why.