Houston Texans 2011 Schedule: The 8 Most Important Games on the Texans Schedule

If the Texans want to be taken seriously this year, then they will need to step up their game and win some tough games both on the road and at home. With a new defensive coordinator, added depth to the backfield and rookies who could make an immediate impact on defense, the Texans could poise themselves to make a run for the playoffs.

Before they can stake a claim for the AFC crown, however, they must first be able to overcome a grueling schedule. With a strength-of-schedule rating of 0.516, the Texans are tied with the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings for the 10th most difficult schedule in the league. Additionally, seven of their games will be against teams with a 2010 winning record with the Colts, Steelers, Ravens, Falcons and Saints all making it to the playoffs.

Houston is currently the only franchise in the NFL without a playoff berth. If they can overcome their schedule, and play solidly on both sides of the football, they will be able to silence their critics. The following is a look at the eight most important games on the Texans' 2011 schedule.

Week 1: HOME vs. Indianapolis Colts

Let's face it, the Colts have had the Texans' number since the Texans took their first breaths in 2002.

Out of the 18 matchups between the Colts and the Texans, the Texans have been victorious only twice. Both of those victories have occurred at home and this is where the Texans will begin their season once again, at home, versus the Colts.

The Texans are a team that tends to run downhill. What I mean is, once they start to win, they keep on winning. Not coincidentally, once they start to lose, they keep losing. That is what makes the Week 1 matchup with the Colts one of the most important games of the season for the Texans.

For Indianapolis, all eyes will be on QB Peyton Manning. Manning will be coming into the season after undergoing neck surgery for the second time in his career. In 2008, the first time Manning underwent the knife, he had a slow start to the season and the Colts dropped two of their first three games.

Assuming the Colts keep Manning as their starting QB for the season opener, the Texans could capitalize on Manning's slow start to the season.

Houston, on the other hand, will be looking to their secondary and Wade Phillips to see how well the team has adapted to the new 3-4 defensive scheme. With this being the first game of the season, the defense will still be working on communicating with each other and this could be a weakness that Peyton and company could capitalize on.

However, if the Texans can manage to adapt quickly, and manage to play smart defense, they could shut down the Colts.

Look for the Texans to come out firing as this game will help build momentum for the season. 

Week 3: AWAY vs. New Orleans Saints

The last time the Texans and Saints met in a regular season game was in 2007, before the Saints were Super Bowl champions. That game, in Houston, resulted with the Texans winning 23-10. This season's game will be much more difficult for the Texans.

Drew Brees and the Saints are coming off an 11-5 season with a playoff appearance. They added depth to their DE position by drafting Cameron Jordan, a defender who the Saints will let loose on Matt Schaub.

If the Texans offensive line is not well-prepared, Schaub could end up eating a lot of turf. Add to the defensive threat a dome that is renowned for being hostile, and extremely loud, and you get a very bad experience for the visiting Texans.

The Texans will have to bring their A-game if they want to have a chance against New Orleans (the team and the fans). Matt Schaub will struggle to call any audibles, amid the deafening noise of the Superdome, meaning that visual communication will be key.

Both the ground and air game will have to be strong in order to keep the Saints guessing defensively. On the flip side, the Texans linebacker corp and secondary must be on their assignments if they want to stop WR Devery Henderson and Marques Colston.

For the Houston Texans this will be one of the most difficult games of the season. They will be traveling to a hostile environment with a lot of noise while playing against a playoff team that has the capability to break big plays at-will.

This game is important to the Texans because it could very well put a notch in the loss column. If the Texans lose they must be quick to rebound, but if they win their momentum could bring a flurry of wins for the team. 

Week 4: HOME vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

This game, for the Texans, is important if they want to prove that they are true contenders this season. If they can beat the defending AFC champs they will show that they have what it takes to make it into the playoffs at the end of the season.

Additionally, if the Texans were to beat the Steelers, they would be able to silence many of their analyst critics. 

Unfortunately, for the Texans, the Steelers are the second team that they will face with a winning record in 2010. Unlike the Saints, however, the Steelers are also entering the 2011 season after making an appearance in Super Bowl XLV.

Coming on the heels of the New Orleans away-game will mean that the Texans will most likely be battered and war-torn coming into this game. However, they must be prepared to win as they will have the home-field advantage against the "Black and Gold."

The Steelers are 2-1 against the Texans and have the momentum, coming off their Super Bowl appearance, to make this a very rough game for the Texans. Ben Roethlisberger will have multiple offensive weapons at his disposal including Rashard Mendenhall, Hines Ward and newly acquired Antwaan Randle El, and the defense will be bolstered by Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor.

 Looking to repeat an appearance in the Super Bowl, the Steelers will be playing all out against the Texans at Reliant Stadium. 

For the Texans to win this game they will have to play smart and manage the clock better than they have in the past.

They must be able to attack the Steelers defense both on the ground and through the air, but must be careful to avoid the ball-hawking Polamalu. The offensive line will be put to the test against the Steelers front seven and must win the battle in order for Arian Foster to break away with the run game. If the Texans play sound football, they could win this game. 

Week 6: AWAY vs. Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are one of four teams against which the Texans have never won a game. This is also the game in which the Texans will play against their former Pro Bowl FB Vonta Leach.

Saying that the Texans will have something to prove in this game is an understatement. Defeating the Ravens would finally bring closure for many Texans fans who felt that losing Leach was a bad idea. However, if the Texans should lose, the hate will continue.

Ed Reed and Ray Lewis terrorized the Texans last season. Lewis' constant pressure on the Texans QB Matt Schaub, and Reed's hard hits, have kept the Texans in check. Meanwhile, Joe Flacco and Ray Rice chipped away at the Texans defense all game last season.

However, the Texans beat themselves last season when they faced the Ravens. Matt Schaub was torching the Ravens as he threw for almost 400 yards. Meanwhile, Arian Foster added another 100 yards on the ground.

The defense kept Flacco on his heels and were able to sack him five times for a total loss of 45 yards. It was the two turnovers that sealed the fate for the Texans in a game in which they had to claw their way back to the surface.

Going into the fourth quarter, the Texans were down by 15 points. Matt Schaub took the reigns and rallied the team to tie the game and force overtime. It was there, in overtime, however, that Schaub threw an interception at the 12 yard line, thus sealing the fate of the Texans.

The Texans will need this win in order to redeem their loss last season. They will also need to win this game in order to gain momentum going into their game against their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans.

Week 7: AWAY vs. Tennessee Titans

The rivalry between the Texans and Titans runs all the way back to 1997 when the then-Houston Oilers left town and relocated to Nashville. Ever since then, there has been bad blood between these two teams and the Texans will be looking to settle the score.

Visiting the Titans has not been kind to the Texans who are 2-7 when they travel to Nashville.

Rookie QB Jake Locker will be looking to resurrect the Titans this year after they tied the Texans for last place in the AFC South last season. However, the flurry of offseason moves, signings and losses could spell trouble for the Titans this year.

The Texans will come into this game after visiting Baltimore and may be looking to redeem themselves. With the strength of the Texans going into Week 7, and the young leadership of the Titans, I believe that the Texans could notch another win against the Titans in their home stadium.

In order to defeat the Titans, the Texans will have to do a better job of shutting down the run game. Last season's game in Nashville saw Chris Johnson rushing for 132 yards. Meanwhile, Houston's Arian Foster was held to a measly 15 yards on the ground. 

For these two rivals, this game could mean the difference between making the playoffs and being a wildcard team. The Texans, though, are looking to have a break-away season and this win will be an important one for both their win count and their standing in the division.   

Week 12: AWAY vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

While this will be the second game against divisional rival Jacksonville Jaguars, this game, in my opinion, is of more importance to the Texans.

This will be their first game after coming back from their bye week. Last season, the Texans experienced a collapse of epic proportions after they returned from their bye week to face the Colts.

The Jaguars have acquired some key pieces to add depth and strength to their roster. With the addition of LB Paul Posluszny and S Dawan Landry, their pass defense should be much improved.

Their run defense, which held Arian Foster to 56 yards last season, did not improve much in the draft. However, the Jaguars have their own rushing machine, Maurice Jones-Drew, who scorched the Texans for 100 rushing yards at home last season.

Houston must come off the bye week with a steely grit and determination if they wish to beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville. They have a 3-6 road record against the Jaguars and will need to win this game to stay ahead in the division.

Matt Schaub will need to up his game from last year in Jacksonville. He threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns but didn't have much of a performance until after halftime.

It is the defense, though, that lost the game for Houston last year. They allowed the Titans to storm down the field for two touchdowns in the second quarter and then twice again in the fourth quarter, with two plays going for 50-plus yards.

With their much improved defenses, this game could be quite the show. However, the Texans have, in my opinion, the better of the two defenses this year. Look for the Texans to take this game as they move upward in the AFC South.

Week 16: AWAY vs. Indianapolis Colts

The Texans have never beat the Colts in Indianapolis.

This visit to Indy will be the Texans' second game against the defending AFC South champions for the season. If they want to win the division they must, at the least, split with the Colts.

However, if the Texans really want to make an impression in the NFL, beating the Colts in their house would do just that. Defeating Peyton Manning in Indianapolis is a very tall order and should not be taken lightly. Peyton hates to lose, but he hates losing at home even more.

Fortunately for the Colts, last year the Texans showed up late to their own game. They scored only three points in the first half and then went on to score touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarter. Too little, too late.

Going into this game, the Texans and Colts were both 4-2 for the season. This game should have been a fairly even matchup. Many Texans fans blame this loss on the loss of LB DeMeco Ryans, but the fact remains that the offense was stopped cold in the first half. An intercepted pass, returned for a touchdown, did not help the Texans either.

Last year Manning threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns. Those were the only two offensive touchdowns that Indianapolis had. Still, Peyton was able to capitalize on the Texans' porous pass-defense and made their day a long one. Indy RB Mike Hart had a decent game as he was able to amass 85 yards on the ground against the Texans.

Assuming that Matt Schaub is able to complete this game with no turnovers, and that the defense is improved from last season, the Texans could have their first win in Indianapolis.

Winning this game against Indianapolis, in Indianapolis, would launch the Texans momentum going into the final game of the season. This game is of utmost importance to the Texans for two reasons: it would be their first road win against the Colts and it would, most likely, put them in the lead for the AFC South. 

Week 17: HOME vs. Tennessee Titans

Who could forget the epic battle between Tennessee Titans CB Cortland Finnegan and Houston Texans WR Andre Johnson? Surely not the Texans.

Andre Johnson punished Cortland Finnegan and RB Arian Foster punished the Titans defense. Foster rushed for 143 yards and caught passes for another 75 yards as the Texans blanked the Titans 20-0.

I expect that this game will once again be a fiery competition between these two rivals. Last season the Titans came to Houston and disrespected them on their home field—the Texans will not let that happen again.

For the Texans, a win in this game would add another victory and would also increase their standing in the division. Their improved defense should be able to once again hold the Titans to minimal points in this game. The Texans' high-powered offense will go to work against Finnegan and company and should be able to improve on last season's stats.

They will need to be more effective on offense as last year they had only 178 passing yards. While Arian Foster is a great offensive weapon, he can not carry the team on his shoulders alone. Look for the Texans to play a more balanced game and put points on the board early in the game.

The Titans, on the other hand, will be looking to beat the Texans into submission. They will bring pressure on most downs and will try to wear down the Texans defense with a solid run game. Their pass game will not be what it was without Randy Moss, so they will have a more one-sided offense.

Ending the season with a win at home, is very important for the Texans. For years they have overestimated and have come up short of the playoffs. They will be looking to earn respect from the NFL this season, and beating their final opponents, division rivals, would be a proverbial cherry on the top of their 2011 season.