How about Gary Kubiak lighting his guys up on the sideline!? Cue people saying “he should do that all the time!!” Guess what, when you do it all the time – it doesn’t work. (By the way, the best thing about that picture – the look on Jacoby Jones’ face in the upper left corner.) Anyway, so that was just about the most exhausting win I’ve ever had to endure as a football fan.
Incredible highs: The blocked field goal/TD return at the end of the first half. The interception return/TD at the end of the game.
Incredible lows: The penalties that wiped out both of those plays, and of course – watching Andre Johnson fall to the ground in agony without being touched by a defender is like being a real life victim in the movie “SAW” (or having to watch one of the sequels).
If you read the game preview/Q&A at the Steeler blog I linked earlier today, you’ll see it pretty much was as simple as I made it out to be. The Texans got to the QB – and the Texans won. Simple, right? Hardly. I feel like I need an IV.
The Texans started the game with a dream scenario. A huge 19 play, 95-yard, 11 minute drive that was was INCREDIBLE to watch. They slapped the Steelers all over the field on that drive with ease. So much for the Texans being physically soft.
Following that, we were reminded that Arian Foster is pretty good. Some of us didn’t need to be reminded, but I’m sure those of you who thought Tate was at least close to Foster will step slowly back into the shadows now. Foster, who claimed in an postgame interview that he has three lungs, carried 30 times for 155 yards, including a 42-yard TD run. Tack on three catches for 11 yards as well. How great a feeling was it to see Foster out there running free, making HARD cuts, and showing NO hesitation whatsoever?
Andre’s injury is terrifying. It looks like the best case scenario at this point is that he misses a few weeks, but I’m still afraid the actual scenario is going to play out worse. He is apparently having an MRI on Sunday night, so hopefully we will know more on Monday.
Without Andre Johnson, you could already see the safeties playing up more than they usually would. Losing Andre is a season-changer, even if he only misses a couple of games. There’s just so much more you can do with Andre than without him. That said, if the Texans can lean on Foster as much as they did today, they may be able to weather the storm until 80 comes back.
I have seen a LOT of angry people regarding the two wiped out Johnathan Joseph touchdowns. Here’s how I see them:
On the blocked field goal – the idiot refs never named who the penalty was against. It was assumed to be Danieal Manning, but on the replay you can also see Brian Cushing laying a guy out 20 yards behind the play, and kinda sorta on the side/in the back. If the flag was on Cushing – it seemed to be the right call, unless there’s a stipulation saying that refs shouldn’t throw the flag if it does not affect the play. If the flag was on Manning, then yes – it wasn’t a “good” call, but it was close enough that I can see why the refs threw the flag. I mean, it was the punter. He was behind JOHNATHAN JOSEPH. He wasn’t going to catch Joseph, and Manning should have known that.
On the JJ Watt play – seeing a replay online, he got pushed into the quarterback’s legs, period. My first reaction to it was “correct call, horrible rule.” But seeing the replay – he didn’t “hit the QB low,” he instead got shoved into the QB’s legs. Bad call… and it robbed Joseph of what could have been his second defensive touchdown of the day.
Jason Allen did make two big plays in today’s game. Obviously the game-clinching interception was huge, and he had that HUGE jarring hit that kept Hines Ward from making a key catch. Unfortunately for most of the rest of the game, it seemed to me that he was getting killed out there. The pass rush was SO good in this game, however, that it ended up not being an issue (barely). Allen should absolutely start whether or not Kareem Jackson is healthy (sincerely – last season), and I think it may turn out that way… but let’s not get crazy. Jason Allen is NOT good – he’s simply less bad than Kareem Jackson.
So here comes the classic letdown game. The Raiders come to Houston next week, but this is a Raider team that physically beat up on the New York Jets defense last week. They can run the ball like mad, which is a weakness of this Texans defense. If the Texans start falling in love with themselves, the Raiders can easily come to Reliant and punch them in the mouth.
Play of the game: So many choices. The batted ball by Connor Barwin on a Steelers 4th down just before the two-minute warning. The aforementioned hit on Hines Ward by Jason Allen. The back-to-back sacks by Antonio Smith and Mario Williams midway through the 4th quarter. But I have to go with the special teams.
With just over a minute left in the game, punter Brett Hartmann hung a punt up in the air long enough for Brice McCain to make a NICE leap, catch and toss to rookie Brandon Harris, who downed the ball at the one yard-line.
THAT. WAS. BEAUTIFUL.
On the very next play, JJ Watt got to Ben Roethlisberger for what SHOULD have been the game ending pressure, causing the interception return TD by Johnathan Joseph… but we know how that turned out.
So that’s my vote for play of the game, and it’s nice to say there were MANY to choose from.
Great win. It sure feels like a “signature” win for the franchise right now, but we just won’t know until we see how the season plays out.
Finally, Antonio Smith:
Oct 2, 2011 at 21:07:06
If Johnson is out for the year (worst case), do we work out T.O.?
Oct 3, 2011 at 00:32:57
Our team beat the Steelers at their own game today (a feat which not many teams in the league can even fathom). The Watt hit on Roth was increadibly reminiscent on the play which (to a large degree) ended Carson Palmers career some years ago. The Allen hit on Ward was just poetic!! A gruesome hit on a nasty player. Such a satisfying win! Enjoy it boys!
Oct 3, 2011 at 08:47:32
I liked the move Foster did on Polamalu to avoid a tackle for a loss. Very impressive footwork. and of course his TD run was nice too.
Oct 3, 2011 at 11:11:20
@j.D.
No. Kubes walks over to Jacoby and says
“play like AJ or you’re fired”.
No raised voices. No smiles. Just truth.
Now there’s no way that JJ = AJ, but if he’s 70%, then we should still take the division. And he keeps his job.
Oct 3, 2011 at 18:58:35
Just a thought, but perhaps if at some point yall change your mind on changing the main picture of the blog, might I suggest Antonio Smith in Vonta’s stead? Smith exploded when put at the nose (unless I missed that it was a nickel with 2 linemen on that play..), and he’s been stellar all season.
I completely agree with the pick of McCain’s punt stop for the play of the game; I think I would vote Mario’s solo wrap-up & sack of Big Ben as 2nd place. Ben had been downed all day by 2/3+ guys, but that sack was all Mario, grabbing the jersey, making the adjustment, and wrapping up then bringin ‘em down.
I felt bad for Nolan, I’m always hopin/gunnin for ‘em to get a pick.
I think eventually the Texans will get over these dumb penalties (regardless the calls’ accuracy) at least on defense, and when they do, Joseph & Co. will start to really show up and not only turnovers but defensive points will start to show up. Joseph’s gonna get a score sooner or later; if I’m not mistaken that’s like the 3rd shot he’s had that’s been wiped out by a penalty.
I think when considering cornerbacks as a group league-wide and the expectations/responsibilities, Allen is maybe average, he’s not horrible, he’s just not a high-end player, so he’s gonna get burned at times, but he’s still got a chance to make plays like that INT.
Oct 3, 2011 at 19:01:48
I think the absence of Andre could lead to a lot more plays by Daniels, Dreesen, and Casey–particularly Casey, cuz if the Texans utilize him in such a manner that it causes teams to start paying attention to what he’s doing, which could/would open up opportunities for the WRs on the outside, and thus the TEs & the RBs as well.
Oct 5, 2011 at 10:37:16
@Eddietherac
I’m still a huge fan of using James Casey on play action. Let him run up fullback style and plug the MIKE, then roll off of him and catch a PA pass.
If we give Casey a break out game, then we can start doing little things like lining him up in the backfield then motioning him out wide, and, if he has been a credible threat before, he will either earn a defender (opening up the field for a single-back Foster run), or Schaub can audible to a three-step-drop button hook to Casey for 5-6 plus what he can get on his own.
And didn’t he play QB at Rice? Am I the only one who would love to see a FB dive-fake into a FB pass deep to AJ (who would be open because the corner would either bite on the fake or sit down due to the run play)