What the Houston Texans’ Victory Over the Bears Means

Nov 11, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Houston Texans safety Danieal Manning (38) intercepts a pass intended for Chicago Bears tight end Kellen Davis (87) during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

The victory over Chicago, in the mud hole that formed in Soldier Field after the monsoon in the first half, may just be one of the best victories in the history of the Houston Texans. Not only in what it entails for the Texans in the current state of the franchise, but in the future as this will go down as a beacon for the great 2012 season in the annals of Texans lore.

In the right now phase of the franchise, it means that the Texans, on paper, can compete with any team in this league, and is the team to beat in the AFC. The Texans showcased that their defense can compete with the best defenses. Marc Vandermeer during his show on SportsRadio 610 said that in 2010, the 10-3 halftime lead would have been a 21-7 deficit, and in my opinion, with the conditions of the game, that would have been ended in a loss. It’s a testament to the direction of the franchise and those in charge of it. I don’t know if anybody else felt this way, but the way that the Texans were in charger the entire first half and the high level of play from the defense and running back Arian Foster, made me feel that the halftime lead of just a touchdown was an insurmountable deficit for the Bears. I did not think they could have made a comeback on the Texans, on that night.

I feel that a statement was shown, not said rather, but shown to the AFC, if not the entire NFL. Everybody knows that these Texans are legitimate, and  I feel that the road to the Super Bowl in New Orleans goes through Houston, I-10 to be more specific. The Texans unseated the second ranked team in the NFC, and it makes me wish we could face the Atlanta Falcons again, just to see if we can truly beat the best of the NFC, and as far as the AFC goes up until this point, the Broncos and the Patriots, maybe the re-surging Ravens are the only ones that the Texans have to truly worry about come January. Two of those we’ve already beaten, and it seems we beat Peyton Manning and the Bronocs before they got hot, and I would love to face them again in the regular season, but it seems that if we do meet up with them again it would more than likely be in Houston, in either the AFC Divisional or Championship round. New England is the next BIGGEST challenge for the Texans, really the kings of the AFC, and they are always a tough challenge, and especially facing them in Foxborough in ESPN’s Monday Night Football. I feel that facing the Lions on Thanksgiving could be more of a limelight challenge against a tough team on the road, but I know that the Patriots with the great minds of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are a tough challenge than the Lions.

With that said, every game counts towards getting home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and really, the Colts are the biggest challenge in the division. Quite frankly I’m surprised that the Colts are having an amazing season, and a rookie quarterback to top it all, but there is a reason why Andrew Luck went first and Robert Griffin III went second overall. I cannot wait for our match-ups with the Colts and the Titans just because I would love to see the Texans roll the division.

For the future, this game will be somewhat of the focal point of this season. The one where we look back and say “The game against the Bears was one of the best and really boosted the morale of the team and propelled them to greatness.” I feel that this victory can be the best of the season, even with the dominating performance against Baltimore, this game was greater in the lone fact that the Bears made this a game and at anytime, the tides could have turned and the game literally could have gone either way. I don’t know if it just being the marquee match-up and the hype it got, and the hype was certainly lived up to. It’s a little too soon to say, but I think this is one of the best games of this season, between two of the best teams in the league.

With the season a little over half-way through, all that is left is to prepare for the biggest challenge in New England, and to win out in our division and stay healthy. The AFC is going to be tough, and the first round bye in the playoffs along with home-field advantage should be our goal for now, but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, I love the mindset of the team in that it is just one game at a time, and unfortunately, I’ve allowed myself to get ahead of where we are. The main focus for this week is just to be undefeated this week. 1-0 is the goal on Sunday.

– Richard Perez