Dec 5, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Chase Keenum (7) is pressured by Jacksonville Jaguars lineacker Paul Posluszny (51) at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Where do I even start with the first half for the Houston Texans, as they trail 17-7 at the break?
Do I start with the Texans looking like a Division III college team playing a Super Bowl champion in the first series of the game, or a couple series later where they basically just gave the Jaguars a 14-0 lead in the second quarter?
The Texans did show some life at the end of the second quarter with Case Keenum finding Keshawn Martin for eight yards and a touchdown. The drive went 91 yards on 12 plays.
The first drive of the game was just outright sad. How else do you explain a 13-play, 80-yard drive allowed by the Texans to a three-win Jaguars?
Sadly, that drive was the first drive of over five minutes for the Jaguars all season.
Found this stat out during the game from NFL.com … the Texans have started 46 drives this season inside their own 20-yard line. The worst in the NFL in that regard.
One other bad stat for this game: The Texans have 10 penalties for over 100 yards in the first two quarters. No discipline at all. None.
Heck, in this first half, the Texans made Marcedes Lewis look like Jimmy Graham at times, whether it be the 1-yard TD reception or the 41-yard reception in the middle of the field.
This team has no pass protection worth mentioning or much on defense at the same time.
For the first half, Keenum went 12-of-19 for 109 yards with one touchdown pass and one interception near the end of the second quarter.
Chad Henne went 8-of-18 for 86 yards and two touchdowns.
The Texans’ leading rusher was Ben Tate with 41 yards on 10 carries. Maurice Jones-Drew had nine carries for 47 yards, including a 15-yard run to set up a late field goal for the Jaguars to go ahead by 10 points.
DeAndre Hopkins leads the Texans with 16 yards on one reception, while Lewis is the leading receiver for the Jaguars.
Houston gets the ball at the start of the second half. They’ll need a productive drive with any sort of points to get any momentum going for the remainder of the game.
If not, it will be time for me to start reviewing the top prospects for the NFL Draft.