Houston Texans Links: Monday Roundup
Dec 15, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Houston Texans running back Ben Tate (44) runs the ball during the second quarter against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports
The losing streak has finally reached one dozen consecutive losses with the Houston Texans latest gem, a 25-3 loss at the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, increasing their NFL-worst losing streak.
The loss also keeps the Texans not just winless in Indianapolis since they entered the league in 2002, but they are on the fast track to the No. 1 overall draft choice in the May NFL Draft in 2014 with two games remaining on the schedule.
It was a lose-win type of situation on Sunday for the team from Houston.
Over at the Ultimate Texans blog, Brian T. Smith has an article on how the Texans and Colts are “worlds apart.”
Smith wrote:
"“The Colts found their next Peyton Manning with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2012 NFL draft. Less than two seasons later … Andrew Luck has turned Indianapolis into the premier team in a weak AFC South and discovered how to consistently defeat the Texans during the same span.”"
I think this means the Texans better draft the correct quarterback in the May NFL Draft, because if they don’t, no matter the round, they will have many more losses to deal with in Indianapolis in the future.
Here are John McClain’s Week 15 grades for the Texans, also from the Ultimate Texans blog of the Houston Chronicle. Case Kenum better not show this grade card to his parents as McClain gave the QB play an F-minus, writing:
"“There’s no other way to say it: Case Keenum was terrible. He threw for 168 yards and two interceptions. His rating was 42.3.”"
ESPN’s Tania Ganguli wrote about the first day of Vance Johnson getting to call plays for the Texans’ defense Sunday. She wrote:
"“In his first outing in that role during the 25-3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, the Texans’ defense finished better than it began.”"
I don’t think it really matters who is calling plays for this team, offense-or-defense, the players can’t get the job done on the field either way.
In another article about Keenum, Ganguli writes about how “Keenum’s study isn’t translating to success,” writing:
"“repeatedly Keenum made the wrong decision in the heat of the moment, even though he knew the right one.”"
That assessment is correct.