Texans vs. 49ers: Line Play and a Quick Start Key to Success

It seems like every week there has been some underlying storyline to the Houston Texans upcoming game.

Last week was a battle between two teams with tendency to take things down to the last second.

The week before that we were wondering how the team would respond from a devastating loss stemming from an inability to punch it in from the one yard line late in the game (which coincidentally was the same question we were asking after the Jacksonville game).

In planning the preview of this game, it was just about football.

Cool.

Now, admittedly, there are questions about whether or not the Texans can maintain the success they found in Cincinnati—let's face it, this team is not exactly known for consistency—and the battle of two native coaches, but for the most part, it's just a game.

The networks may not be happy about that, but my nervous system is grateful.

With that said, there are still some key elements that Houston needs to address if they're going to win this game.

The first, and most important, is how they start the game.

While the Texans' defense has not been scored upon in the second half in each of the last two weeks, they have struggled early on and the team has had to play from behind both weeks.

Sure, it was only a three-point deficit last week, but the team gave up 168 yards and a touchdown to Carson Palmer in the first half.

Against Arizona, they allowed Kurt Warner to throw for 262 yards and two scores in the first half.

The offense started well last week, but had a blocked field goal on their first drive and ended the half with a bad interception. It was a step up from the first half shutout from the previous week, but they need to avoid those letdowns.

The team likely can't afford that this week as there is no question that a Mike Singletary team which has had two weeks to prepare for this game, and who was embarrassed the last time they were on the field, is going to come out fired up and aggressive.

If the Texans can hold on and even get out to a quick lead, they will be in much better position to win this weekend.

The 49ers also employ a defensive strategy that should make most Texans fans shudder: the dreaded 3-4.

The reason the 3-4 has caused the Texans so much trouble over the years is that Chris Meyers struggles with the more powerful defensive tackles, and Duane Brown and Eric Winston have struggled with the speed edge rushers.

The 49ers nose tackle, Aubrayo Franklin, is not a household name, but he does a very good job of tying up blockers. Still, he's no Kris Jenkins.

Brown and Winston have done a better job against edge rushers this year, but the success against this front will be key to providing Schaub with the time he needs to move the offense.

Like Cincinnati, however, the 49ers are a much stronger run defense than pass defense, so don't look for Slaton and company to break out in this game.

In general, the overall game plan should be similar to the game plan the Texans have adopted for most of their games.

Offensively, look for a lot of passes, but enough runs to keep the defense honest.

San Francisco will likely bring Patrick Willis (who scares the heck out of me) on blitzes, so it will be crucial for the line to protect Schaub and for receivers to get open quickly. We can probably expect quite a few screens to Slaton as well.

Whether the offense performs like they did against Cincinnati, or like they did against the Jets, will depend on how much time Schaub has to throw.

On defense, the opponent again features a strong running game.

With Frank Gore coming back, the Texans will force the game in to the hands of Shaun Hill.

Hill has been an efficient quarterback with only two interceptions, and he has a shiny new toy in Michael Crabtree, but he's unlikely to take over the game. He's also been sacked 16 times in four games, so Mario Williams may be looking for a big game.

The Texans will likely show a lot of eight man fronts—which they like to do anyway—and try to slow down Gore. They must continue their improvement against the run.

Overall, this should be an excellent game with two teams that are expected to improve.

Both teams must play to their strengths and try to take the other out of their comfort zone, but the key to the game may be getting off to a quick start.

This game may lack the sexy headlines, but it should feature some of the best football of the weekend.

Still, whenever the Texans are playing, drama can't be too far away, so don't turn away.