Texans vs. Chargers: 1st half report

Sep 9, 2013; San Diego, CA, USA; Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels (81) catches a touchdown reception while being defended by San Diego Chargers safety Eric Weddle (32) during the first half at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Thus far the first half has been pretty forgettable for the Houston Texans against the San Diego Chargers on Monday Night Football, as they trail 21-7.

Offensively, the Texans haven’t looked very crisp for the most part, especially in their next to final drive where they had a touchdown called back and two holding penalties that killed anything positive in that drive, which ended in a missed field goal by Randy Bullock.

Offensively, the Texans saw quarterback Matt Schaub go 13-for-18 for 164 yards, with one touchdown and one interception in the opening half. The interception occurred on the Texans’ first play of offense.

Rushing the ball hasn’t been much to write home about either, with Ben Tate leading the way with six carries for 39 yards and Arian Foster going got 34 yards on 10 carries.

Andre Johnson has four receptions for 71 yards, while Owen Daniels had three receptions for 47 yards and one touchdown. Garrett Graham has two catches for 17 yards.

Then there was the play of the defense, and as ESPN analyst Trent Dilfer mentioned, the Chargers have the favorable matchups. In my opinion … the Texans just look “off” on defense.

Chargers QB Philip Rivers has 112 yards with three touchdown passes to Eddie Royal, Ryan Mathews and Vincent Brown in the first half.

The question is, will Wade Phillips be able adjust to the Chargers’ scheme in the second half … because the defense looks lost in the first two quarters, especially in the defensive backfield, because Rivers has had a field day.

Then the Chargers’ final drive of the first half with the touchdown scored by Brown on a 10 yard pass and with the extra effort on the dive of the pylon, which was reviewed for a TD. Before that the Texans allowed Rivers to rush 18 yards for a first down, and it was an 18-yard run that seemed like forever.

I can say it without a doubt the Chargers have outplayed and outsmarted the Texans in the first half.

What are your thoughts?