Texans vs. Dolphins Week 2: 5 Most Important Things to Know Heading Forward

The Houston Texans' Week 2 victory against the Miami Dolphins was a game in which we learned a good amount about this Texans squad.

The Texans had plenty of things going for them on both sides of the ball and were able to hold off the Dolphins in late-game situations to get the win.

When looking forward to next week's showdown with the New Orleans Saints, the Texans have a lot of things going for them, and a couple things to fix.

1. Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson

The Texans have the quietest, and most underrated, WR-QB combination in the NFL. 

It is scary how in sync these two players are. And against Miami, it was evident again.

Johnson had seven catches for 93 yards in the win.

His one TD was a 23-yard pass from Schaub in the fourth quarter to put the Texans up by a second score. Johnson was able to take advantage of the loss of CB Vontae Davis and use a double move to get past CB Nolan Carrol.

Matt Schaub was his usual self with 230 yards passing while going 21-29. He had two TD. 

With this game, what I saw was a QB that was under solid pressure from a Dolphins' pass rush that featured Cameron Wake and veteran Jason Taylor. 

However, Schaub showed off his ability to read defense and take care of the football. He threw zero INT. 

In all, the Dolphins were able to sack Schaub three times.

However, Schaub was able to stay cool and got the ball to Johnson, even though everyone in the stadium knew where the ball was going.

2. Mario Williams

There was a lot of talk (and doubt) about whether or not Mario Williams could make the switch from DE to LB.

After his performance against the Dolphins (and Indianapolis Colts too), there is no more doubt.

Williams is now one of the best LB in the NFL.

He is able to punish offensive linemen off the edge and make plays for the Texans defense in the backfield.

Against Miami, Williams did not get a sack, but he was still very effective.

He deflected a pass and was constantly putting pressure on QB Chad Henne.

So, where are all those critics of Williams that were so vocal before the season started?

Ever since the Texans selected him first overall in 2006, in front of USC standout RB Reggie Bush, Williams has faced adversity and doubt.

And yet again, Williams faced his haters and he has silenced them.

3. Arian Who?

Ben Tate has Texan fans not worried about the running game after Arian Foster got injured. 

The former Auburn Tiger has 219 yards in two games, good for 4.7 yards per carry. He also has a TD.

He has shown a return to the explosiveness and ability that made him a second-round pick out of Auburn.

He was due to start ahead of Foster last season before Tate got injured in the preseason.

He is a downhill runner that will really attack the line of scrimmage. Tate is a great talent and can be a feature back.

Tate is currently the third top rusher in the NFL and if he keeps this up, head coach Gary Kubiak will have a tough decision when Foster is finally healthy. 

Let's say week four or five we see Foster come back healthy and Tate is still performing at such a high level. What does head coach Gary Kubiak do?

Maybe ease him back into the game with 10-15 carries, but to go back to his normal carry load would be a mistake.

First, you always run the risk of aggravating a hamstring injury, so a slow transition into playing time would be beneficial.

Also, in a NFL with premiere backs not lasting very long before breaking down, keeping a two-back system will keep these players around for longer. This means Houston can have a formidable running game for a very long time.

There is no reason to jeopardize Foster's future when they have Ben Tate on the roster. Why not use him?

4. Johnathan Joseph

CB Johnathan Joseph got his first interception as a Texan and defended three passes.

All while defending Dolphins WR Brandon Marshall and overcoming an ankle injury.

Joseph was the big free agent acquisition for the Texans this offseason and has taken over for Kareem Jackson as the number one CB.

His cover skills were much needed as the Texans were able to hold Marshall to just 79 receiving yards.

The only TD for Marshall was scored in the third quarter while Joseph was out because of injury. 

Overall, the Texans secondary only allowed 170 yards for QB Chad Henne.

Kareem Jackson even played well and we are seeing that he can do well when he has help around him on the secondary.

Jackson had a forced fumble in a big moment in the third quarter when the Dolphins were threatening to score.

Overall, Joseph is leading a resurgent Texans secondary that is looking to regain respect that was lost last season.

5. What Things Need Fixing?

While the Texans have been playing well, they face a huge test this week against the New Orleans Saints.

Let's be real for a moment. They beat up on a Colts team that also lost to the Cleveland Browns this past week and is minus QB Peyton Manning.

Then they beat a Dolphins team that, while not a terrible team, is still not expected to do much this season. 

Also, the game was basically at a neutral field as thousands of empty seats could be seen, even for a "sellout" game in Miami. 

The Saints will be the first, true test for this Texans team.

The Texans defense was a bend-but-not-break defense against QB Chad Henne.

The Dolphins moved the ball decently for the lean 13 points they scored.

Miami had just three first downs less than Houston and had 300-plus yards total offense. Houston's rookie DE J.J. Watt blocked a Dan Carpenter FG kick. Carpenter also went on to miss another FG later.

The Texans may not be so fortunate against the Saints. In fact, I have to imagine if the Saints get that close for a FG, they will probably punch it in for the TD, rather than flounder like Henne and the Dolphins did.

Also, the Texans offensive line struggled a bit against the Dolphins rush. Eric Winston was called for some holding penalties and Schaub was having to move his feet quite often.

I do think this can be a good offensive line. They can do better to protect Schaub and give him extra time. Schaub works better when he is able stand back in the pocket and go through his progressions.

While he does have the ability to avoid sacks and take care of the football, Schaub is most effective in the pocket, with time.