Sep 29, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) scores a touchdown in the second quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
All wasn’t bad for the Houston Texans in their 23-20 overtime loss to the Seattle Seahawks Sunday afternoon.
There was some good, there was some bad, and of course when you lose a fourth quarter lead late in the game, along with the actual game in overtime, there was some ugly.
Let’s start out with the good.
My “Player of the Game” for the Texans was running back Arian Foster who rushed for 102 yards on 27 carries. He averaged 3.8 yards per carry and proved that he’s back to his old form, or darn near back. Foster was also productive catching the ball, finishing with six receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown.
So with that all being stated, my grade for Foster is an A.
Andre Johnson played a good game as well for the Texans. The receiver totaled nine receptions for 110 yards, but again, for the fourth consecutive week was held out of the end zone. For all of his stats, my grade for Johnson is a B.
Garrett Graham I feel can be a productive tight end in the NFL, and even though he scored a touchdown, I still have to give him a grade of a B- due to the fact he had a fumble, but luckily the Texans didn’t lose possession.
For the defense, I’m giving Brian Cushing a B+ for his abbreviated play against the Seahawks. Cushing left the game with a concussion, but still forced a fumble and totaled six tackles.
I’m also giving props to Randy Bullock as the kicker is starting to find his stride. He was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, with a long of 42 yards. He also made two extra points.
J.J. Watt also earns a good grade of a B+. He may of not had the best numbers, but he took on double teams all game long which freed up his teammates to make plays.
Playing a game that was good, but not necessarily great, included Ben Tate as he totaled 44 yards on seven carries. He had two carries that added up for 33 yards, one carry going for 22.
Owen Daniels had a productive game of 72 yards on six receptions, but it wasn’t his best game of the season. Productive nonetheless.
In pass protection at times the offensive line let too much pressure in on Matt Schaub, but I can’t fault them a lot because they did block for a 100-yard running back for the first time this season.
Then the ugly. Do I believe Schaub is a part of the problem for the Texans? Yes. So I feel he’s the only problem for the Texans? No.
I know I might sound like a Schaub apologist, but really I just don’t see T.J. Yates or Case Keenum leading this team to the postseason with 12 more games left in the regular season.
Would you rather have the QBs they have in Jacksonville right now? That’s what I thought.
With that said, even though Schaub had nearly 400 yards passing and two touchdowns, I can’t overlook the two interceptions, especially the poor decision making late in the game. My grade for Schaub for his overall product is a D+, because I compare his poor decision making late in the game to one of those term papers in college that are like 25 percent of your grade.
The Texans’ overall team grade for Sunday is a C-, because they were just a few minutes away from being 3-1 on the season, but they aren’t and they have to work to improve their grade next week.