Purple Sticky Punch

Don't take that champagne off ice just yet. After a tough 28-21 road loss to the Vikings, the Texans finish the first half of the season with a record of 3-5. Although the game proved to be a frustrating experience for Texans fans, there were still a few positives to draw from the game. Unfortunately, there were also the negatives. To alleviate the mood, I will alternate my assessments:

BAD
"The important thing is for us to remain healthy through this game! If I have any concerns, it's for the safety of Matt Schaub." -- It goes without saying that we failed in this aspect as Schaub left the game at halftime. An MRI Monday revealed a torn MCL which will sideline him for at least a month. This is a big loss for our team and we can only hope that Matt recovers quickly. Say it with me Texans fans: SAGE IS NOT THE ANSWER! WE NEED MATT SCHAUB! Now that that's settled, I want to take a moment to express my extreme disgust for Jared Allen and his gruesome assault on Matt Schaub's knees. Not once, but TWICE I saw him not only hit Schaub late but also aim low and consequently we lost our starter for the rest of the game. Absolutely despicable.

GOOD
"Slaton will be a factor in the passing game this week, no doubt...The short to intermediate passing game should serve as our running game this week." -- He finished with 8 catches for 56 yards to go along with 62 yards on 16 carries for a 3.9 ypc average. Most impressive was the fact that he handled ALL the carries. He might not be Adrian Peterson, but I don't know what else you can ask for than a RB who averages almost 6 yards per touch and 90 total yards from scrimmage despite splitting time.

BAD
"The name of the game for the defense is simple: contain Adrian Peterson! Easier said than done, I know, but I think we can allow him to top 100 yards and still win. It will be critical, however, to keep him out of the end zone and dare Gus Frerotte to beat us." -- AD finished with 139 yards on 25 carries and a TD and Frerotte tossed 3 TDs. As he does often, Peterson gained the majority of his yards in the fourth quarter. Needless to say, we let Frerotte beat us. The secondary was burned on several occasions. We got decent pressure on the QB as the D line recorded 3 sacks. In the end, however, too many big plays allowed sealed our fate.

Stat of the Game = 3:1
You can sum up the reason for this loss in one word: turnovers. For the sixth time this season, the Texans lost the turnover battle to their opponent, giving the ball up to the Vikings three times on Sunday (twice in the redzone and all 3 times in Vikings territory). On the season, the Texans are -6 in turnover differential. Ladies and gentlemen, we will NOT make the jump into the upper echelon of the NFL until we stop turning the ball over. The good news is that our problems with turnovers is completely fixable. The sooner we learn to protect the ball, the sooner Texans fans will see their team play with the kind of consistency that warrants playoff consideration. We are making strides and we are getting better, but until we stop shooting ourselves in the foot the team will continue to stay stagnant.

Next up, the Texans head back to the friendly confines of Reliant Stadium as the Ravens come to town to make up the game put off by Hurricane Ike. If the team is anywhere near as hungry for a win as I am, then we will certainly get back on track. Unfortunately for the Ravens, they are standing on the tracks when the train is coming through.