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(3:01pm) It's not quite over yet, but it's awfully close after Rosenfels throws an INT for the Texans 2nd 4th quarter turnover. Not really his fault as the Titans 4-man rush beats the Texans 5-man offensive line and Vanden Bosch hits Rosenfels as he is getting rid of the ball and it floats on him. Michael Griffin picks it off and the Texans will be lucky to get the ball back with maybe 20-30 seconds.
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(2:55pm) Defense blows their first chance to get the ball back - this one is on DC Richard Smith. He doesn't blitz on 3rd and ten, they drop Okoye and Cochran in coverage and VY throws to Moulds for 23 yards. I'll give you one guess who was in coverage on Moulds.
Anyone????
Yep, Moulds caught it in front of Faggins. Ridiculous.
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(2:52pm) Turnover battle now even and the Texans convert the INT into 3 points on yet another Brown long field goal. This 50-yarder makes him 5-5 on the year from 50 and beyond. It's up to the defense again.
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(2:43pm) Good thing Petey Faggins was the Texans starting cornerback for the first half of the season. Fred Bennett just picked off his 3rd pass of the year since becoming a starter a month ago. Titans had a chance to put the game away but VY overthrows Justin Gage and Bennett just runs under it. They still have a chance to get this game, but a score on this possession is mandatory.
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(2:31pm) Defense did their job, then Jacboy Jones screwed it up. Will Demps stops Eric Moulds one yard shy of a first down and the Titans are forced to punt. But Jones muffs the catch - should have been a fair catch anyway, but hardly woulda matter since he was well on his way to fumbling without even being hit. Just like David Anderson fumbling a punt in the 4th quarter of the first meeting, the Texans just giving points away. Chris Brown gains 29 yards on 2 carries for the score to make it 28-17. That's 30 turnovers on the season and ruins my guarantee that the Texans would win if they didn't turn the ball over.
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(2:25pm) I told you it was Sage time. Rosenfels 3-3 for 55 yards on the drive including a perfectly thrown 28 -yard pass to Johnson down the sidelines. All of Rosenfels 8 TD throws have come in the 4th quarter this season, including 5 against the Titans. The defense has to stop the Titans now. By the way, Schaub is back on the sidelines with his left arm in a sling - likely as a result of a separated shoulder.
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(2:15pm) As has been the case all year, the Texans get outplayed in the 3rd quarter. Back-to-back drives for VY and the Titans, nets a pair of TDs and 150 yards to turn a halftime deficit into a 21-10 lead. Titans have now gained 315 yards and have yet to turn the ball over. Houston has not scored a 3rd quarter TD since wk 2 in Carolina. That looks really bad for the coaching staff.
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(1:56pm) Great execution from the Titans as they take their first lead of the day on a very easy 43-yard connection from VY to Roydell Williams. Hutchins bites hard on a VY pump fake and that leaves Williams wide open. Let's see if Sage and the offense have an answer - I mean after all Sage does own the Titans when he leads the Texans from behind.
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(1:46pm) Texans defense force the 5th consecutive scoreless possession for the Titans and it comes when they stop 'em on 3rd down with a sack. Von Hutchins gets to VY first, and Mario Williams makes sure he goes down as they split the sack. That's 7.5 on the season now for the '06 #1 pick.
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(1:40pm) Mario's 7th sack of the season, leaves him 13th in the league among defensive lineman. Dayne's 74 first half rushing yards would already be good for the 4th best rushing game by a Texan this season. The top 3 all from Dayne the last 3 weeks with the high of 122 against Oakland three weeks ago.
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(1: 26pm) Mario beats his man and runs down VY for his 7th sack of the season and give him 4 straight games with at least one sack. It's a key play since even after the Texans allowed VY to scramble for a 1st down and give Rob Bironas a long 53-yard field goal try - he comes up short. Special teams coach Joe Marciano is obviously pressing - b/c for the second time this season he sets up a reverse on a return, using a player with inferior speed. Jacoby Jones is positioned in the end zone where he calmly handles the short field goal try, but about 10 yards into the return he pitches to Fred Bennett on a reverse. He goes nowhere. Odd to say the least. But at the half, despite two major injuries the Texans have a 10-7 lead.
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(1:23pm) Kris Brown gives the Texans a 10-7 lead with a solid 45-yard field goal in poor conditions. Unfortunately it might have been 6 points if Andre Johnson hangs on to the third down pass inside the 10-yard line.
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(1:14pm) The Texans might be welcoming two more players to the IR. Fred Weary is carted off the field on a stretcher and in an air cast on his right leg. Schaub has yet to emerge from the lockerroom.
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(12:52pm) Well, I suppose the back-to-back goofs by the offensive line that sent Schaub to the lockerroom for the day and maybe the season, could be looked at the big play of the first half. Ephraim Salaam whiffs on Kyle Vanden Bosch and he smacks Schaub's right arm preventing a clean follow-through. Next play, Antwan Odom came crashing down on Schaub for the sack and the word is it's a shoulder injury. It looked like either a left shoulder separation or a broken collarbone. It's Sage time ---- again.
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(12:50pm 1st qtr recap - (Sorry technical issues) Great first drive, except for very weak play-calling yet again inside the ten-yard line. That 2nd down throw to Daniels is an extremely low percentage play that was unsuccessful and had nothing to do with the defense. Luckily Ron Dayne is running extremely hard and as usual nothing but downhill, north-south.
Defense didn't take a stand until after the Titans tied it up, but after Matt Turk's 1st short punt, the defense did force the punt on the short field.
But the key early play, comes when the Texans recover Barclay's muffed punt - only to re-kick due to Michael Boulware's holding.
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(11:45pm) I'll be blogging throughout the game today, I've predicted a tight close game that the Titans win - maybe 23-20. I did also guarantee victory if the Texans turn in their first turnover free game of the Matt Schaub era.
How 'bout your predictions? Bring 'em on.
------------- WEX
2 comments:
When can we tag Schaub as "inury prone" oops I think I just did.
Now does seem the time for it. He wasn't exactly beaten up today. He just took two hits. One to the arm, when Salaam got embarassed. Next play he's down and out. My guess is he's done for the year. The team is going to easily set a franchise best for fewest sacks allowed, but the ones they do are crushing their QBs.
--- WEX
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