Buffalo Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Brings Back Painful Memories for Texans Fans

Otto Graham, Ed Rubbert, Mark Rypien, Peyton Manning, and Ryan Fitzpatrick.

What do they all have in common?

They are the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw for 300 yards in their NFL debut.

What would possess me to bring up such a random stat?

Ryan Fitzpatrick did it against the Texans and the two face off again this Sunday.

Not only that, but Fitzpatrick didn't even start the game.

The date was Nov. 27, 2005 and the Texans were in the midst of their (in)famous 2-14 season. 

Now, bringing up memories of that season isn't so much reopening old wounds for Texans fans; it's more like scraping salt in that would with a red hot cheese grater covered in lemon juice.

The Texans entered that season with high expectations following a 7-9 campaign in 2004. 

Though the team was already a disappointing 1-9 entering the game, they came out hot and jumped out to a 24-3 half time lead.

Fitzpatrick, the Rams' third-string quarterback, had come in late in the first quarter as a replacement for Jaime Martin, who had started the game for injured starter Marc Bulger.

Fitzpatrick started the comeback in the third quarter with a 19-yard TD pass to Tory Holt after Houston safety Marcus Coleman had intercepted a pass, but fumbled it away on the return.

With 34 seconds left in the game, Houston was still up by 10 and had a chance to end the game as St. Louis faced a 4th-and-6. 

Instead, Fitzpatrick threw a 43-yard touchdown to Isaac Bruce.

The Rams recovered the ensuing onside kick, and Fitzpatrick threw a 19-yard pass to Holt to set up the game tying 47-yard field goal.

The Texans got the ball first in overtime, but had to punt and Fitzpatrick then ended the game with a 56-yard touchdown to Kevin Curtis.

Ouch. 

Where's that cheese grater?

In the spirit of the Halloween weekend, however, let's make this all a little bit freakier.

Last weekend, the Texans nearly blew a 21-point halftime lead at home to Isaac Bruce and the San Francisco 49ers.

I'll give you one guess as to when the last time the Texans had a 21-point half time lead was.

That's right.  Nov. 27, 2005 against the Ryan Fitzpatrick led St. Louis Rams.

You can't make this stuff up!

Please take a quick moment and pull the nearest Texans fan off the ledge, while I  search for the nearest bottle of tequila.

Ok, where were we.

Right.  This is the part where I explain the differences between 2005 and 2009 and why history should not repeat itself.

First, the team didn't blow that game last weekend, but instead made some key plays at the end of the game to secure the close victory.

Second, the Texans have since extracted revenge against Fitzpatrick in the form of a 35-6 drubbing while he was a member of the Bengals last season.

Third, only three players remain on the current Texans roster from that fateful Sunday:  Andre Johnson, Dunta Robinson, and Chester Pitts, who is on IR and won't play this weekend.

Fourth, that disaster essentially killed whatever minor glimpses of hope may have still been alive for the 2005 season, and ultimately led to the end of the Casserly-Capers reign of terror.

In all honesty, the Texans should be able to win this weekend—although many a Texans fan have eaten those words before.

The Bills have some powerful offensive weapons, but have thus far been unable to take advantage of them. 

Their strength on offense is a powerful running game with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson, but the Texans run defense has been absolutely stellar in the last four weeks after a horrendous start to the season.

The Bills will have to throw the ball at some point and while Lee Evans and Terrell Owens are a dangerous combo, they have only combined for 544 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season.

By comparison, Andre Johnson has 634 receiving yards and four touchdowns and Owen Daniels has 497 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

Still, the Texans' secondary has been known to provide big days to opposing wide-outs.

Offensively, the Texans should be able to move the ball on a Buffalo defense that ranks 27th in the league in yards allowed.

That defense is actually stronger than that stat suggests, but outside of the Jets, no defense has been able to successfully stop the Texans passing game and the Bills possess the leagues worst run defense which has given up a generous 172 yards per game.

Slaton may finally have the breakout game we've been waiting for, but when discussing Slaton, it is imperative to talk about his fumbling problem.

And that brings us to the absolute biggest key to this game: turnovers.

While Schaub has been much improved in taking care of the ball, he still makes a hand-full of throws each week which have caused the demise of a few remotes in my house. 

Slaton has fumbled in all but two games this season, and teams are trying to strip the ball from him with a little more fervor thanks to that reputation.

On the other side, the Bills have taken the ball away from the opposition ten times in the last two weeks, and that has keyed their victories both times.

If the Texans can protect the ball, they will be poised to finish the first half of the season with their best record ever, but they must play with a determination and focus to avoid those errors.

If the Texans can learn anything from their frightening history, it's that overconfidence can lead to a quick demise.

Just ask Ryan Fitzpatrick.

He'll be here Sunday.