Wow, where to start.

The Texans were slapped around the field today in an embarassing loss to division-rival Jacksonville. The Texans now drop to 3-3, which only gets them last place in the tough AFC South. After what looked to be a fast start, the Texans stumbled, sputtered, and stammered their way to an ugly beatdown. So much for the Texans ‘owning’ the Jaguars. Not today.

Credit where it’s due - this Jaguar team is going places
Let’s get this out of the way first. The Jaguars are a playoff team. They have an unspectacular, yet efficient offense that has driven opposing teams crazy with their penchant for clock-grinding drives. Drives, which in turn keep their excellent defense fresh and rested. Oh, and what a defense they have. I’m not going to sit here and spit out a bunch of statistics at you - but the Jaguars defense, specifically against the run - is nothing short of amazing right now. Ahman Green, Samkon Gado, Gayle Sayers, or Barry Sanders - it wouldn’t matter against the Jags during the current roll they’re on.

The Jaguars wanted it more
Jacksonville out-worked Houston all day long. In the second quarter, the Jags had the ball for all but about three minutes. The Jags ran up and down the field, pushing the Houston D-line around with ease. Maurice Jones-Drew ran wild all day, and Fred Taylor got off a 76-yard run early in the game. Drew has a habit of making any defense look bad, and today the Texans were no exception. MJD bounced off would-be defenders, ran through arm tackles, and even unleashed a Karate Kid touchdown celebration. The Texans painted the fence, sanded the floor, waxed on, and waxed off all day - but instead of the hard work paying off in the end, Mr. Miyagi just reached back and punched the Texans in the face.

Even though the Jaguars only got a field goal out of it - the most telling play of the day was probably when Jack Del Rio called for an onside kick late in the second quarter. As the announcers pointed out, the success of the kick was based purely on surprise and video study. As great as the Texans special teams have been this season, they fell asleep at the wheel on that play. It’s probably the easiest onside kick recovery I’ve ever seen a team execute. The score wasn’t nearly out of hand by that time, but you could feel that familiar sense of dread begin to set in. The Jags finished out the half with the ball, then had a six minute-plus drive to start the third quarter. From there, the rout was on.

Third down woes
Time and time again the Texans defense would rise to the occasion on first and second down, but no matter what the distance it seemed the Jaguars could do anything they wanted on third down. The Texans didn’t force the Jags to punt a single time in the entire game. Granted, that was a good thing early in the game because Houston forced a couple of fumbles… but after that the Jags marched up and down the field, scoring almost at will.

The offense just couldn’t get it in gear
Before the defense started getting pushed around, they did great to put the Texans in position to score early. Two forced fumbles by the secondary set the offense up to punch it in - but they could never break the will of the Jacksonville defense. Matt Schaub failed to connect with Kevin Walter in the end zone when he got separation from his man… the offensive line botched a QB draw near the goal line… Gary Kubiak again made some questionable play-calls, and Matt Schaub has GOT to improve his play in the red zone.

Think we weren’t missing Andre Johnson that much? Think again.
Andre Davis has filled in admirably in AJ’s absence - but we need our best playmaker back, and we need him back now. Word is he was running sprints during practice this week, but was not able to cut. That doesn’t bode well for the next game, but let’s hope he heals faster as the week goes on. Davis had a few catches today, but fumbled in the first quarter, nullifying a touchdown and giving the ball back to the Jags when Houston was poised to steal the momentum. It’s not that Davis made a bad play - although he did expose the ball… but hey, he was extending his arms and trying to score a touchdown. You can hardly be upset with him for trying to make a play. It’s not like he was showboating. Still, if I had to put money down on it - Johnson makes that play and the Texans get a touchdown.

Speaking of receivers, Kevin Walter showed his worth today as a receiver. We hear all the time about how he helps the team in ways that don’t show up on the stat sheet. Today he did all those things and had the gaudy stats to go with it. Walter caught balls all over the field, making key drive-sustaining plays and finding openings in the defense. After all the talk of Andre Davis taking Walter’s starting spot when AJ comes back - Walter probably cemented his status as the team’s #2 receiver after all.

So what’s next?
Well, nothing good. The Texans come home to host Tennessee next week, and ‘you know who’ will be motivated get his team back on track after a loss at Tampa Bay. For the fans, the team, and the overall mental health of this Texans organization - the Texans/Titans game is a must win for Houston. Following that, they travel to San Diego to face a Chargers team that has suddenly gotten back on track. Today was game one in what is probably the toughest 3-game stretch of the season for the Texans. Houston fans are going to have to show up in force to drown out the Vince Young fans that will be taking Reliant Stadium over on Sunday.

Titans game is a must win for the Texans
A lot of people will be watching this game next week. There will be local and national attention, because of the sports media’s obsession with the Texans passing on Young. Houston needs to rise to the occasion, but it won’t be easy. Just as Jacksonville shuts down the run game, the Titans also have a top-ranked defense. There’s no reason the Texans can’t win this game. In the end, it will come down to who wants it the most… it’s going to be tough and tight, and you know Kubiak will have his guys on defense working hard to contain VY.

There’s just no way around it - the Texans have to want it more. Every time the Titans come to Houston, they’re going to have to match the Titans’ intensity. That, and some red zone scoring, improved defensive play, and a certain #80 would help against one of the league’s most electrifying players. The clock is ticking. Kubiak and the fellas have to hit it, and hit it hard this week.

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