The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Houston Texans 23-6 at Reliant Stadium to improve to 9-6 and keep their playoff hopes alive.

Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder played efficiently, completing 16 of 30 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown. Ponder connected with tight-end Kyle Rudolph on a three yard play action pass to go ahead 7-3. Ponder’s favorite receiver was rookie Jarius Wright, who caught five passes for 53 yards.

Running back Adrian Peterson carried the ball 25 times for 86 yards. This was Peterson’s first game being held under 100 yards after running for over 100 in the last eight games. Peterson needs 208 yards to surpass Eric Dickerson’s single-season rushing record.

Vikings rookie kicker Blair Walsh hit three field goals from 39, 41 and 56 yards to help Minnesota stay ahead. Walsh broke an NFL record with nine field goals of 50 yards or longer.

The Houston Texans offense was out of sync the entire day and was only able to compile 187 total yards. Quarterback Matt Schaub completed 18 of 32 passes for 178 yards. This was Schaub’s fourth game this season without throwing a touchdown pass and the Texans lost three of those four games.

Schaub’s favorite target was wideout Andre Johnson, who hauled in seven passes for 97 yards. Back-up quarterback T.J. Yates came in on Houston’s final drive. Running back Arian Foster was limited to 10 carries for 15 yards and one fumble. His 1.5 yards per carry was a season worse for the four year back. Foster left the game because of an irregular heart beat.

Texans defensive lineman J.J. Watt recorded one sack to expand his total to 20.5 sacks. Watt needs 2.5 sacks to surpass Michael Strahan’s single season record.

The Vikings will have another tough match-up next week against NFC North rivals the Green Bay Packers. The Texans will end the season next week against AFC South rivals the Indianapolis Colts and will look to clinch home field advantage in the playoffs.

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Wins are wins, and the Houston Texans will take them however they come.

Matt Schaub had only 95 passing yards and one touchdown, Arian Foster accumulated 102 yards on 29 carries, and Houston (8-1) exited Soldier Field with a tooth-and-nail 13-7 victory over the Chicago Bears (7-2) on Sunday night.

Even with heavy rain, strong wind, brisk temperaturesa and all, the Texans tied with the Atlanta Falcons for the league’s best record by the end of the night.

“It’s huge for us, we were 7-1 going in, to come out 8-1 in a hostile place, given the weather and the team we were playing, that’s a tough group to go against,” said Schaub.

Sloppiness throughout the night didn’t come to a surprise for anyone with the weather being as brutal as it was. Chicago turned the ball over four times with two Jay Cutler interceptions and two fumbles. Schaub equaled as many picks as Cutler, making him responsible for all of Houston’s turnovers.

A 51 yard Robbie Gould field goal put the Bears on the board and tied the game at 3 with 12:52 remaining in the second quarter.

The Texans went into the locker room with a 10-3 lead following a 2 yard diving touchdown reception by Foster into the right pylon with about four minutes left in the half.

Cutler would not return in the second half due to a concussion suffered late in the second quarter. Texans linebacker Tim Dobbins laid a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cutler as he stood in there and let one go downfield. Dobbins was hit with a personal foul penalty.

Former Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders starting quarterback, Jason Campbell, replaced Cutler, who completed seven of 14 attempts for 40 yards.

Campbell made a handful of quality throws, but was unable to come through late in the fourth quarter, trailing 13-6.

Unsure of Jay Cutler’s status for the Bears next game, receiver, Brandon Marshall, stated “In the meantime, Campbell is more than capable. There was no heads hanged down when Jay was down. There was no complaining. We understand we have a starting quarterback in the backup so we’re fortunate to have him. There will be no drop off in our offense.”

For Houston, this was about a lot more than just one game.

“I think we showed them we can win any game, any situation, any time, any place, tough weather conditions, tough place on the road, a very good football team,” said defensive end J.J. Watt. “We won, so say what you want.”

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Defensive end Mario Williams returned to Houston a much richer man on Sunday after signing a six-year, $100 million contract during the offseason with the Buffalo Bills.

The Houston Texans, off to their best start in franchise history, showed their #1 overall pick of the 2006 draft first hand that they’re doing fine without him.

Matt Schaub threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns, Arian Foster racked up 111 yards on the ground, Andre Johnson totaled 118 yards on eight receptions, and the Texans (7-1) notched another one in the win column with a 21-9 victory over Williams and the Bills (3-5).

“We’re happy to be 7-1 at the halfway mark,” said Schaub. “But we’re not finished. We’ve got to go into a tough environment against a very good team next Sunday night.”

The Texans never made Williams any type of offer once he hit the free agent market, but their defense hasn’t missed a single beat in their first season without him since ‘06, as they’re ranked fourth in the league in points allowed, surrendering an average of just 17.1 per game.

He finished the game with five tackles and one sack.

Leading 14-9 early in the fourth quarter, Houston capped off an 11-play, 68-yard drive when Schaub tossed a five-yard touchdown pass to tight end Garrett Graham on 3^rd and 5 with 11:25 remaining to extend the lead to two possessions at 21-9.

Their defense closed out from there. They imposed their will on Houston all day long, specifically in the run game. Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had 239 yards through the air on 25 completions, but running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson combined for just 60 yards on 12 rushes.

“We didn’t want to let them run the football,” said Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. “We had to stop the running game and I thought we did that.”

A 39-yard touchdown grab by tight end Owen Daniels gave the Texans the first score of the game with less than a minute left in the first quarter. Buffalo knocked through two field goals for the only other points of the first half.

Taking advantage of a short field following a 26yard punt return by receiver and special teams extraordinaire Brad Smith, Houston had to go just 43 yards to get into the end zone with a three-yard Foster run and push their lead to 14-9. Foster had four carries and nine yards on the drive, and was set up by a 34-yard catch by Johnson.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak wasn’t thrilled with his team’s performance, given that it wasn’t at its most dominating offensively or in the defensive passing game. Nonetheless, he’ll take it.

“We did a lot of things that are not good enough for us to win consistently,” Kubiak said. “But yet we found a way to survive.”

Houston will travel north for what would appear to be one of the most intriguing games of the year thus far: a battle with another 7-1 heavyweight, The Chicago Bears.

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The Baltimore Ravens (5-2) have been one of the AFC’s dominant forces for as long as anyone can remember. Tell that to the Houston Texans (6-1), in case their 43-13 shellacking of the Ravens in Houston wasn’t enough.

After getting thumped by the Green Bay Packers last Sunday night in front of a national audience, this is exactly how the Texans dreamed of bouncing back.

Baltimore held a slim lead for the majority of the game’s opening quarter, but a 25-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schaub to receiver Kevin Walter with 30 seconds remaining in the frame gave the Texans their first lead of the day at 9-3.

They never looked back.

“We were really into what we were doing,” said Texans head coach Gary Kubiak, “and we were there all day long, so it was a good team effort.”

Houston made absolutely sure to take advantage of the absence of Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who had been placed on injured reserve earlier in the week with a torn tricep. Of the 43 points the Texans put up, 34 came via their offense. The other 9 resulted from an early safety and a Johnathan Joseph 52-yard interception return touchdown early in the second quarter.

Schaub threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns on 23 of 37 attempts. Running back Arian Foster also found the end zone twice, and converted 19 carries into 98 yards.

By halftime the Texans had run out to a staggering 29-3 lead over the team that was just one catch away from representing the AFC in the Super Bowl last year. The game was all but over.

Joe Flacco, who seemed to be improving week by week, had a day he’d love to forget. He was picked off twice, tossed just one touchdown and had only 147 yards passing.

“They played well. We didn’t,” Flacco said, “They played fast and we just weren’t able to stand up to it today and give it a good fight.”

Both teams now enter their bye week. While Baltimore will have to wait an extra week for the opportunity to redeem themselves, the Texans will spend that time aspiring to build upon their nearly flawless performance.

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The Green Bay Packers kicked it up a notch on offensive and defense, handing the Houston Texans their first defeat of the season in a pummeling 42-24 victory at Reliant Stadium.

Despite missing wide receiver Greg Jennings due to a lagging groin injury and running back Cedric Benson who will be out for at least eight weeks with a Lisfranc foot injury, the Packers offense played their best football of the season over top ranked Houston Texans defense.

The Packers have struggled all season long to get on the scoreboard in the first quarter. Green Bay was able to punch in two touchdowns in the first quarter against the Texans, matching their first quarter point’s performance in their five previous games.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with wide receiver Jordy Nelson on a 41 yard pass for the first touchdown in the game on the Packers first drive. Nelson had a season high nine catches for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Also in the first quarter, Rodgers connected with receiver, James Jones for a six yard touchdown. The six-year wide out, punched in another score late to finish off the Texans. Jones has already matched last season’s seven touchdowns six weeks into the 2012 season. This was also Jones’ third consecutive game with two touchdowns. Speedy slot receiver, Randall Cobb also had an extremely productive performance catching seven passes for 102 yards.

Rodgers had a season high through the air passing for 338 yards and six touchdowns; tying a franchise record with ex- Packer Matt Flynn for the most touchdowns throw in a single game. Rodgers was extremely efficient finishing the game with a season best 133.8 passer rating.

Tight-end Jermichael Finely continues to struggle for the Packers with penalties and dropped passes, although ailing a shoulder injury. Luckily back-up tight-end Tom Crabtree picked up the load with two catches for 62 yards and one touchdown.

Green Bay was fortunate enough to get several second chance opportunities which turned into points because of foolish penalties on Houston’s defense and special teams.

A.J Hawk was the Packers anchor on defense, compiling 10 total tackles and one sack. Green Bay’s defense held Texans quarterback Matt Schaub without a touchdown pass. In addition they contained one of the best running backs in the game, Arian Foster to 29 yards on 17 carries. The Packers also forced three turnovers. Rookie cornerback, Casey Hayward continues to make a name for himself picking off Schaub two times. Hayward has an interception in two consecutive games. Also cornerback, Sam Shields snagged his first interception of the year along with having four tackles.

Unfortunately, Green Bay was hit with the injury bug again this week. Linebackers, D.J Smith and Nick Perry both left Sunday’s game with knee injuries. The Packers are becoming very thin at the linebacker position and have yet to find out if either Smith or Perry will miss extensive time.

A well-deserved win brings the Packers back to .500 (3-3) but still sit in third place behind Chicago and Minnesota. Green Bay will be on the road again next week against the St. Louis Rams.

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As dysfunctional and circus-like as the New York Jets (2-3) have been this season, the undefeated Houston Texans (5-0) nearly didn’t make it out of East Rutherford, New Jersey with their fifth consecutive win.

Thanks to Arian Foster’s 152 yards on 29 carries, including a 13 yard touchdown run to break a 7-7 tie with 11:11 remaining in the first half, the Texans staved off the surging Jets in the fourth quarter for their first win against New York in franchise history, 23-17.

“Arian stepped up and played huge,” said Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, who only completed 14 of 28 pass attempts for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. “We’re very excited to be 5-0 and get a win on the road.”

Mark Sanchez’s 27 yard touchdown pass to tight end Jeff Cumberland, which tied the game at seven late in the first quarter, was exactly the spark that the Jets had been looking for from their painfully anemic offense.

Two crucial interceptions thrown by Sanchez, however, overshadowed his 230 yards through the air and impressive touchdown pass. One was tipped by Texans’ defensive end, J.J. Watt, and returned all the way back to the New York nine yard line by cornerback, Brice McCain, with just 14 seconds left in the first half and the Jets only trailing 14-7 at the time.

McCain’s pick completely flipped the complexion of the game. What could have been a tied or four point game entering halftime with the Jets having moved the ball 81 yards all the way down to the Houston 12 yard line, suddenly became a two possession 17-7 Texans’ lead going into the locker room after the interception was converted into a short field goal.

Many speculated throughout the week that this could be the game where backup, Tim Tebow, could finally receive more snaps and make a case for replacing Sanchez as the starting quarterback. Unfortunately, Tebow only substituted for Sanchez on six plays, throwing one pass, an incompletion downfield, and totaling 19 yards with five option rushes.

Sanchez’s second and final interception came at the most inopportune time for the struggling Jets. Behind 23-17 with less than three and a half minutes left in the game, New York, despite their inability to contain Foster or find any true offensive flow, found themselves with the football at their own 16 yard line with a chance to steal the game.

“I honestly thought we were going to drive down the field and score a touchdown on the last drive,” Jets wide receiver Chaz Schilens said. “It’s not going the right way.”

The Jets would make it as far as their own 32 before Sanchez’s pass to Cumberland popped up in the air and was intercepted on 3^rd and 18 by cornerback, Kareem Jackson.

A steady diet of Foster handoffs after the Houston takeaway ran out all but 4 seconds on the clock, and the Texans survived.

“It’s definitely our best start,” said Texans tight end, Owen Daniels, who hauled in a wide open 34 yard touchdown reception on the game’s opening possession. “And a big part of that is it doesn’t matter on this team about stats or individually what is going on. It’s great to be a part of something like that.”

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Danieal Manning and Kareem Jackson each returned an interception for a touchdown, Matt Schaub threw for two touchdowns and 208 yards, Arian Foster found the end zone once and by the end of the day the Houston Texans (4-0) were able to finally claim that they made it out of the month of September undefeated for the first time in their history.

It took four games into the franchise’s 11^th NFL season, but a convincing 38-14 victory over the Tennessee Titans (1-3) on Sunday in Texas brought Houston to what had previously been uncharted territory – the land of 4-0.

“Feels like we are little kids in the backyard, having fun,” said Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who recorded two sacks and a fumble recovery. “We literally do not care who gets the credit.”

Titans quarterback Jake Locker exited the game for good after injuring his left shoulder during Tennessee’s second offensive series following a blitzing hit from Texans safety Glover Quin. The second year quarterback had the same shoulder banged up in the season opener against the New England Patriots.

“I didn’t see [Quin],” Locker said. “I would have done something if I had seen it.”

Veteran quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck, who was demoted to the backup role this season, filled in for Locker for the remainder of the game. He had just 193 passing yards to go along with two interceptions and a lost fumble.

“It’s frustrating because I feel like we’re not that far away,” Hasselbeck said. “But we didn’t play great and we had turnovers and I was a part of three of them. It’s just frustrating because I know we’re capable of a lot more.”

An 11 yard touchdown pass to fullback James Casey capped off a seven play, three minute and nineteen second drive on the game’s opening series. With about less than a minute remaining in the first quarter, Foster punched in a run from four yards out to extend the Houston lead to 14-0.

Tennessee tight end Craig Stevens’ 19 yard touchdown reception with 7:52 left in the first half cut the deficit in half at 14-7. The score would not change going into halftime.

The game turned with less than 10 minutes on the clock in the third quarter when Texans veteran cornerback Danieal Manning intercepted a deep pass by Hasselbeck and returned it 55 yards for the score.

Schaub threw his second and final touchdown pass to tight end Owen Daniels late in the third, and the Texans were running away with it, up 28-7.

Houston’s defense imposed its will. They would only give up another seven points the rest of the game, which came on an 11 yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Kendall Wright during the final minutes of the fourth quarter, once the game was well in hand.

It wasn’t a perfect day for Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, however. His crew had a great deal of difficulty trying to contain Titans running back Chris Johnson. Johnson posted 141 yards on 25 carries.

“It was a pretty good game,” Johnson said. “We ran the ball. I felt like my offensive line went out there and did a great job from the first snap, just getting up on guys, pushing those guys back, and just giving me somewhere to run.”

Ten fourth quarter points for the Texans, seven of which came as a result of an interception taken all the way back 63 yards by cornerback Kareem Jackson, was plenty enough to seal the comfortable victory.

But despite not having tasted defeat a quarter of the way through the season, Schaub refused to make too much of the feat.

“There is a lot of things we can correct from this game,” said Schaub, “but we are fortunate to be 4-0.”

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The only thing the Houston Texans (3-0) did wrong on Sunday was not allow quarterback Matt Schaub to go home with his entire left ear intact. Other than that, they took care of business the way they had it planned all week.

On a high hit handed out by Denver linebacker Joe Mays, which warranted a flag, Schaub severely cut his left ear and had to come out of the game for a play. It turned out that a chunk of the lobe actually fell off.

“I felt fine,” Schaub said. “I just lost a piece of my ear. I was bleeding and my helmet came off. So, I had to come out for a play, but I was fine.”

Schaub threw for 290 yards and four touchdowns, Arian Foster tallied 105 yards on 25 carries and the Texans held on late to clinch their third consecutive win to open the season, defeating Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos (1-2) on the road, 31-25.

“We knew that we had to try to get the ball downfield because they had a lot of people committed to the run,” said Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. “We did what we had to do to win, convinced them that we had to make some big plays and they did.”

Houston responded to Denver’s quick five points at the outset with a 60 yard Andre Johnson touchdown to gain a 7-5 lead at the 6:38 mark of the first quarter.

They never trailed again from that point on.

A three yard touchdown pass to Foster and 52 yard strike to receiver Kevin Walter later, the Texans had extended to a 21-5 advantage less than midway through the second quarter.

By halftime the Broncos were not done, though, as they were able to cut it to a 10 point game with two field goals before entering the locker room.

A dominant third quarter by the Texans in which they outscored the Broncos 10-0 put a considerable amount of distance between the two at 31-11.

It appeared to be over, but Manning, as he has always done, would not go down without swinging.

Manning found his old battery mate from his Indianapolis days, Brandon Stokley, for 38 yards and a touchdown to trim the deficit to 31-18 with just under 10 minutes remaining in the fourth.

Another Manning touchdown pass with exactly three minutes left to go gave the Broncos an opportunity to win the game if they could find a way to come up with a much needed stop.

But that didn’t happen, as Schaub found Johnson down the left sideline on a critical 3rd and 5 in Houston territory. They were eventually forced to punt, but by that time the Broncos were left on their 14 yard line with just 20 seconds on the clock.

They tried to pull off a lateral-laced miracle as the clock struck zero, but to no avail.

“Second week in a row we lost by six points,” said Broncos head coach John Fox. “It’s the second week in a row we started very slowly. Different side of the ball this time.”

“We have to learn from this game, address it, be honest, everybody needs to be accountable and try to improve forward,” Manning said. “It’s not the ideal situation. Everybody would love to be 3-0. That’s not the way it is right now.”

While Manning and his new crew are still trying to find themselves, Schaub and the Texans just keep rolling along, even if pieces of body parts are literally being torn off.

Said Kubiak of Schaub’s performance, “Boy, he played like a champ today.”

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Unlike the case in their season opener last week, the Houston Texans (2-0) had no problem whatsoever getting off to a quick start. Houston relentlessly imposed their will on their AFC South rival – the Jacksonville Jaguars (0-2) – throughout a 27-7 Week 2 victory on Sunday down in North Florida.

Quarterback Matt Schaub didn’t throw a touchdown and the defense only forced one turnover, but none of those factors prevented the Texans from putting up 10 points the first quarter, seven in the second and the third and three more in the fourth.

Domination on the ground propelled Houston from start to finish, as running back Arian Foster totaled 110 yards and one touchdown on 28 carries. As if that wasn’t enough, his backup, Ben Tate, complemented him with 12 attempts, 74 yards and two trips to the endzone of his own. Foster’s one yard touchdown run with 15 seconds remaining in the first quarter capped off a six-play, 42-yard drive to extend the Texans 3-0 lead to 10-0. Tate’s first touchdown came from eight yards out a little more than halfway through the second quarter to make it a 17-0 Houston advantage. He would go on to add a two yard scoring rush late in the third, pushing the Texans further ahead, 24-7, following Jacksonville’s only points of the day, which came on a five yard touchdown pass by Blaine Gabbert to Maurice Jones-Drew.

Gabbert had a day he’d certainly like to forget, completing just seven of 19 passes. However, he made sure to hold his Jaguars teammates accountable as well. “We killed ourselves,” said Gabbert. “We were 0 for 9 on third down, just a lack of execution. Had a bunch of mental mistakes. We just shot ourselves in the foot. And you can’t win football games in the NFL by doing that.”

Jaguars first year head coach Mike Mularkey removed Gabbert in the fourth quarter for precautionary reasons due to a “strain in the back of his leg.” Jones-Drew, Jacksonville’s main offensive weapon and last year’s league rushing leader, finished with a mere 60 yards on 12 carries.

“All of it was weird,” Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. “We’ve got to fight. We’re not in too big a hole. We’ve got to climb out of that hole and pull it together.”

Houston added a fourth quarter field goal to give themselves a 27-7 lead – the same score they would win by. The Texans dominated on both sides of the ball, outgaining Jacksonville 411 to 117 in yardage. “We were mad that we started slow last game so we came out here with a mission, a goal, to start fast,” said Texans defensive end J.J. Watt. “Two 20-point wins the first two weeks? That’s what you’re supposed to do. If we can just stay focused on our goals, we should be fine.”

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The Houston Texans were able to overcome a sluggish start in a big way during Sunday’s home and season opener at Reliant Stadium against the Miami Dolphins. A 24 point second quarter explosion following a scoreless first quarter paved the road toward a rather easy 30-10 win for the defending AFC South champions.

“I liked the way we were able to work through our uneasiness early in the game and be a darn good football team there in the second quarter,” said Texans head coach Gary Kubiak.

Houston quarterback Matt Schaub, who announced after the game that he had agreed to a four year, $62 million contract extension through the 2016 season, completed 20 of 31 passes for 266 yards and one touchdown in his first game back after fracturing his right foot back in Week 10 of last season.

With his previous contract due to expire at the conclusion of this season, Schaub stated, “I’m excited for it to be done and over with so every ounce of focus and energy can be directed to this season.”

Wide receiver Andre Johnson and running back Arian Foster, Houston’s other two offensive stars, made eight catches for 119 yards and one touchdown, and had 79 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries, respectively.

But it was the Texans stingy defense that was the big story. After surrendering a field goal late in the first quarter to fall behind 3-0 to the Dolphins, lead by rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who was selected 8^th overall in this summer’s draft, the Texans did not allow another score until a 72 yard punt return touchdown by Marcus Thigpen during the beginning stages of the second half.

And considering that those points came on special teams, it was exactly the type of day the Texans defense was hoping for.

Tannehill threw three interceptions in his NFL debut, which led to Houston’s scoring outburst in the second quarter. But even in spite of his struggles, he refused to focus solely on the negatives of his performance.

“I felt like we hurt ourselves more than they really just stopped us,” said Tannehill, who threw for 219 yards on 20 of 36 passing. “That’s a good defense. So being able to move the ball on a good defense like that gives us some confidence. Obviously, we have to fix a lot of things and eliminate those turnovers. But I think it gives us a look at what we could be if we played to our full potential.”

Tannehill’s three picks all came within the final eight minutes of the first half. The first was recorded by cornerback Johnathan Joseph at midfield and returned to the Miami 14 yard-line, setting up a 35 yard game-tying field goal by Shayne Graham. Linebacker Brian Cushing’s interception a couple minutes later near midfield would eventually lead to a 14 yard touchdown run by Foster, which gave the Texans the lead for good. Kareem Jackson, another Texans cornerback, was the final defender to intercept Tannehill at the Miami 30 with less than two minutes remaining in the half. After a 26 yard defensive pass interference penalty, Foster punched in his second touchdown of the afternoon from two yards out.

It was smooth sailing in the second half, as the Texans rolled to their first win of the year in what they believe can be a truly special season for them.

Houston travels to Jacksonville next week to take on a division rival in the Jaguars, while the Dolphins will host the Oakland Raiders in their home opener.

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The Houston Texans finally did it in 2011. On their tenth NFL birthday last season, the long-overdue AFC South franchise no longer had to fantasize about the opportunity to compete in the postseason after clinching their first division title, playoff birth and victory after posting a 10-6 record during the regular season.

Over the last handful of years, Houston had been repeatedly labeled as one of the league’s sleeper teams ready to crash the postseason party. With rock-solid weapons in Pro Bowlers such as quarterback Matt Schaub, wide receiver Andre Johnson, running back Arian Foster and defensive end Mario Williams, it was pretty difficult to simply overlook the type of potential that the Texans possessed on paper.

Despite a 2-8 collapse in 2010 following a 4-2 start to that year, they exuded plenty of confidence entering the 2011 campaign. They heard the chatter about who they could be and what they could accomplish if they somehow found a way to put it all together. And once Peyton Manning – the future Hall of Famer and former Indianapolis Colts quarterback who plagued the Texans dating back to their first season – was sidelined due to a serious neck injury that failed to heal properly, the Texans were immediately claimed the unanimous AFC South favorites.

Now that their division rivals – the Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans – are all in rebuilding mode and being led by young quarterbacks (rookie Andrew Luck and second year men Blaine Gabbert and Jake Locker, respectively), the Texans will once again be heavy favorites to snag one of the top four AFC playoff seeds as a division champion.

Among the key losses that will be tough for head coach Gary Kubiak and his squad to overcome include those of Williams, wide receiver Jacoby Jones, linebacker DeMeco Ryans, cornerback Jason Allen, tight end Joel Dreessen and kicker Neil Rackers. Two valuable additions that have been brought on board, however, consist of veteran linebacker Bradie James and cornerback Alan Ball.

Defensive lineman Whitney Mercilus, wide receivers DeVier Posey and Keshawn Martin, guard Brandon Brooks, offensive lineman Ben Jones, defensive lineman Jared Crick, and kicker Randy Bullock compose the team’s early draft picks.

If Schaub can remain healthy (unlike last season, when he was placed on IR to end the season following a Week 10 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he sustained a Lisfranc injury), the offense has a great chance of improving an already impressive 2011 ranking of 23.8 points per game, which was 10^th in the league.

As far as the defensive side of the ball is concerned, the loss of Williams will certainly be felt at times. But even if that is the case, the Texans ranked 4^th overall in defensive scoring last season, at a clip of just 17.4 points per game, and with that much talent they should still be an elite defense nonetheless.

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The Baltimore Ravens gave their fans something to cheer about as they booked themselves a meeting with the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game, after a hard fought victory over the Houston Texans. Baltimore, playing in their first home playoff game since 2006, won the game 20-13, and largely relied on their overpowering defense after scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter.

The Texans almost had the perfect start to the game when Danieal Manning looked as if he was going to break through the Ravens defense for a touchdown return from the opening kickoff, but was eventually bumped into touch after making 60 yards on the return. The return gave Houston good field position, but the Texans were unable to convert the field position into a touchdown, having to settle for a field goal to take the first lead of the game.

The Ravens then capitalized on a mistake by Jacoby Jones who, under immediate pressure from Cary Williams, attempted to collect a punt and fumbled the ball, allowing rookie Jimmy Smith to dive on the ball and give the Ravens a first and goal. Baltimore showed good composure in the red zone, with Joe Flacco finding Kris Wilson for a 1-yard touchdown pass and move Baltimore into the lead, which the home side would go on to maintain for the rest of the game.

Baltimore then extended their lead through wide receiver Anquan Boldin, who was on the end of a 10-yard touchdown pass to make the score 17-3 to the Ravens. Boldin proved to be the most effective receiver for Baltimore, finishing the game with one touchdown and 73 yards on four receptions.

Houston were determined to get back into the game however, and a field goal and an Arian Foster rushing touchdown in the second quarter brought them to within four points of Baltimore.

They looked as if they might retake the lead on several occasions, and were only kept at bay by the much vaunted Ravens defense, with Baltimore’s secondary in imperious form, Ladarius Webb picking up two interceptions and Ed Reed collecting one as well on a critical deep pass to Andre Johnson that would have certainly been a touchdown if the safety had not intervened. A late field goal in the fourth quarter then gave Baltimore a little more security and their defense saw out the game.

Although thoroughly disheartened to have lost a game which they seemed to be the more dominant team in, the Texans will be encouraged by their performance in their debut season in the playoffs. Foster was dominant in the running game, clocking up 132 yards on 27 carries, and Johnson was comfortably the most proficient receiver in the game, registering 111 yards on eight receptions.

Despite now being in contention for the AFC Championship, the Ravens will not be happy with their offensive performance, and will have to improve dramatically if they are to overcome the in-form Patriots away from home, who demolished the Denver Broncos in their divisional round match up.

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The Houston Texans enjoyed a successful debut in the playoffs, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 31-10 at Reliant Stadium, and setting themselves up for a clash with the Baltimore Ravens in the next round. This was the Texans first appearance in the playoffs in their 10-year history, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the team’s trip to Baltimore next week to play the Ravens.

The Texans didn’t get off to the greatest start, with Glover Quin being called for pass interference on rookie wide receiver A. J. Green, which gave the Bengals 52 yards on a drive, culminating in Cedric Benson going for a touchdown from the 1-yard line. The Texans struck back quickly however, with Arian Foster moving the chains for Houston with a display of intelligent running, and the tailback finishing off the drive with a touchdown on an 8-yard run, leaving the Bengals and Texans all tied up at the end of the first quarter.

Despite retaking the lead momentarily through a field goal from Mike Nugent, the Bengals struggled with the well-tuned offense of the Texans, and couldn’t make any decisive plays on the defensive side of the ball. A field goal from Neil Rackers tied the game before rookie defensive end J. J. Watt showed great hands and athleticism by grabbing a pass thrown by Andy Dalton at the line of scrimmage, and returned it for a 29-yard touchdown.

Although close on the scoreboard, the Texans never looked to lose their lead, and soon began to add to it. Andre Johnson, who was also making his first appearance in the playoffs, caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from rookie T. J. Yates in the third quarter and extending their lead. This was just before Foster finished the game for the Texans with a 42-yard rushing touchdown, capping an excellent game for his team and himself.

The Texans will be pleased with how their offensive stars performed, Foster racking up 153 yards on just 24 carries, and Johnson registering 90 yards on five receptions, with the pair contributing three touchdowns between them. Yates also performed notably, if not spectacularly, but a game manager is all that is needed in this Texans offense, and Houston will need all three performing their best if the team is to beat the Ravens next week. They have already lost to them once this season.

This result brings the Bengals season to an end, but there is plenty to be optimistic about if you are a Cincinnati fan. The losing seasons and dressing room controversies seem done with, and the addition of rookies Green and Dalton give the franchise a great base to build around in the coming years. Throw into the mix that the Bengals have two first round picks this year, and two second round picks next year, the future looks very healthy indeed. Baltimore and Pittsburgh fans will need to keep an eye on the previously unsung franchise.

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The Houston Texans (6-3) enjoyed a comfortable 30-12 victory over the visiting Cleveland Browns (3-5) at Reliant Stadium. The win improves what is already the Texans’ best start to a season in franchise history, and Head Coach Gary Kubiak will be pleased with what he saw from his side, not least from rookie linebacker Brooks Reed, who collected two sacks and generally looked solid in defense, helping the keep the Browns to just 172 yards.

With Cleveland only managing to put up 107 points in their opening seven games, their offense was always likely to struggle, especially against Houston, who have the third best defense in the NFL, allowing just 286.8 ypg. However, with the Browns currently fifth in the yards allowed table, and dangerous wide receiver Andre Johnson still sidelined with injury, Defensive Coordinator Dick Jauron will be left wondering what happened to his side.

The Texans put themselves into a commanding position in the first quarter, registering two touchdowns, the first a 27-yard rush from Ben Tate, and the second was a darting run from quarterback Matt Schaub from two yards out. Arian Foster compounded Cleveland’s problems when he rushed for 19 yards and a touchdown in the second quarter, extending Houston’s lead.

With just under five minutes left to play, Colt McCoy sparked Cleveland’s fans hopes of a comeback, when he found Josh Cribbs for a two-yard touchdown pass, but it proved too little too late for the Browns, who had looked second best all game long.

The game was won on the ground, with Foster recording 124 yards on 19 carries, and Tate racking up 115 yards on just 12 carries. Stripped of both Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty, the Browns could not make a similar impact on the ground, with running back Chris Ogbonnaya only managing to rush for 28 yards from his 13 attempts.

Cleveland, lacking an effective running option, turned to the passing game. With Mohamed Massquoi out for a second consecutive game, McCoy targeted Cribbs consistently. Although Cribbs did grab a touchdown pass to help his team, the wide receiver could only average ten yards per reception, and rarely troubled an in-control Houston defense.

Browns Head Coach Pat Shurmur will be hoping that both Hillis and Massaquoi can return to full training this week, as their meagre haul of 12 points just goes to highlight how toothless the Browns offense has looked of late.

The Browns will look to pick themselves up in Week 10 when they face the St Louis Rams at home, one of the few teams to have actually scored less points than the Browns prior to the Week Nine games. Meanwhile, the Texans will visit the inconsistent Buccaneers as they attempt to further cement their place at the top of the AFC South.

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