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NFL
A pro football (and video) blog with John McClain
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September 10, 2007
Texans 20, Chiefs 3: What does it mean? (w/ grades, video)
Now, it's about 12:30, and I'm home writing this wrap-up blog and trying to figure out just what the Texans' victory over Kansas City means. Or what it could mean, actually.
I'm not ready to punch my ticket to the playoffs yet, but from watching the Texans, I feel better about my 8-8 prediction.
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Those of you with the glass-is-half-empty philosophy will say something like this: The Texans should have won the game decisively. Last week was the first time the Chiefs had their regular offense together on the practice field. It showed. Larry Johnson looked like a back with only two carries in preseason. Damon Huard looked like a quarterback who took only 13 preseason snaps.
Left tackle Damion McIntosh looked like a player who'd been out with a knee injury. The Chiefs lost their best wideout, Eddie Kennison, early in the game with a hamstring injury. They were missing their best pass rusher, suspended defensive end Jared Allen. Their rookie kicker was so bad that they brought in six potential replacements a week ago. No wonder he blew a 30-yarder.
Those of you with the glass-is-half-full philosophy will say something like this: Matt Schaub (16-of-22 for 225 yards) made an exceptional debut as the Texans' starter. It was only the third start of his career, so it wasn't surprising he tried to force a pass to Andre Johnson in the end zone and had it intercepted.
Schaub threw seven completions to Andre Johnson for 142 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown. Ahman Green carried 16 times for 73 yards, a 4.6-yard average.
The defense was tremendous, limiting the Chiefs to 219 yards. Johnson had 43 yards on 10 carries. Huard threw for 168 yards, was intercepted twice and was sacked three times.
Mario Williams was a monster — as
Megan Manfull reports in today's print edition — who couldn't be stopped in the third quarter. He had two sacks and returned a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown. He also had five tackles, including four unassisted.
Williams was just one reason the defensive line was excellent. Travis Johnson played the run well and intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.
Overall, it was a superb effort by the defense. And the special teams contributed by watching Charlie Anderson recover a fumble and having Matt Turk average 55 yards on three punts.
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[FONT=verdana, arial, helvetica, san-serif]Steve Ueckert: Chronicle[/FONT]
Travis Johnson and the defensive line picked up an "A." See the grades below. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
The only bad news involved strong safety Jason Simmons, who is gone for the season after rupturing a tendon in his knee. Von Hutchins played well off the bench. I don't know about you, but I'm eager to see what Hutchins can do on a regular basis. He played well in preseason.
Hutchins and C.C. Brown will start. I think Michael Boulware will come off the bench against the Panthers. Each week, he'll do a little more as he gets more comfortable with the Texans' defense.
So what does it all mean? Well, the Texans go on the road to play the Panthers. Jake Delhomme played very well in Carolina's victory at St. Louis. No reason to be interested in hearing what David Carr has to say, right? Wrong! We definitely want to know how Carr's pulse is beating this week.
If the Texans lose to the Panthers, they'll return home to play the Colts at 1-1. But what if they pull an upset at Carolina and are 2-0 going into the third game at home against Indianapolis? Can you imagine that? It's probably not going to happen, of course, but, man, what if it did?
Let's not get carried away. It was one victory. But what a sweet one it was, huh?
Texans grades for Week 1
QUARTERBACK: B+
A terrific debut by Matt Schaub, who threw a touchdown pass and was intercepted in the end zone.
RUNNING BACKS: C+
Ahman Green and Ron Dayne combined for 29 carries and 106 yards. They helped the offense control the clock.
RECEIVERS: B
Andre Johnson picked up where he left off last season with seven catches for 142 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown.
OFFENSIVE LINE: C+
They committed too many penalties but helped control the clock with their run blocking.
DEFENSIVE LINE: A
Mario Williams had two sacks and a fumble return for a touchdown. Travis Johnson had an interception.
LINEBACKERS: B+
An outstanding job against the run. DeMeco Ryans had a team-high eight tackles. Danny Clark had five.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: A-
Von Hutchins did a superb job after Jason Simmons went down for the season. Dunta Robinson intercepted a pass.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Kris Brown kicked two field goals. Charlie Anderson recovered a fumble. Matt Turk averaged 55 yards on three punts.
COACHING: A An exceptional job by Gary Kubiak and his staff. They should take a bow.
Texans
