Just when the last quarter of the season was looking like a downer, the Texans stepped up and beat the playoff-bound Buccaneers 28-14. With a quick turnaround game coming up Thursday night against the Broncos, Houston is in a good position to get back to .500.

Another excellent effort by the defense.
The defensive line pressured Luke McCown all afternoon, and registered four sacks. This was quite a flash of what could be if the D-line could play to their potential every week. Mario Williams continued his fantastic second half with six more tackles and another sack. He’s had a sack in four straight games, and was breathing down McCown’s neck all day long. C.C. Brown and Will Demps each notched a fumble recovery, and Tampa Bay was an abysmal 3 of 13 on third down, and 0 for 2 on fourth down. The defense gave up 14 points, but 7 of those points were on the offense, as they turned the ball over deep in Houston territory early in the second quarter.

It should also be noted that the defense performed well at the end of each half, something I’ve been very critical of this season. Tampa Bay had the ball at the Houston 48 with 1:51 left in the second quarter, result - three and out. Down by 14, the Bucs got the ball with 3:29 left in the fourth quarter at their own 7. They moved the ball downfield, but the Texans ended up stopping them at the Houston 20 yard-line, and the game was over. The Bucs are certainly not an elite offense in this league, but they are a playoff-bound team that has thus far found ways to win tough games. Not so today.

Mario-haters, it’s over. Officially, it’s time for you to shut up.
Williams has distanced himself from Reggie Bush and Vince Young as the best player of the trio. Clearly, the final judgment won’t be made until their prospective careers are over - but if you’re still running around town screaming that Mario is a bust, you need to be placed in intensive mental care immediately… either that or pack up, move to Tennessee, and spend the rest of your days fetching Vince Young’s newspaper and slippers. Either way, stop it.

Let the quarterback controversy begin in Houston.
I for one am 100% in favor of Matt Schaub as the starting quarterback of the Texans. Sage could have thrown five touchdowns today, and five more next week - but the fact is he’s proven to be too inconsistent over his career to be a starter in this league. With all that said, Rosenfels made the strongest case yet that he needs to at least have a chance to compete for the starting job next season in training camp. He led the team with confidence, poise, and leadership. Against one of the top defenses in the league, Sage completed 75% of his passes and threw three touchdowns. He did not throw an interception, and the Texans were able to overcome his two lost fumbles. Considering Rosenfels was running for his life most of the game from Bucs’ defensive end Greg White, this is a game that solidifies Sage as the most capable back-up quarterback in the NFL.

Jerome who?
Well, okay. Jerome Mathis. Andre Davis probably won’t make any Texan fans forget who Mathis is, but he showed true skill as kickoff returner on Sunday, patiently waiting for his blocks and allowing running lanes to develop before exploding down the field for a 97-yard touchdown. It was a thing of beauty. Davis looked as though he was moving in slow-motion at first, no doubt causing gasps all over Reliant Stadium and the city of Houston - “What is he doing!!!?!?!?” Turns out Davis knew all along. It was an absolutely electrifying play, and just the thing the Texans needed to get off to a fast start in the 2nd half.

A touchdown in each quarter.
The Texans scored a touchdown in every quarter of the game Sunday and had their best point total since Rosenfels went ballistic in the fourth quarter of the Week 7 loss to Tennessee. Though they weren’t able to dominate the line of scrimmage with a great running game this week, Rosenfels repeatedly came through under pressure to make up for the lacking ground attack. Ron Dayne was in and out of the lineup this week, and Darius Walker got the bulk of the carries. Walker, who bizarrely is thought to be some kind of helmeted savior by uninformed Texans fans, was able to cobble 46 yards on 16 carries. He did well relieving Dayne, who was once again the starter ahead of Ahman Green. Green was mercifully placed in Injured Reserve earlier in the week, so now we know for the rest of the season the running back rotation will consist of Dayne, Walker, and Adimchinobi Echemandu.

This team has a legitimate shot at 8-8.
Before the season, fans and league observers were almost universally picking Houston to finish 7-9 or 8-8. After a 2-0 start, many Texans fans were talking playoffs, but those hopes quickly disappeared once injuries, turnovers, and inconsistent play began to plague the team. Before Week 14, the pendulum had swung back. Many thought the Texans would do no better than 1-3 in their final four games, to finish worse than the 6-10 mark they achieved last year. While that is still certainly a possibility considering the injuries, the Texans have a good chance to beat Denver on Thursday, and Jacksonville in the last game of the season. Of course the trip to Indianapolis is not a sure-win for the Colts, but they’ll likely be playing to lock up a playoff bye-week against the Texans. The Texans usually play the Jaguars tough, and they might have a chance to affect the Jags’ playoff positioning on the last week of the season. You can bet Houston will have that 37-17 beatdown they suffered at the hands of Jacksonville fresh in their minds, and won’t likely roll over again.

Short week coming for Denver and Houston.
Denver is far from an easy team to defeat, but they’ll come in to Houston after blowing out division rival Kansas City 41-7. Identical to the Texans, the Broncos will come in with a 6-7 record, and a similar Jekyll and Hyde season. Prior to the blowout win over the Chiefs, the Broncos were made a mess of by the Oakland Raiders 34-20. Quarterback Jay Cutler has shown flashes of brilliance, followed by inexplicable ineptitude. Broncos star wide receiver Javon Walker has missed several games with a knee injury. There have been many injuries and uncertainties amongst the Broncos running backs. Sound familiar?

Denver’s much-maligned run defense stepped it up against the Chiefs, allowing only 16 yards on the ground. We’ll find out during the week whether or not Ron Dayne will be able to play. He missed most of the second half against Tampa Bay and his injury may not be severe - but with the short week he’ll have much less time to recuperate. With the Broncos run defense rebounding, and the possibility that the Texans might have to go three spots down the depth chart to find a starting running back, it could be a tough game on the NFL Network Thursday night. Sage Rosenfels will also have an opportunity to quiet the critics that say he’s incapable of playing starter-caliber quarterback on a regular basis. I’ll be very happy to be one of those quieted critics if he can pull off another win Thursday.

Please check out www.HoustonDiehards.com for much more Texans commentary, and the 2006 Draft Tracker!

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