Matt Schaub Injury: Loss of QB Won't Keep Houston Texans from Division Crown

The Houston Texans have to feel about as unlucky as a 7-3 division leader possibly could.

They started the season with starting running back Arian Foster injured, lost All-World wideout Andre Johnson early in the year (he still hasn't returned), and lost star linebacker Mario Williams shortly after that.

Now, it appears quarterback Matt Schaub is done for the season. 

In his stead, former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart will assume quarterbacking duties. 

Monday, Nov. 14 at 6:35 p.m. EST

Leinart had this to say to the Texans via Twitter.

Monday, Nov. 14 at 6:47 p.m. EST

Leinart added this, also via the Texans' Twitter page.

Now, Leinart is certainly a far from ideal option; he hasn't thrown a pass since '09, has a career quarterback rating of 70.8, and has 14 career touchdown passes against 20 picks (most of those numbers coming with the Arizona Cardinals).

What the Texans do have is an incredible running game, a good defense, and a schedule that's not unmanageable. 

Take a look at it, keeping in mind that they have a bye this weekend:

Date	Opponent	Opponent's current record
Nov. 27	at Jacksonville	3-6
Dec. 4	vs. Atlanta	5-4
Dec. 11	at Cincinnati	6-3
Dec. 18	vs. Carolina	2-7
Dec. 22	at Indianapolis	0-10
Jan. 1	vs. Tennessee	5-4

Now, I don't think you can just assume that all of the teams above .500 will beat the Texans, but for a second, let's say that they do—will the Texans lose to the Jaguars, Panthers and Colts? 

If they win two of those three games and lose everything else, the Texans finish 9-7. I'll admit that I have been a little harsh on the Titans, but I don't like their chances of getting to that mark. 

Tennessee's next four games are at Atlanta, vs. Tampa Bay, at Buffalo, and vs. New Orleans. That's a pretty rough stretch.

Also, look at that last game on Houston's schedule—the Texans have already handily defeated the Titans in Tennessee. 

They did that with a dominant rushing attack and defense, and none of that is lost without Schaub.

Now, I am not saying the loss won't hurt—the Texans are going to have a hard time in the playoffs without their quarterback, but I can't say that I really liked their chances with him.

So, while the Texans will miss Schaub, don't look for his absence to cost them anything in terms of the playoffs. Being 7-3 gives the Texans a pretty good head start.