October 19, 2008
Winnin' Pretty Need Not Apply
by Keith Weiland
Keith@IntheBullseye.com

It wasn't easy, but the Texans have in fact found a team much worse than them. That team is named the Lions of Detroit, and they fell to our hometown honeys, 28-21.

The Texans should have made this one look easy. They grabbed a 21-0 lead by the early part of the second quarter, led by an efficient performance from quarterback Matt Schaub, who completed 84 percent of his passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

But it was Schaub who first gave the Lions their first crack back into the game when he fumbled deep in Lions territory just before halftime. It was the only real flaw in an otherwise wonderful first half performance from the team.

The Lions outscored the Texans 18-7 in the second half, proving that (1) the Texans aren't good enough to simply coast against a winless team that is probably the worst in the league and (2) the Lions are probably the worst in the league to have not capitalized on such a lackluster second half performance against a team so inept at winning late as the Texans.

Key Play

It didn't seem quite so important at the time, given the Texans held a 21-10 lead with 3:41 to play in the third quarter, but it would prove to be the difference in the game. On fourth-and-1 from the Detroit 3-yard line, the Texans chose to step on their opponents' throats instead of taking the easy three points.

Schaub, who effectively ran a fourth down draw to beat the Dolphins a week ago, again kept the football to himself, diving forward for a yard and a first down. The Lions challenged the spot though, and replay confirmed that the spot was too generous.

Officials moved the line of scrimmage back to the 2-yard line, and linesman again measured, determining that Schaub had still gained enough for the first down. The Texans would later convert the opportunity into seven points on a short pass from Schaub to tight end Owen Daniels.

Noteworthy though about the challenge was that while the ball was re-spotted, the Lions still lost one of their timeouts. Had the officials chosen not to take away one of their timeouts, the Lions might have had an extra 40 seconds at the end of the game in which to complete their comeback attempt.

Game Balls

Daniels was finally rewarded for his efforts as one of the league's best at his position with two touchdown receptions, his first two scores of the season. Always reliable, Daniels had six receptions for 66 yards against a porous Lions pass defense.

Wide receiver Andre Johnson also turned in yet another stellar performance, catching 11 balls for 141 yards. The offense runs through him first, and over the last three games, he has 30 catches for 450 yards (15.0 ypc) and two scores.

The defense also came out on fire to start the game, thanks presumably to the uplifting return of cornerback Dunta Robinson. It was a rusty performance for Robinson, playing his first game in almost a year after knee and hamstring injuries, but his leadership is sorely needed on the field.

Also worth mentioning was the play of linebacker Zac Diles and defensive end Tim Bulman. Both notched a sack, and Bulman's was particularly important as he dropped Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky on third down with about five minutes remaining in the game, forcing Detroit to kick a field goal.

Key Stat

40:04

The Texans really should have blown this team out with a time of possession number like that one. They jumped ahead to the early lead, which forced the Lions to abandon the run (16 rushes by running backs all game) and any control of the clock.

This game was close because of two plays. The first came off Schaub's fumble when the Texans were poised to go up 28-3 in the second quarter. The second was an inexcusable decision by defensive coordinator Richard Smith to leave cornerback Demarcus Faggins all alone to cover Calvin Johnson, the Lions' most potent weapon. Johnson sped past Petey, who has something of a reputation for getting beat deep by speedy receivers, for a 96-yard touchdown catch, a score that drew the Lions within 10 points following Johnson's successful two-point conversion reception.

But like last week, a win is a win, no matter the opponent. Next Sunday, the Texans will welcome the winless Bengals to town as they will attempt to win a third consecutive game, a feat not yet accomplished in franchise history.

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