In the 24 year history of the Houston Texans, the franchise still lacks what most other organizations would consider a signature win. Sure, we could point to various Wild Card Round wins that propelled the Texans to the AFC's Final Four, or maybe even look as recently as the 2023 regular season finale, which sent Houston to the Playoffs just 12 months after finishing with the 2nd-worst record in the NFL.
But I don't think it's out of bounds to argue that the closest thing to a signature win in the history of the NFL's youngest franchise took place 13 years ago today, when the 8-1 Houston Texans barely hung on in a midseason home game against the 1-8 Jacksonville Jaguars.
On the surface, this may seem like an odd choice, but once we dig a little deeper, I promise, it all starts to make sense. Why don't we set the clocks back 13 years and revisit this game... a game that etched the names Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson into the Houston Texans record book.
November 18, 2012 - Houston Texans 43, Jacksonville Jaguars 37
Already off to a franchise-best 8-1 start, the Houston Texans welcomed the Jacksonville Jaguars to what was then Reliant Stadium in what was expected to be a one-sided Texans victory. Houston, who was sitting atop the AFC heading into Week 11, was a 15.5 point favorite over a hapless Jaguars squad that had already lost to the Texans by 20 points back in Week 2.
Surely, if you were in attendance for this game, or if you were at your local sports bar or even on your couch watching this one, there's no way you were expecting anything other than a similarly one-sided endeavor. But that's not how things played out.
The Jags went punch for punch with the Texans throughout the 1st half, with the two AFC South rivals deadlocked at 17 apiece at the end of two quarters. But twice during the 2nd half, Jacksonville's lead balooned to two possessions, putting Houston in jeopardy of suffering one of the biggest upset losses of the season. Fortunately for the Texans, quarterback Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson got into a rhythm early and stayed in said rhythm throughout the majority of the entire game.
On the first drive of the afternoon alone, Schaub and Johnson connected 3 times for 74 yards. By the end of the 1st half, Johnson was up to 132 yards on 7 catches. After being shut out in the 3rd quarter, Johnson was simply dominant over the course of the final 21 minutes of the game. Over the course of the back half of the 4th quarter and overtime, Johnson hauled in 7 receptions for 141 yards, including the game-clinching 48 yard score with just over 2 minutes left in the overtime period.
If you haven't had your calculator handy throughout this exercise, Johnson ended the afternoon with 14 receptions for 273 yards and a touchdown. It was not only the greatest performance of the Hall of Famer's career, it remains to this day the highest single-game output for a Houston Texans receiver. But Johnson wasn't alone as he trekked into the record book.
Matt Schaub, whose tenure with Houston ended unceremoniously the following season, also set a single-game Texans franchise record, throwing for 527 yards along with 5 touchdowns. It remains the Texans single-game passing record, and 12 years later, it's still the 2nd-highest single-game yardage total in the history of the National Football League. Johnson's 273 yards is the 12th-highest mark in NFL history.
Perhaps prophetically, after the game, Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said of Schaub and Johnson's performances, "I don't know if that one will ever be touched. That was special from the Texans standpoint."
Johnson, who was 31 years old at the time and facing concerns that his best years were behind him, was eager to prove he had plenty left in the tank.
"Maybe you guys will believe me after that," Johnson told reporters after the game.
Andre Johnson finished the season with a career-best 1,598 receiving yards. He earned his 4th All-Pro nod. For Matt Schaub, this performance proved to be the highlight of his last great season in the NFL. He'd stick around for eight seasons, but 2012 would be his 2nd and final Pro Bowl season.
The Texans improved to 9-1 with the overtime win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and would finish the 2012 season 12-4, which remains the best record in franchise history.