Can he win the offensive rookie of the year award? Decent start despite the lack of targets. Not having Duane Brown the past two games has hurt Schaub's pass protection. The Texans can't really utilize him a lot more if they can't give slow-footed Schaub enough time to throw the ball down field. He had his worst game of the season against the Seahawks but there's only so much you can do under the circumstances.



DeAndre Hopkins rookie watch
Game 1 at San Diego: 5 receptions for 66 yards
Game 2 vs. Tennessee: 7 receptions for 117 yards and 1 TD
Game 3 at Baltimore: 6 receptions for 60 yards
Game 4 vs. Seattle: 2 receptions for 27 yards

I'm actually shocked DeAndre Hopkins won the offensive rookie of the month award for September given his lack of production in the last game. He was only targeted three times in the entire game against Seattle. He's still on pace to have over 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie. We might have Duane Brown, arguably the best left tackle in the league, back for Sunday Night's game at San Francisco. That should help the entire offense get back on track especially Matt Schaub.

Per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle: Left tackle Duane Brown, who missed the past two games with a toe injury, said on Thursday that he expects to play Sunday Night at San Francisco. "I felt ready to play the last game against Seattle but the soreness kept me out. It felt miserable watching the team lose both games without me and I'm ready to help them win again," said Brown.

I kind of feel like Duane Brown is the second best player on our team, after J.J. Watt, and the most important player we have on offense. No surprise we went 0-2 without him this season. I remember when he was suspended for four games in 2010. We went 2-2 in those games after starting that season 2-0. But we had struggled to beat the Raiders and Chiefs without him - had to come from behind to win both games. We almost went 0-4 without him back in 2010.

According to Stats Inc. the difference between making the NFL playoffs at 2-3 (20%) versus that of a 3-2 team (51%) is pretty significant. This Sunday Night's game at San Francisco could make or break the 2013 Texans season. The odds of making the playoffs go way down at 2-3 compared to 3-2.

Which is why it was frustrating to literally throw away that game against Seattle at home. I don't think the Texans will beat the 49ers on the road but I've been wrong many times before. The good news is that Brian Cushing's concussion protocol has gone well this week and he should be cleared to play later today.

We somehow have the #1 ranked defense and #5 ranked offense after four games. Only team in the top five for both. You would think based on the statistics we would be 4-0 but we find ourselves an average 2-2 team despite what the numbers say. The offense is gaining a lot of yardage but not scoring enough Touchdowns and obviously the turnovers hurt tremendously.

And also to note, we may have the worst special teams unit in the NFL, outside of Shane Lechler's great punting. Our return game is horrible and Keshawn Martin isn't the answer anymore, our kicking is mediocre and our coverage in the return game is horrendous. We're giving up too many big returns, including one returned to the house already.

We should have fired special teams coach Joe Marciano a few years ago. The same dude that couldn't even get it done last year coaching a premier playmaker like Trindon Holliday, the best return man in the game. The Denver Broncos are now a perfect 15-0 in the regular season since signing Trindon Holliday off a waiver claim after the 5-0 Texans released him back in Week 5 of last season. He hasn't lost a regular season game in two seasons now.

Trindon Holliday now has six returns for Touchdowns in those 15 games which includes a 105-yard kickoff return for a Touchdown in his last game against the Eagles. And the only game the Broncos lost with Trindon Holliday, a 38-35 nailbiter in 2 overtimes, he had two touchdowns in that playoff loss against the Ravens. A 90-yard punt return for a Touchdown and a 104-yard kickoff return for a Touchdown.

It just seems like the Houston Texans are a day late and a dollar short, season after season. When the hell are we going to catch a break? The reason why we can't get over the hump isn't solely because of Matt Schaub. A lot of it has to do with bad coaching and making the wrong personnel moves as well.

Sweet things all over the place. Wow! Might be their best one yet.
Certainly better than the last game. Those lucky fans who were there.

draino, why are you so quiet the past few days? Are you worried about this game tomorrow night? I can almost say tonight since it's getting closer to midnight. I'm expecting the worst but hoping for the best myself. This is a big game for Matt Schaub. It would be nice to see him step up his game and not be rattled in a big game for a change.

Seems like everybody is back healthy too...

Per John McClain


Duane Brown and Brian Cushing being back is important. I thought Brandon Brooks was good to go but I guess not. Ben Jones will replace Brandon Brooks at right guard. But I believe the Texans can manage to play well offensively with any offensive lineman being out except for Duane Brown at left tackle and Chris Myers at center - those two All Pros can't be replaced. Everybody else seems to be interchangeable given the schemes. We've seen how bad our pass protection is without Duane Brown and it wasn't pretty.

Got to give it up to Houston espescially the cheerleaders

Dang.

We suck.

Nothing a new quarterback and a slap to Gary Kubiak's ego can't change. Still not giving up on the playoffs at 2-3.

sorry u guys couldnt get freeman

Would have been nice. I still think Case Keenum should get a look. He wasn't in uniform tonight. I don't like Yates at all.