Don't Be Fooled By Houston Texans' Late-Season Success

Now, I don't want this to sound overly negative.  Any time the Houston Texans win a game is reason to celebrate.  And we all know there haven't been enough celebrations throughout the history of the franchise.

But, a win against a reeling Seattle Seahawk team doesn't mean much.  At 6-7, the Texans are still on the outside and looking in at the playoff picture.  The problems this team has had playing when the chips are down remain.

Playing well when games mean something is still a skill the Texans haven't developed.  Coming into this game, the pressure was off and the Texans were able to play relaxed and aggressive football.  And beat down the Seahawks.

Sure, there was plenty to be happy about.  Some players deserve special recognition.

Andre Johnson again showed why he's one of the best wide receivers in the NFL.  If he's not the head of the class, it doesn't take long to call role. AJ scored on the first play of the game on a deep ball when he just blew past corner back Marcus Trufant. 

It was great to see the Texans involve their best play maker early and often.  But it was maddening to wonder why this hasn't been a bigger part of the game plan all season.  And it was also maddening to wonder why the Texans can't play with the same aggression and confidence when the games matter.

Matt Schaub had one of the best first halves in league history and threw a total of four incompletions in the opening half.  Schaub checked to a toss sweep to the left side that turned into a touchdown.  It didn't have the histrionics of Peyton Manning, but it was a great move by the Texans' signal caller and was just as effective as any of Manning's calls at the line.

The entire passing offense was rolling.  David Anderson and Kevin Walter made great catches and converted numerous third downs.  Joel Dreessen made plays.  Rookie Arian Foster had 54 yards in the passing game.

The defense also played very aggressively.  Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing played all out and were in Matt Hasselback's face all afternoon.  Cushing crushed Hasselbeck on the first defensive play.

Amobe Okoye played well, too.  He caused some havoc in the middle of the pocket even if he didn't sack Hasselbeck.  Zac Diles had some big hits and played well.  Kevin Bentley played like a demon on special teams.

Bernard Pollard ran an interception back for a touchdown.  The 70 yard return came on Pollard's third interception of the season. He was also very physical in the middle of the field.

Rookies Brice McCain and Glover Quin played very well, specifically on a second half goal to go situation.  Quin made a great tackle on Justin Forsett on third and goal and McCain played blanket coverage on fourth and goal.

Yet, with all these positives, many problems remain. 

Jacoby Jones, one week after being left at home after missing a team meeting, fielded a punt inside the two yard line.  Jones remains one of the most frustrating Texans.  He can return any punt for a touchdown but sometimes his brain seems to shutdown and he makes a truly bone-headed play.  That didn't hurt the Texans, but it's still a bad play.

Ryan Moats ran ten times for 43 yards and a touchdown but fumbled in the second half.  In a closer game or against a better team, this could have truly come back to haunt the Texans.

After the fumble, Dunta Robinson was immediately whistled for a face mask.  Dunta better hope he doesn't get fined, because he needs to start saving some money.  In all seriousness, however, more composure from a supposed team leader is needed.  Had this been a game against the Colts, what could have happened?  We all know what has happened recently.  Let's not get into it.

Kris Brown missed another field goal and another was blocked.  For the season, three kicks have been blocked and he has missed a total of eight field goal attempts.  He's among the league leaders in one of the worst categories.

The team continues to struggle in the running game and averaged only three yards per carry.  For an offense that is predicated on play action and misdirection, not being able to run the ball is even more damaging.

Yes, the Texans won, but it doesn't mask the bigger problems.

Even more troubling was the fact that the team took their foot off of the gas and let up some in the second half. 

Scoring three offensive points against a beaten and injury-riddled opponent shows me that the Texans are still missing killer instinct.  Even after starting so well in the first half and playing aggressively, something happened at halftime.  A switch was turned off, a lever was pulled.  Whatever metaphor you'd like to use, something changed. 

Even though they scored 34 points, the Texans left a lot of points on the field.  There were the two missed field goals.  But even before the blocked kick, a botched snap on third and two cost the Texans a chance for a touchdown. 

Again, early in the third quarter, on a third and two from inside the red zone, the Texans couldn't convert and had to settle for a field goal.

Had this been against a better team or earlier in the season, what would have happened? Leaving so many points of the field and taking the foot off the gas does not work well against playoff caliber teams.

We all know what the Texans do when the pressure is off.  We saw it last season.  The team finished 8-8 and fooled a lot of people into thinking they could be big winners this season. 

Don't get fooled again.  A little makeup (the win against Seattle) can cover some warts (the lack of killer instinct, the inability to play with pressure, or however else you'd like to phrase it) might hide the warts to some degree, but the underlying warts remain.