The local media will likely view this game as a moral victory because the Texans (0-3) at least had a chance to win the game. However, the Texans passing game generated a measly 128 yards on a 4.9 yards per pass average. The rushing attack generated 126 yards for a slightly-better 5.5 per rush average. The bottom line is that 254 yards of total offense will not win many NFL games. The defense was decent, allowing less than 100 yards rushing and keeping the team in the game for the most part. But folks, this is shaping up as a very looong season for the Texans. The Texans better beat Tennessee at home next Sunday because they have Seattle on the road and Indianapolis at home the two weeks after that one. 0-6 is looking like a distinct possibility.
That hissing sound is the air leaking out quickly of the Cowboys’ (2-2) once promising season. The Pokes are now 2-2 and in the cellar of the strong NFC East Division. Dallas is not running the ball particulary well so far this season, and Drew Bledsoe is probably not capable of putting up the kind of passing statistics necessary to carry this team’s offense. The Cowboys are light years better than the Texans, but this does not look so far like an NFL playoff caliber team.
Texas Longhorns 51 Missouri 20
Let’s see now. Second-ranked Texas (4-0) has 14 penalties in the game, has two turnovers and a fumbled snap on a fourth down play near the goal line, and is only a point ahead after the first quarter on the road. Sounds as if they should be in trouble, right?
Nope. This is an exceptionally explosive Longhorn team, so it doesn’t take them long to pile up the points. But the big hurdle for this team is directly in front of them this week in Dallas: The Horns face Oklahoma (2-2), which has won five straight games in the series, and UT coach Mack Brown must deal once again with the intimidation of being continually out-coached by Sooners’ coach Bob Stoops. OU superback Adrian Peterson appears to have a hitch-in-his-giddyup and the Horns appear to have the much better balanced team, but you can throw out the statistics and record-to-date in this one. I think Texas will have all that it can handle in this one.
I don’t think this result is what Aggie (3-1) fans had in mind before their team goes on the road to face Colorado (3-1) and Kansas State (3-1) in two of the next three weeks. In fact, I’m sure it’s not.
The hard-luck Cougars (2-2) get a nice road win after bailing out before Hurricane Rita and spending the week in a downtown Tulsa hotel. The Coogs play hurricane-displaced Tulane (2-1) in Lafayette, La. next Saturday.
The 0-3 Owls lose their ninth straight game stretching back to last season. The seat is getting very hot for Rice coach and genuine nice guy Ken Hatfield.
For more thorough analysis of the week’s Big 12 games, check out Kevin Whited’s weekly review.
That hissing sound is the air leaking out quickly of the Cowboys’ (2-2) once promising season.
This team is probably a year away, but I wouldn’t rule them out just yet.
Like the Astros, who went young this year and didn’t look like a playoff team in the first quarter of the season, the Cowboys have gone extremely young, but have still been competitive in every game. There were rookies running all over the field yesterday, and they made some rookie mistakes (Ware and Thompson in particular). The key is, can they improve enough by November AND pick up enough wins along the way (i.e. they can’t go 0 for October) to challenge for a wild card spot?
Kevin, the biggest obstacle that Dallas has is its schedule. Of its remaining 12 games, only at Seattle and Arizona and Detroit at home look to be reasonably good chances at wins. If they win most of those and split the remaining 9, that’s 10 wins and that probably gets them in the playoffs. Given their limitations in running the ball and Bledsoe’s immobility, I just do not see their offense being good enough to accomplish that. I doubt 9-7 or less gets a wild card berth for the Pokes this season.
I could almost buy Whited’s argument about the Cowboys except for one fact – they are not developing any promising young quarterbacks behind Bledsoe. If Bledsoe were more of the Trent Dilfer type (i.e. minimize turnovers and sacks, get everybody involved) then I could accept that they were looking for a veteran QB to lead a bunch of youngsters. However, Bledsoe makes so many dumb plays, takes sacks in bunches, and throws INT’s like he thinks they are completions. I just don’t see the Pokes being all that better next year than this year if they don’t get themselves a decent QB, and there is nobody behind Bledsoe to make me think that is the plan.
I hear Quincy Carter is available.
Really, what differences does it make if the Girls make the playoffs? They are not winning a Stupor Bowl with Bedsore at QB anyway.
Don, I know one team that I suspect is not interested in picking up an $8 million option on its starting QB. ;^)
Given their limitations in running the ball and Bledsoe’s immobility
You’ve got a rookie at right tackle and they’re still shuffling to see if they have a workable fullback or will need to go two tight end more. I don’t disagree that their running game has been weak, but I think there is potential for the running game to improve.
Everyone is right about Bledsoe — he’s the guy this year and next year, so the Cowboys do have to hope to minimize the impact of his, umm, limitations, for lack of a better term. But, he’s an upgrade over Carter or Testaverde (or any of the others since Aikman).
What are ya gonna do? How many teams in the NFL truly have a franchise QB?
It just drives home how blessed the Cowboys have been over the years at that position.