September 21, 2008
Texans Powerless in Ike's Aftermath
by Keith Weiland
Keith@IntheBullseye.com

Much like ItB.com's still-sweltering headquarters, the Texans found themselves lacking electricity in a 31-12 defeat to the Titans in Nashville. Trying to mount a seemingly achievable comeback, the Texans failed miserably when given chance after chance in the redzone, turning the ball over twice on downs and once by interception.

Fresh off a Hurricane Ike-induced bye week, it was the second of two ugly starts for quarterback Matt Schaub. Off-target and out of sorts for most of the game, Schaub was sacked three times and threw three interceptions to go with his 188 yards passing and 46 percent efficiency. It didn't help that his best target, receiver Andre Johnson, had an unusually poor day as well, including a drop of a sure touchdown bomb in the second half.

Key Play

Despite Schaub's subpar afternoon, the Texans' efforts to climb back into the game seemed to be undermined by some questionable coaching decisions and playcalling. The team notably missed two opportunities to challenge plays that led to the Titans' second touchdown, and they curiously eschewed field goal opportunities in the third and fourth quarter that if converted might have drawn the deficit to within a single touchdown.

The game undeniably ended though on the team's final fourth down attempt, this time coming on the Titans' 11-yard line with 1:17 left in the game. Down 24-12 and out of timeouts, Schaub hurried the offense to the line of scrimmage so that he could loft a softball to defensive back Cortland Finnegan and watch him return the interception 99 yards for a touchdown.

Game Balls

Just one game ball today, and it goes to running back Steve Slaton. Assuming the starting responsibilities for the injured Ahman Green (thanks for the extra $200k, Batman!), Slaton carried the ball 18 times for 116 yards and a touchdown. His statistical bonanza came mostly on a nifty 50-yard run, but even taking that out, he still averaged nearly four yards per attempt.

Key Stat

1-6, 16%

The team's redzone efficiency did them in more than anything else. Schaub has not proven himself to have the poise in this area of the field, and honestly, the braintrust feeding him the plays isn't really doing him any favors, either.

This sort of effectiveness, both on the field and on the sideline, was cute the last two years as the young passer and coaches were learning their way in the NFL, but not anymore. This is year three of Texans v2, and the time for excuses is over.

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