Tight end Billy Miller gave the Texans their first touchdown in team history.
Here are the top five gutsiest plays in Texans' history in chronological order. There were quite a few game-winning kicks courtesy of Kris Brown and spectacular catches by Andre Johnson. But we only had five slots. Now, we are asking fans to decide which play ranks supreme. Go to the HoustonTexans.com homepage to vote.
1. Billy Miller makes first touchdown catch in team history
After six years without football in Houston, the Texans kicked off their 2002 inaugural season with an electric game against the Dallas Cowboys. In the first drive of the game, quarterback David Carr connected on a pass over the middle to tight end Billy Miller for a 19-yard touchdown. Miller's diving catch gave the Texans their first ever touchdown. Houston went on to beat Dallas 19-10, becoming just the second expansion team in NFL history to win their first regular season game.
2. Carr's touchdown dive against the Jags
Four games into the 2003 season, the Texans were down by three inside the Jacksonville one-yard-line with two seconds on the clock. Carr took the snap and immediately stretched the ball over the goal line as time expired to give Houston a 24-20 victory at home. Dom Capers was named NFL Coach of the Week for his decision to go for the touchdown rather than send the game into overtime with a short field goal.
"When I saw how close we were, I thought: 'Let's go for it. Let's try to win the game and end this thing right now,'" Capers said.
3. Brown nails game-winner to beat Indy
In Gary Kubiak's first year as the Texans' head coach in 2006, he helped guide the Texans to their first and only win over the Indianapolis Colts. Of course, he got a lot of help from kicker Kris Brown. With three seconds left in the game, Brown nailed a 48-yard field goal though the uprights in Reliant Stadium to give Houston a 27-24 victory.
"We've certainly had to deal with our fair share of adversity," Brown said after the game. "There are a lot of guys in this locker room who've had to endure most of it, and I'm sure that this win is huge for the organization. The way that we did it, too, it was a team win. Offense, defense, special teams, everybody contributed."
{QUOTE}4. 'Dre's fourth-and-10 catch against Miami
After dealing with the devastation of Hurricane Ike and losing their first four games of 2008, the Texans looked liked they needed a miracle to keep their season afloat. They got it in the form of Andre Johnson. On fourth-and-10 at their 36 with 52 seconds left and trailing 28-23 to the Miami Dolphins, quarterback Matt Schaub went to Johnson in the left flat. Johnson muscled the ball out of safety Yeremiah Bell's hands to make an unbelievable catch.
"Matt gave me a chance, and I was able to make a play," Johnson said. "I don't know how, but I did. I just stuck my hands up, he put his hands up and the ball kind of bounced around. It was both of us competing for the ball, and I wound up with it."
5. Schaub's quarterback draw for the win
Six plays after Johnson's catch, Schaub got his chance to play hero. With seven seconds left, the Texans faced fourth down at the Miami 3 with no timeouts remaining. Schaub fooled the Dolphins and almost everybody else in Reliant Stadium by running in a three-yard quarterback draw up the middle from the shotgun formation to give the Texans a 29-28 win, their first of 2008.
"I loved the play," Schaub said. "It's one of those plays you call when the other team is least expecting it, and I think that was a situation where they weren't quite expecting it. We come out in empty (set) and there's a pass option in there in case it's a bad look for the draw, but they gave us a very good look for it and I just let the thing sort out in front with the offensive and defensive line and found a hole just tried to get in the end zone."
