Matt Schaub's 64-yard TD pass to Andre Johnson on the opening play of the game was like a giant tablet of Xanax to the Texans' fan base. It served notice that Sunday would be a stress-free afternoon and the best available remedy for a four-game losing streak that probably cost the Texans a chance at a postseason berth.
But, wait a minute. Pittsburgh somehow lost to Cleveland, Jacksonville fell to Miami and Denver lost at Indy keeping the Texans' paper-thin playoff hopes alive. If you're a true fan, you know you've found yourself doing crazy things like pulling for Detroit to beat Baltimore or rooting, in vain, for a Tampa Bay upset over the Jets.
Yes, Houston needs a warehouse of help to get to the postseason, but as long as there is a pulse, why not hope for a football miracle? After all, didn't the Bears stroll into Reliant Stadium for the season finale last year needing some ridiculous things to happen, then have them all happen, then fail to get the win, which would have put them in the playoffs?
The Texans need to keep fighting and hope that somehow when they kick the ball Jan. 3 against the Patriots they will have at least a snowball's chance of advancing. Considering all that has happened, it's just about all we can ask at this point.
Arian Foster looked like he belonged, Bernard Pollard made even more money for next year with his third pick. And Mario Williams had two sacks, which puts him two off the pace of hitting double figures for the third consecutive year. With Andre Johnson racking up nearly 200 yards receiving and Schaub getting within a stone's throw of 4,000 yards, the Texans are once again showing they are a tough team to beat. But they need to be flawless in the won-loss column the rest of the way to help ease the pain of the four-game drought.
