2008: Schaub Passes for 414 Yards as Texans Beat Packers

The Houston Texans had reached the .500 mark for the first time in 2007, but were having difficulty progressing in 2008. After ten games, they were 3-7, but by the time they faced the Packers at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field on December 7, they were riding a two-game winning streak and stood at 5-7.

While Head Coach Gary Kubiak’s team had some good performers on defense, most notably DE Mario Williams and LB DeMeco Ryans, overall the unit was inconsistent. Offensively, QB Matt Schaub (pictured above) had been plagued by a knee injury and missed the four games leading up to the contest in Green Bay. Backup Sage Rosenfels had been effective in relief, but was prone to turning the ball over. With star WR Andre Johnson and productive RB Steve Slaton, the team was capable of making big plays, but had not been able to do so with regularity.


The Packers, under Head Coach Mike McCarthy, were in transition entering the season. For the first time since 1992, going back some 253 games, Brett Favre was not the starting quarterback. His departure to the New York Jets had been accompanied by plenty of offseason dramatics. Fourth-year QB Aaron Rodgers (pictured at right) was now running the offense, and while he was playing as well as could be hoped, the club, which had gone 13-3 in 2007 and advanced to the NFC Championship game, was struggling at 5-7 as it prepared to host the Texans and had lost four of the last five games.

Schaub was wearing a knee brace and the temperature at game time was just three degrees, making it the coldest contest in the franchise’s brief history to date. Neither the quarterback nor the team appeared to be hindered, however, as Schaub’s second pass went for a 58-yard touchdown to WR Kevin Walter.

The Packers didn’t complete a pass until their second possession, and both teams traded punts for the remainder of the opening period. The second quarter opened with Houston at the Green Bay 30, however, and it looked likely that the visitors would score when Schaub tossed a pass to Johnson that was good for a 19-yard gain to the 11. But TE Owen Daniels, after making a catch at the one, fumbled and CB Tramon Williams recovered for Green Bay at the three.

The Packers drove into Houston territory but, after DE Tim Bulman sacked Rodgers for a seven-yard loss on a third down play, once again had to punt. However, Schaub was intercepted by Williams at the Texans’ 28 and two plays later Green Bay tied the score as Rodgers connected with TE Donald Lee for a 20-yard TD with just over five minutes remaining in the half.

Schaub made up for the pickoff on Houston’s next play when he threw a pass to Walter for a 46-yard gain to the Green Bay 25. The drive finally stalled at the 11 and Kris Brown kicked a 30-yard field goal to put the Texans back in the lead. After an apparent 99-yard kickoff return by CB Will Blackmon was nullified by a holding penalty, Houston CB Dunta Robinson intercepted a Rodgers pass on the ensuing series, but the Texans were unable to add to their lead when Brown was wide on a 41-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the half. Houston led by 10-7 at halftime.

The Packers went three-and-out to start the third quarter and the Texans, helped by a 21-yard gain on a pass from Schaub to FB Vonta Leach, scored on a 41-yard field goal by Brown.

Following a short Green Bay possession, the Texans got the ball back on a punt and it appeared that they would have to punt again in turn, facing a fourth-and-six situation at their own 35. But veteran punter Matt Turk stunned both the Packers and his own team by taking off for an 18-yard gain and a first down. However, after driving to the Green Bay 16, Slaton fumbled and the Packers took over at their 21. On the last play of the third quarter, Rodgers passed to WR Greg Jennings for a 63-yard gain to the Houston six yard line. RB Ryan Grant ran the remaining six yards for a touchdown to start the final period, and with the successful PAT, the Packers took the lead at 14-13.

The Texans came back on a drive in which Schaub completed five passes for 55 yards, the last of which was for an 11-yard touchdown to Johnson. Following up with another pass to Johnson for a successful two-point conversion, Houston was now back in front at 21-14.

It appeared that the defense had successfully held the Packers after a short possession in which they only advanced to their own 18, but the ensuing punt was muffed by WR Jacoby Jones and recovered by long snapper Brett Goode for Green Bay. Back in possession of the ball at their own 49, the Packers took full advantage and seven plays later Rodgers threw a nine-yard scoring pass to WR Jordy Nelson. With the successful kick for the extra point, the game was tied at 21-21 with just under six minutes to play.

The Texans failed to advance on their next possession and punted. Rodgers passed to WR Donald Driver for a 59-yard gain to the Houston 25, but a holding call and sack backed the Packers to the 38 and out of field goal range. Punter Jeremy Kapinos pinned Houston down with a 35-yard kick to the three yard line.

Now with 1:49 remaining on the clock, Schaub proceeded to move the Texans downfield, completing passes to Leach for 22 yards, WR David Anderson for 17 yards, and Daniels for 27. After Slaton ran three yards to get the ball down to the Green Bay 22, Brown kicked a 40-yard field goal on the game’s final play to give Houston a 24-21 win.

The Texans accumulated a team-record 549 total yards, to 387 for the Packers, and had 25 first downs to Green Bay’s 16, although they were nearly undone by giving up four turnovers. But the Packers converted only one of 10 third downs, while Houston succeeded on 7 of 13 third down plays (and their one fourth down play).

Matt Schaub, showing no ill effects from the time off, threw for 414 yards as he completed 28 of 42 passes with two touchdowns and one intercepted. Kevin Walter (pictured below) caught 6 of those passes for 146 yards and a TD and Owen Daniels contributed another 65 yards on his 6 receptions. Steve Slaton ran for 120 yards on 26 carries.



Aaron Rodgers was successful on 19 of 30 passes for 295 yards with two TDs and an interception. Ryan Grant also reached the hundred-yard threshold with 104 on 19 attempts that included a touchdown. Donald Driver caught three passes for 75 yards.

There was much rejoicing by the Texans over what was considered one of the greatest wins in franchise history.

“Our group had every reason at some point to fold with the turnovers hurting us,” said Coach Kubiak. “But this group is made of a lot of character and it's as good a win as I've ever been around.”

Houston went on to win two of its last three contests (as part of five of the final six) to again finish at 8-8 and third in the AFC South. Green Bay lost the next two games before winning the season finale to end up at 6-10 for third place in the NFC North.

While Matt Schaub’s overall statistics of 3043 yards passing with 15 touchdowns (against 10 interceptions) were held down due to losing five games to injury, his 8.0 yards per attempt ranked second in the NFL (tied with Drew Brees of the Saints) and 276.6 yards per game ranked fourth. Schaub also ranked fourth in completion percentage (66.1) and seventh in overall passing (92.7 rating).

Andre Johnson led the NFL in both pass receptions (115) and receiving yards (1575). Kevin Walter added 60 catches for 899 yards (15.0 avg.) and eight TDs.


Rookie Steve Slaton (pictured at left) ran for 1282 yards on 268 carries for a 4.8-yard average and nine touchdowns. With 50 catches for 377 more yards, he garnered 1659 yards from scrimmage. However, the production dropped off significantly the following year.

Aaron Rodgers finished just ahead of Schaub with a 93.8 passer rating. While the team slumped, the new starting quarterback drew good reviews as he placed fourth in passing yards (4038), TD passes (28), and percentage of TD passes (5.2).

2007: Rob Bironas Kicks 8 FGs as Titans Nip Texans

In his first two seasons with the Tennessee Titans, placekicker Rob Bironas had demonstrated that he had a strong leg and the ability to make kicks in the clutch. While there had been occasional accuracy issues, his 78.9 % success rate on field goals was solid. In his third year, 2007, his memorable performance on October 21 served notice that he had reached the level of the league’s premier kickers.

The Titans were 3-2 as they traveled to Houston to take on the Texans at Reliant Stadium. Tennessee, under 14th-year Head Coach Jeff Fisher, was coming off of an 8-8 season and seeking improvement under second-year QB Vince Young. However, Young had suffered a quadriceps injury the week before in a loss to Tampa Bay and 34-year-old veteran Kerry Collins was starting in his place. Houston was under second-year Head Coach Gary Kubiak and had a new quarterback in Matt Schaub, obtained from Atlanta during the offseason.

The Titans started off the scoring on their first possession as Bironas boomed a 52-yard field goal. The clubs traded fumbles and then Houston went three-and-out and punted. But on Tennessee’s first play, Collins fumbled when sacked by LB DeMeco Ryans, who picked up the loose ball and ran 26 yards for a touchdown that gave the Texans a 7-3 lead.

On Houston’s next possession, Schaub suffered an ankle injury and left the game. His replacement, Sage Rosenfels, threw an interception on his first play to give the Titans good field position at the Texans’ 38 yard line. The resulting drive stalled at the seven and Bironas kicked his second field goal, of 25 yards, to narrow Houston’s lead to 7-6, which was the score at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was all Tennessee as Bironas kicked field goals of 21, 30, and 28 yards and RB LenDale White scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, Schaub had returned to the lineup, but the Texans were forced to punt three times and lost a fumble. A hip injury near the end of the quarter knocked Schaub out of the game for good, and Bironas’ fifth field goal as time expired staked the Titans to a 22-7 lead at the half.

Rosenfels started the third quarter by throwing an interception, and that set up a sixth Bironas field goal of 43 yards seven plays later. After another three-and-out possession by Houston, Tennessee’s offense again marched downfield on a 12-play, 73-yard drive that ended with RB Chris Henry scoring on a four-yard run. With the score at 32-7, and the Texans’ offense having accumulated only 34 total yards, the game appeared to be a rout.

But as the third quarter wound down, Rosenfels began completing passes and early in the fourth period he completed a seven-yard touchdown throw to WR David Anderson. With a successful two-point conversion on a Rosenfels pass to WR Andre’ Davis, the Tennessee margin was narrowed, if ever so slightly, to 32-15.

Now it was the turn of the Titans to not move the ball. After a 28-yard run by White to start the next possession, Tennessee could go no further and punted. However, Craig Hentrich’s kick pinned the Texans down at their two yard line.

A 53-yard pass completion to Davis was nullified by a penalty, but completions by Rosenfels of 40, 23, and 8 yards to WR Kevin Walter, plus a 15-yard toss to RB Ahman Green, got the ball down the field and set up a six-yard Rosenfels-to-Walter touchdown pass. With the successful PAT, Houston was now only ten points behind at 32-22.

Tennessee went three-and-out on its next possession, but the Titans got a break when Anderson muffed Hentrich’s punt and it was recovered by Tennessee CB Reynaldo Hill at the Houston 33. Five plays later, the Titans were forced to punt again and the Texans took over at their 12 yard line.

With 4:30 left on the clock, Rosenfels immediately went to the air and was intercepted by LB Keith Bulluck. Four plays later, Bironas kicked his record-tying seventh field goal from 29 yards out.

The score was now 35-22 with under four minutes remaining. The Texans advanced from their 25 to the Tennessee 43, converting two third downs along the way, but at the two minute warning faced a fourth-and-five situation. Rosenfels completed a 12-yard pass to TE Owen Daniels to keep the drive alive and then followed up with a 24-yard completion to David Anderson down to the Tennessee seven. On the next play, Rosenfels connected with TE Jeb Putzier for the seven-yard touchdown, and with the extra point the score was 35-29.

Houston successfully executed an onside kick, recovered by LB Zac Diles at his own 34 yard line. Four plays later, Rosenfels completed a 53-yard pass play to Davis for a touchdown, and with Kris Brown’s successful point after, the Texans were ahead, 36-35, capping an amazing comeback.

There were still 56 seconds remaining, however, as the Tennessee offense returned to the field. Collins completed passes of 17 and 46 yards to WR Roydell Williams, and LenDale White’s six-yard run to the Houston 11 set up a last-play 29-yard field goal attempt for Bironas. The kick was successful, the Titans pulled out the 38-36 win, and Rob Bironas set a new single-game record with eight field goals in as many attempts.

Tennessee had 23 first downs to 18 for the Texans and also gained the most total yards with 422 to Houston’s 333. The chief disparity came in rushing yards, as the Titans piled up 155 on 39 carries to the Texans’ 39 on 12 attempts, but that reflected the need for Houston to resort heavily on the passing game in catching up in the second half.

Kerry Collins completed 25 of 42 passes for 280 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions - while he performed capably, the failure to reach the end zone after getting in scoring position set the stage for Bironas to set the field goal mark. LenDale White ran for 104 yards on 27 carries with a TD, while Chris Henry added 57 yards on 11 attempts and a touchdown as well. Roydell Williams gained 124 yards on 5 pass receptions and TE Bo Scaife caught 6 passes for 49 yards. CB Nick Harper intercepted two passes as part of an outstanding day on defense.


In relief of Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels (pictured above) went to the air 35 times and completed 22 of those passes for 290 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions (all four TD passes came in the fourth quarter, which tied an NFL record). Kevin Walter caught 6 passes for 97 yards and a TD to lead the club while Andre’ Davis added four receptions for 88 yards and a score. Ahman Green gained all 39 of Houston’s rushing yards on 11 carries and contributed 5 pass receptions for 32 more.

Tennessee went on to finish the regular season with a 10-6 record to place third in the highly-competitive AFC South and claim the second wild card spot. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to San Diego. Houston was in fourth with an 8-8 tally – it was the franchise’s first non-losing year.

In kicking eight field goals, Rob Bironas doubled his field goal total for the season to date. He also set a record for points scored by kicking only, with 26. The previous record of seven field goals in a game had first been set by Jim Bakken of the Cardinals in 1967 and was tied by Minnesota’s Rich Karlis in 1989, Chris Boniol of the Cowboys in 1996, and Billy Cundiff, also of Dallas, in 2003. Cincinnati’s Shayne Graham kicked seven in a game a few weeks after Boniol set the new mark.

Bironas ended up kicking a league-leading 35 field goals in 39 attempts for an 89.7 % success rate (fifth in the NFL). His 133 points ranked fourth. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection and was chosen for the Pro Bowl.

2002: Texans Defeat Cowboys in Franchise’s Debut

For the first time since the Oilers departed for Tennessee following the 1996 season, NFL football returned to Houston on September 8, 2002. The Houston Texans hosted the Dallas Cowboys in their regular season debut at the equally new Reliant Stadium. There were 69,604 fans on hand on a Sunday night to watch the new team take on their intrastate rival in what Commissioner Paul Tagliabue dubbed “the Texas Super Bowl.”

The Houston franchise had been awarded to Bob McNair for $700 million in 1999. Charley Casserly was hired as general manager and began building a scouting organization two years prior to the team’s taking the field. Dom Capers was hired as head coach, who had the experience of coaching an expansion team previously in Carolina.

The club looked to sign younger veterans in the expansion draft, and picked up several notable players including OT Tony Boselli and DT Gary Walker from Jacksonville, CB Aaron Glenn of the Jets, and WR Jermaine Lewis and LB Jamie Sharper from Baltimore. With the first choice in the college draft, the Texans picked QB David Carr from Fresno State (pictured above).

The stadium’s retractable roof was closed and the decibel level high as the Texans came out throwing in their first series. Carr threw a deep pass intended for WR Corey Bradford, who drew an interference call that resulted in a 43-yard gain. Three plays later, Carr passed to TE Billy Miller for a 19-yard touchdown and the Texans were up 7-0.

The contest settled into a defensive struggle, with Houston scoring again early in the second quarter on a 42-yard field goal by Kris Brown. The Cowboys got on the board before the half when Billy Cundiff kicked a field goal from 33 yards out, but their offense had sputtered much of the way as the first seven possessions ended in six punts and an interception. QB Quincy Carter failed to complete a pass until the second quarter.

Nevertheless, the Cowboys tied the score at 10-10 in the third quarter when RB Michael Wiley ran 46 yards for a touchdown. The Texans went back in front to stay early in the fourth quarter when Bradford made an outstanding catch of a pass from Carr for a 65-yard touchdown.

Houston regained possession on the ensuing kickoff thanks to a fumble, but was unable to capitalize when a Carr pass was deflected for an interception. However, the Texan defense continued to frustrate the Dallas offense and scored the final points of the game when NT Seth Payne tackled Carter in the end zone for a safety with under three minutes remaining. The Texans won by a score of 19-10.


David Carr completed 10 of 22 passes for 145 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Ominously, he was sacked six times, which would be a chronic problem throughout the inaugural season – Carr took every snap for the Texans and was sacked an NFL-record 76 times. RB James Allen led the team in rushing with 56 yards on 19 carries. Corey Bradford (pictured at left) was the top receiver with four catches for 99 yards and a touchdown.

The Cowboys largely won the statistical battle, outrushing the Texans 155 yards on 24 carries to 87 yards on 35 attempts. They also had the most total yards, 267 to 210. RB Emmitt Smith, who was closing in on the career rushing record, led the team with 67 yards on 17 carries (Wiley’s 46-yard TD run was his only carry of the day). Quincy Carter completed just 13 of 30 passes for 131 yards with one picked off. WR Joey Galloway was the top receiver, catching 6 passes for 69 yards.

Both teams were heavily penalized, with the Texans drawing 11 flags and Dallas 9. There were few turnovers, as the Cowboys lost the ball twice (one fumble and one interception) and Houston gave up the one interception.

Said Dallas owner Jerry Jones afterward, “I’m disappointed for Cowboys fans everywhere.” An embarrassed Emmitt Smith added that “We did nothing good.” Nevetheless, there were some bright spots for the Cowboys, such as the play of the defense and in particular that of DT La’Roi Glover. Glover, a six-year veteran who had been signed as a free agent, recorded 1.5 sacks and intercepted Carr’s deflected pass in his regular season debut with the Cowboys. Dallas went on to a 5-11 record for the third consecutive season – the last under Head Coach Dave Campo.

As for Houston, it was the first time that a modern NFL expansion team had won its initial regular season game since the Vikings did so in 1961, and as was the case in that instance there were few wins thereafter. The Texans lost their next five games on the way to finishing the season with a 4-12 record, placing them at the bottom of the AFC South.

The opening game against the Cowboys set the tone for the rest of the year: the defense played respectably, but the offense ranked at the bottom of the NFL. David Carr showed toughness but also made plenty of rookie mistakes. The offensive line performance was spotty, and the loss of Tony Boselli to shoulder surgery (he ended up never playing for the team) was a major blow. The running game suffered accordingly, as rookie RB Jonathan Wells led the club with 529 yards on the ground, but with an average gain of only 2.7 yards-per-carry. And while veterans like Gary Walker and Aaron Glenn made the Pro Bowl, others were disappointments (Boselli and Jermaine Lewis).

But at least for one week, Carr and the Texans were 1-0 and had reason to exult.

2006: Texans Draft Mario Williams 1st Overall Ahead of Bush & Young

After steadily progressing in their first three seasons in the NFL, the Houston Texans dropped to a league-worst 2-14 record in 2005. Head Coach Dom Capers and his staff were dismissed, and offensive-minded Gary Kubiak was hired in his place.

However, with the first pick in the NFL draft on April 29, 2006 the Texans opted for help on defense and made official the selection of North Carolina State DE Mario Williams as their choice (he had actually been signed to a contract the night before).

The decision drew criticism from both commentators and fans. At a draft party held at Reliant Stadium, many of the attendees booed the selection of Williams and began chanting “Reg-gie! Reg-gie!” in reference to Reggie Bush, the star running back and Heisman Trophy winner from USC. There had also been sentiment for picking a local favorite, QB Vince Young from Texas. They ended up being the next two players drafted, by the Saints and Titans, respectively.

Not all of the reviews were critical, to be sure. As one scout said, “I like the Texans’ pick of Mario Williams over Reggie Bush. If you tell me I can have a great running back or I can have a great defensive end, I’ll take the defensive end every time. He’ll have a longer career, he’s on the field for more plays, and defensive ends are harder to find than running backs.”

The 6’7”, 295-pound Williams had chosen to leave school early to enter the draft, but was considered by scouts to be ready for the NFL. In 2005, he had recorded 62 tackles (24 of them for a loss) and 14.5 sacks over the course of 12 games. Moreover, he filled a clear need for a Houston defense that had ranked next to last in the league, including 32nd against the run and 24th vs. the pass (to be sure, they ranked 30th in total offense as well). New defensive coordinator Richard Smith was replacing the 3-4 scheme favored by Capers with a 4-3 alignment, and Williams seemed a good fit for the revamped defensive line.

Initially, the critics appeared to be vindicated by the results of the 2006 season. While the team’s record improved to 6-10, Williams suffered through an injury-marred and inconsistent campaign and recorded just 4.5 sacks. Meanwhile, Bush proved to be a potent complement to power runner Deuce McAllister, accumulating 1523 all-purpose yards (742 on 88 pass receptions alone) as the Saints ranked first in team offense and made it to the postseason. Vince Young showed great promise with the Titans, passing for 2199 yards and running for another 552 while being selected Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press.

The Houston offense ranked 28th in the NFL. QB David Carr, the first player ever drafted by the club in 2002, continued to be mired in mediocrity. RB Ron Dayne led the team in rushing with 612 yards. A revamping followed in the offseason.

However, the situation for Williams, especially in comparison to Bush and Young, shifted significantly from 2007 onward. Healthy and playing with greater confidence, he tied for third in the league in sacks with 14. In ’08, he had another 12 sacks, was a first team All-NFL selection of The Sporting News and second team pick by the AP, and went to the Pro Bowl for the first time. That was followed up in 2009 with another Sporting News first team All-NFL pick and second Pro Bowl invitation.

Reggie Bush failed to build upon his fine rookie season and his performance was decidedly uneven. While a dynamic player with outstanding outside running ability and good receiving skills out of the backfield who contributed to a championship team, he had durability issues and did not fulfill the hopes that he could be an every-down running back – let alone an elite performer. He averaged just 3.7 yards-per-carry in his first three seasons (although he also caught 213 passes). Strictly a role player, his numbers in all categories declined in 2009 - but his postseason performance was solid, in particular an impressive showing against Arizona in the NFC Divisional playoff.

Vince Young struggled in his second season and was benched for virtually all of his third; brought back into the starting lineup midway through the ’09 campaign with favorable results, his career is at an uncertain stage.

While all three careers are very much in progress, after four seasons, the selection of Williams in the top spot of the first round in ’06 has looked more justified with each passing year.