Houston Texans Sweat Out Victory and Survive Against San Francisco 49ers

If there's one thing we can all say about the Houston Texans, it's they're surely not a boring team.  Sunday's victory, or survival, against the visiting San Francisco 49ers is ample proof.

This game had a number of story lines.  Steve Slaton was able to score a rushing touchdown against a team not known as the laughingstock Raiders. 

Matt Schaub continued his torrid pace as the NFL's touchdown leader.  Mike Singletary, a native Houstonian, returned home for the first time as an NFL head coach. 

Alex Smith, widely considered a huge bust of David Carr or JaMarcus Russell levels, was able to revive his career as he led a wild comeback in the second half.  Vernon Davis was able to tap into some of his vast potential and score three touchdowns.

Andre Johnson, one of the best receivers and men in the NFL, was taken to a hospital with a chest injury after reportedly spitting up blood on the field.  Michael Crabtree made his NFL debut.  Owen Daniels put up his second career best game in terms of yardage.

But the biggest story line, even with all these others swirling around Reliant Stadium, was the survival of the Texans. 

Houston was able to win back-to-back games for the first time this season.  The Texans beat a good and physical team who refused to lay down.  It's a positive step for the Texans, without a doubt.

Vernon Davis' coming out party punctuated a furious 49ers comeback.  In years past, the Texans would have found a way to lose a game like this. We all know this.

I don't enjoy bringing this up, but I don't think any Texans fan will forget the Colts game last season some people call the Sage-n-copter game.  I'm sorry I brought it up, but it is part of my larger point.

We can all see the Texans have a potent passing attack.  And the running defense is getting better.  Frank Gore was held to just 32 yards.  Some of the pieces are coming together.

What does this all mean? The Texans won back to back games. The Texans won in a game they were favored. The Texans hung on in the second half to win. 

The Texans capitalized on a huge gaffe on a muffed punt by Arnaz Battle. And the Texans were not killed by Steve Slaton's continuing fumbling problems.

Good teams are supposed to win back-to-back games.  Good teams are supposed to win games they are favored to win. Good team take advantage of the other team's mistakes and are able to survive their own mistakes.

The signs are certainly there.  This is a good team.  The second half might not have been pretty and I'm sure plenty of Texans fans were nervously sweating this game out, but the Texans won.   At the end of the day, that's all that matters. 

But if we can look at a bigger picture, the Texans are 4-3 and in the middle of the Wild Card hunt.  Let me repeat that so it sticks in: the Texans are in the Wild Card hunt.  Good teams are supposed to be in the Wild Care race. 

If it's not clear to anyone, the Texans are a good team.  Are they perfect?  No.  But, they are playing winning football.  And they've grown up.  Many of the talented players on the team are playing well at the same time for the first time in team history.

It also says something that fans are complaining about they way in which the Texans won.  But, hey, an ugly win is still a win.  And we can all agree an ugly win is better than an ugly loss.  Or any loss at all. 

Bottomline, the Texans won and are 4-3.  That's something we can all celebrate.