In a game played in -10 wind chill conditions, the Texans’ defense beat up on an utterly incompetent Bears offense as the Texans beat the Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago. The sixth win is the most that the Texans have won in a season during their first three in the NFL.
The tale of this game was turnovers, as the Bears lost four and the Texans none. Neither team could do much offensively under the difficult conditions, but the Bears were particularly atrocious, managing barely 200 yards total offense. The Texans’ David Carr played reasonably well under the circumstances (13-28/208 yds/1 TD) and, most importantly, had no turnovers. Notably, Carr did a good job of throwing passes to wide receivers Jabbar Gaffney and Corey Bradford, which is the only way that the Texans are going to be able to force teams to loosen the now routine double coverage on the Texans’ star receiver, Andre Johnson.
The entire Texans’ defense was impressive, although this Bears offense is truly one of the worst of the past decade in the NFL. Particularly impressive for the Texans is rookie cornerback Dunta Robinson, who was one of the Texans’ first round draft picks in the 2004 draft. This young player plays like a seasoned veteran 14 games into his professional career and, barring injury, looks as if he will hold down one of the Texans’ cornerback positions for the next decade.
The Texans play the Jaguars at Jacksonville on the Sunday after Christmas Day and then play Cleveland at Reliant Stadium to finish up the season. Despite rather substantial problems in both the offensive and defensive lines, and a still unproven quarterback, it is a credit to the Texans’ coaching staff that they have this club in a position to break even on the season.
In perhaps the best reflection of the state of the Cowboys franchise, the Pokes were able to take solace in the fact that they were at least able to keep it close against the Eagles this time, as opposed to the 49-21 Monday Night Football disaster of earlier this season.
What is truly amazing is that the Cowboys were in a position to win this game at all after mustering barely 300 yards total offense and coughing up three turnovers. But the Eagles scored with less than two minutes remaining to seal the win and place the Cowboys in distinct peril of finishing the season with a worse record than the third year Texans. The Pokes wind up the season with the Redskins at home next Sunday and then the Giants the following week at the Meadowlands before beginning what is sure to be an eventful offseason as this once proud franchise faces a formidable rebuilding project.
Aww, come on, Chad Hutchinson didn’t make you wonder what Parcells was thinking, letting him go? 🙂
The question is, does he have anything that’s any better?
Crazy thing is, I thought the Dallas D showed up for one of the few times this season. But what was true earlier in the season — Vinny T gives the team a better chance to win than the others — hasn’t been true in weeks. He’s been terrible in recent weeks after a decent start.
I’m not really a fan of this “QB of the future garbage” — you can win in this league without a hall of famer if he has talent around him — but Dallas does have to get someone next year who can play at a higher level than this year’s QB. Whether it’s Henson or a free agent, I dunno. A marquee receiver would be nice, and a dominant defensive lineman as well. Let’s see, QB, WR, and DL. Yeah, I guess that is a sign it’s time to rebuild. 🙂
Not to mention the defensive secondary, which may be the most disappointing part of this Cowboys team. With so many holes to fill, my sense is that the Cowboys are a good 2-3 seasons away from being a legitimate playoff contender again. And that may be optimistic.
Minor quibble, Tom: in today’s NFL, no team is ever 2-3 seasons away from being a legitimate playoff contender.
TP, parity point noted, but the following teams are at least two seasons, and perhaps more, from realistically competing for a playoff spot: Dallas, Arizona, San Francisco, Chicago, Houston, Miami, and Oakland. Just too many holes to fill to compete much quicker than that.