Gut Punch: Immediate Analysis of Houston Texans' Loss To Tennessee Titans

In a word, this game was deflating. 

Coming off of a bye week and two weeks of hype after a close loss to the Colts, the Houston Texans returned home to face a 3-6 Tennessee Titans team. 

A home game against the last place team in your division should be as good a get well recipe as grandma's chicken soup. 

But, alas, it was not meant to be.  The Titans came into Reliant Stadium on Monday Night Football and found a way to win 20-17. 

Let's just get this part out of the way.  Vince Young might not be the best passer, but he does win games.  (Question:  What is uglier?  Vince's passing attempts or his post game brown pinn-striped suit with buttoned shoulder flaps?  You decide.) 

Young is now 22-11 as an NFL starter and 2-0 in Houston.  Sure, he was 11-of-22 for 116 yards, but he scrambled for 73 yards and picked up what seemed like every third down conversion. 

Only the most delusional Young supporter would argue it was the sexiest game, but quarterbacks are ultimately measured by victories, and Young came away with yet another close victory. You really can't argue with that.

When the Titans got the ball back after a late fourth quarter punt, it seemed like this was the type of game Vince Young was made for.  Tie game, three minutes to go.  That's VY's time.  It simply cannot be argued.

It might be frustrating as all get-out for Texans fans, but at the end of the day, VY led his team to victory.  It seemed like vintage Young from his Texas glory days.  Scrambling for first downs and becoming the best player on the field.  Even when everyone in Reliant Stadium knew Young was going to drop back and then take off, he was able to move the chains.

But, did the Titans win or did the Texans lose?  In my mind, there is a subtle difference.  Let's first see if the Titans won the game (clearly, they were victorious, but this analysis is slightly different).

The Titans' most dangerous weapon is Chris Johnson, and he ran for over 150 yards.  Granted, nobody has really slowed Johnson down this season, but the Texans consistently led him pick up handfuls of yardage time and time again.  He was held out of the endzone and his longest carry was 36 yards.

In the passing game, there were only a handful of attempts that Young threw down field.  The longest completion was 27 yards to Bo Scaife.  No receiver had more than four catches or more than 42 yards.  But Young was able to scramble and run option plays for first downs time and time again.

Nothing pretty and nothing fancy, but the Titans did enough to get a victory.  But, is that winning or not losing?  Let's continue our analysis.

On the other hand, Steve Slaton was not only a non-factor in the running game (5 carries for 21 yards) but he dropped a key third down pass from Matt Schaub in Titans territory. 

That play occurred was on third and 10 ;ate in the fourth quarter, and it's not a given Slaton could have gotten the first down, but a fourth and three or four at least leaves the option of going for the conversion on the table. Fourth and 10 equals punt.

That catch that must be made.  Houston punted, and Young and Johnson did enough to get a field goal attempt with less than a minute to play.

Second, and perhaps most egregiously, Kris Brown missed two field goals.  Yes, neither was a gimme attempt and were both 49 yard attempts.

But a kicker isn't paid over $1.4 million to miss two field goals on home against a hated rival on Monday Night Football. Kicking is a results-oriented profession, and Brown has looked, in a word, bad, recently.

All this season I have railed against running back Chris Brown.  I've said he's not tough enough and he's not good enough to play for the Texans.  Look like I might have not have been broad enough in my vitriol against players named Chris or Kris Brown. 

Kris Brown has cost the Texans two chances to tie games late with missed field goals.  That is inexcusable.  Chris Brown has cost the Texans two chances to tie games by failing to score touchdowns.  That, too, is inexcusable.  Look for left tackle Duane Brown to be the only player surnamed Brown playing for the Texans next season.

Third, is there any question Dunta Robinson is a shadow of the former Pro Bowl player?  He gave up Young's only touchdown pass when he simply could not cover rookie Kenny Britt on a crossing pattern.  He was flagged for defensive holding. 

Robinson missed tackles on Young and couldn't cover a single Titan effectively.  Guess the Texans and Rick Smith got lucky that Dunta foolishly didn't sign a long-term contract.  Of course, it's tough to come back from such a devastating injury such as a torn hamstring, but Robinson is no longer an elite cornerback and is perhaps not even one of the best corners on the Texans.

If you ask me, the Texans did more to lose the game than the Titans did to win the game.  Is that just a matter of semantics?  Perhaps. 

Does it make me or any other Texan fan feel any better?  No, not really.  And, in the end, doesn't Tennessee get another victory at the expense of the Titans?  Again, yes.

Look, I know there were some cheap shots by the Titans that were not penalized.  Courtland Finnegan took some swings at both Brown and Slaton in pile ups. 

Kyle Vanden Bosch catapulted himself helmet first at Matt Schaub numerous times.  Schaub was driven to the turf a number of times by Titan defensive linemen. 

Yes, none of these were flagged, but whining about the refs blowing this game might make you feel better but is only masking the real problem. 

This is football and the Titans plays a certain way.  The Texans play a certain way.  At the end of the day, however, all that matters is the win or the loss. 

Is all hope for the season lost?  No.  Houston remains in the playoff race at 5-5.  James Casey played well in the absence of Pro Bowl caliber tight end Owen Daniels. 

But that's for another day.  All that matters today is the devastating and deflating loss to the Titans in a game the Texans lost more than the Titans won.