SB Nation Houston - Texans Vs. Broncos: Houston Hangs On For 31-25 Winhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46691/houston-fave.png2012-09-25T14:52:04-05:00http://houston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/31182712012-09-25T14:52:04-05:002012-09-25T14:52:04-05:00Joe Mays suspended for nicking Matt Schaub's ear
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<p>Texans quarterback Matt Schaub lost a piece of his ear when Broncos linebacker Joe Mays hit him on Sunday. Now, Mays will miss a game and $50,000.</p> <p>In one of the bigger player safety punishments of the 2012 season, the NFL suspended <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Denver Broncos</a> LB <span>Joe Mays</span> for one game and fined him $50,000 for his helmet-to-helmet hit on <span>Matt Schaub</span> that took out a chunk of his ear:</p>
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<p>In addition to the 1-game suspension, Joe Mays was fined $50K for the hit on Schaub. Ouch.</p>
— Lindsay Jones (@PostBroncos) <a data-datetime="2012-09-25T18:38:56+00:00" href="https://twitter.com/PostBroncos/status/250665706381783040">September 25, 2012</a>
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<p>Mays, a fifth-year LB out of North Dakota State, is in his third year with the Broncos. The team signed him to a 3-year $12 million deal this off-season, with $4 million in his first year guaranteed.</p>
<p>Mays has 5 tackles and 0.5 sacks in the first three games of 2012, but his absence could be huge next Sunday, when Denver takes on an <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/oakland-raiders" class="sbn-auto-link">Oakland Raiders</a> team that likes to pound the ball with <span>Darren McFadden</span>.</p>
<p>Schaub, despite writhing in pain after Mays' hit, was able to finish out the game for Houston and isn't expected to miss any time going forward.</p>
<p><i>This post originally appeared on <a target="_blank" href="http://www.sbnation.com/2012/9/25/3406892/joe-mays-fined-suspended-matt-schaub">SBNation.com</a>.</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-texans/2012/9/25/3407194/joe-mays-suspended-matt-schaub-hit-texans-broncosJonathan Tjarks2012-09-24T12:08:03-05:002012-09-24T12:08:03-05:00Houston Texans Monday Hangover
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<figcaption>Chris Humphreys-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire</figcaption>
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<p>Texans looked great despite a late game scare</p> <p>The expectations for the <a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Texans</a> were much higher this off-season than at any time in their history with many fans and media members picking the Texans to reach and in some cases win the Super Bowl. The opening two games on their schedule were pretty soft and didn't present a challenge, so the questions we had on the Texans hadn't been answered yet. After their sixth preseason game last week, they finally faced an opponent thought of as a playoff team that could provide them with the test they needed; they passed that test. The final score made the game look closer than it actually was, with a few mistakes late including a fumble from <span>Ben Tate</span>. Silver lining, those mistakes should provide Kubiak with issues to get on the team about and keep them from getting too high after a huge win. At the time of the fumble, the Texans led 31-11 with just over ten minutes left in the fourth quarter with a first down on the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Broncos</a> side of the field. Had he not fumbled, I believe it's safe to assume that they would have run off another two to three minutes off the clock and scored at least three points giving the Texans a 23 point lead and preventing any late game scare from Denver.</p>
<p><b>Offense: A-</b></p>
<p>This grade would have been an A+ but their two turnovers, especially the fumble from Tate, bring it down a notch. Like I've talked about many times before, the Texans have the best play-action pass game in the league and it caused the Broncos big problems. The Broncos defense got fooled by not just the fake to the running back, but the Texans ran underneath crossing routes that the safety jumped down to cover, leaving <span>Andre Johnson</span> and <span>Kevin Walter</span> wide open for long touchdowns. Their play-action pass game also helped out the offensive line which struggled yesterday when Schaub had a straight drop back. The threat of <span>Arian Foster</span>, especially when he's running it well, forced <span>Von Miller</span> and <span>Elvis Dumervil</span> to pause momentarily on the fake and gave Schaub that extra second to find an open target.</p>
<p>Going forward expect to see less of <span>Antoine Caldwell</span> and <span>Derek Newton</span> on the right side of the offensive line. Rookie Ben Jones started rotating in at right guard last week for Caldwell and did so again this week. Just three weeks after signing with the Texans, veteran <span>Ryan Harris</span> played several series at right tackle yesterday; not an encouraging sign for the development or performance of Newton. I think Newton can get the job done in the run game, but he's had a rough start in pass protection; as we saw with the safety on their first play of the game.</p>
<p>For the first time this season Arian Foster averaged over four yards a carry and the Texans averaged 4.5 overall as a team. The Texans were already 2-0 with Foster struggling a bit, good to see him turn it around in time for the bigger games during the tougher part of their schedule.</p>
<p>Most impressive moment of the game was their 14 play, 97 yard touchdown drive that took up over seven minutes worth of game time; those are the types of drives that break the opponents back and win games.</p>
<p><b>Defense: A-</b></p>
<p>Much like the offense, this grade was an A+ until the final quarter. The fumble from Ben Tate deserves most of the blame for the late game scare, but the level of play from the defense fell off on the Broncos two touchdown drives. The Texans were very aggressive with tight coverage in the secondary and frequent blitzes during the first three quarters but seemed to go with a more vanilla defense in the 4th quarter. I get the idea, they want to play back a bit more, keep everything in front of them and make the Broncos burn clock, but it's frustrating to see them change from a strategy that had dominated the Broncos. For the game the Broncos averaged just 2.8 yards per carry and Manning finished the game having completed just 50 percent of his passes; his lowest number since the 2009 season. If you didn't watch the game, Manning's numbers besides the completion percentage actually look good with a season high 330 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions, but those numbers are deceptive. Manning's completion percentage was under 50 percent for the bulk of the game and three Texan defensive backs (<span>Glover Quin</span>, <span>Johnathan Joseph</span>, and <span>Brice McCain</span>) each dropped passes from Manning that hit them right in the hands and should have been easy interceptions. While I certainly wasn't thinking this at the time, the two touchdowns scored late could provide Wade Phillips with a good coaching moment; gives him a chance to get on them about something and hopefully keep them from getting a big head after another good performance.</p>
<p>On an individual level, I think we should vote <span>J.J. Watt</span> into the Pro Bowl right now; why wait? Currently Watt has 5.5 sacks (equaling his total from last season) which puts him on pace for 29 sacks which would smash the single-season NFL record. I point that out not because I believe he'll actually break the record (I don't) but to point out the ridiculously high level that he's playing at right now. I liked Watt coming out of college and expected him to be a good fit as a 3-4 end with his strong play against the run, but I don't think anyone thought he'd be this good of a pass rusher. He'll likely level out and finish the season at about 12 sacks, which would mean his sack rate drastically drops off, but that's still an incredible number from a 3-4 defensive end. A player in his second year in the league shouldn't be playing at this level.</p>
<p><b>Special Teams: A</b></p>
<p>Kicking game was solid once again. <span>Shayne Graham</span> was perfect on his kicks Sunday (41 yard FG, 4/4 XP) and punter <span>Donnie Jones</span> averaged 54.2 yards per punt. <span>Trindon Holliday</span> didn't get a chance to return any kickoffs which isn't surprising given the strong leg of the Broncos kicker and the thin air at Mile High Stadium. Given Holliday's struggles last week, this might have been a good thing.</p>
<p><b>Overall: A</b></p>
<p>A very impressive win. They showed great skill when building the big lead, good toughness by getting up from the big hits, and great poise by making the plays at the end to seal the victory. If the Texans play their 'A' game the next two weeks against the <a href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Titans</a> and <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Jets</a>, they'll be 5-0 heading into the huge Sunday night game at home against the <a href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Green Bay Packers</a>.</p>
<p>Follow me on Twitter:<span class="screen-name"> </span><a href="https://twitter.com/sackedbybmac" target="_blank">@sackedbybmac</a></p>
<p><i>For more on the Texans, check out the <a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/" target="_blank">Battle Red Blog</a>!</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2012/9/24/3381766/houston-texans-monday-hangover-grading-the-win-over-the-denver-broncosBrian McDonald2012-09-24T11:38:14-05:002012-09-24T11:38:14-05:00NFL Injury Report: Texans' Matt Schaub Took A Beating, Is Healthy
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Houston Texans</a> marched into Mile High Stadium on Sunday, and came away with an impressive 31-25 win over <span>Peyton Manning</span> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.milehighreport.com/">Denver Broncos</a>. </p>
<p>Though the Texans escaped without any major injuries, quarterback <span>Matt Schaub</span> took a beating -- including a scary roughing the passer penalty that induced helmet-to-helmet contact that forced Schaub's helmet off of his head. Schaub went down to the ground, putting both his hands on his head, in what looked like a potentially very scary scene.</p>
<p>Schaub, though, missed only one play, and returned to action. </p>
<p>After the contest, Schaub had his left (non-throwing) shoulder x-rayed, <a href="https://es.twitter.com/taniaganguli/status/250030892234461184" target="_blank">and everything turned out to be "fine."</a></p>
<p>Schaub also <a href="http://houston.sbnation.com/houston-texans/2012/9/24/3381856/houston-texans-denver-broncos-matt-schaub-ear-tough-guy" target="_blank">finished the game without all of his ear</a>, as one of the hits Schaub suffered caused part of Schaub's ear to detach from the rest of it, causing him to bleed.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Houston Texans, <a href="http://www.battleredblog.com" target="_blank">check out Battle Red Blog</a>.</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2012/9/24/3383072/nfl-injury-report-texans-week-3JP Starkey2012-09-24T11:33:10-05:002012-09-24T11:33:10-05:00Matt Schaub Loses Piece Of His Ear, Earns Tough Guy Status
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<p><span>Matt Schaub's</span> name doesn't exactly ring out when you're talking about the league's tough guys. His reputation might actually lead one to call him soft or feeble. I've heard these terms from radio callers in Houston, and the reservations on Schaub are usually about him staying healthy.</p>
<p>Schaub is putting it all on the line now -- <a href="http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2012/09/schaub-i-lost-a-piece-of-my-ear/">even his ear</a>. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.milehighreport.com/">Broncos</a> linebacker <span>Joe Mays</span> delivered a blow to Schaub's helmet in the third quarter, causing Schaub's ear to bleed from parts of it that no longer exist.</p>
<p>Even Schaub could get away with not playing without a piece of his head, but <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Texans</a> head coach Gary Kubiak said the quarterback didn't even want to leave the game. </p>
<p>That's gross, but you have to respect Schaub for toughing it out. This happened in the third quarter, and he only missed one play. Schaub got his money a couple of weeks ago when the Texans extended his contract, and now he's leaving his ear on the field. </p>
<p>It's worth some respect. </p>
<p><i>Read more on the Texans at the <a href="http://battleredblog.com">Battle Red Blog</a> and <a href="http://houston.sbnation.com">SB Nation Houston</a>. </i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/houston-texans/2012/9/24/3381856/houston-texans-denver-broncos-matt-schaub-ear-tough-guyBrandon Scott2012-09-24T09:59:46-05:002012-09-24T09:59:46-05:00Texans Vs. Broncos 2012: Peyton Manning Inspired 4th Quarter Worries
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<p>Houston pulled out a 31-25 win over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.milehighreport.com/">Denver Broncos</a> at Sports Authority Field on Sunday. They put together a big lead early in the game as the Broncos offense struggled, going into the fourth quarter with a 20 point lead on their hands.</p>
<p>Of course, when the opposing quarterback is Peyton Manning and you're the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Texans</a>, you can never be too sure. <a href="http://www.battleredblog.com/2012/9/24/3381162/week-3-g-o-a-t-s-houston-texans-denver-broncos-recap">There was a bit of that fear going into Battle Red Blog during the fourth quarter, and they'll admit to it</a>:</p>
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<p>I have to say, despite the thorough domination they demonstrated through three-plus quarters, I had a moment of fear creep in. I would be lying if I did not say that tinge of fear did not creep in when <span>Peyton Manning</span> was mounting a furious comeback. We have all seen it happen before. That legendary blue 18 leading a comeback as we finally thought we had slain the beast. Even though he is not the same 18, I still hold him in high regard...especially when it comes to ruining my Sundays.</p>
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<p>Fortunately for Houston, nothing came out of Denver's attempted comeback for the second week in a row.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Texans, be sure to visit <a href="http://www.battleredblog.com">Battle Red Blog</a> and <a href="http://houston.sbnation.com">SB Nation Houston</a>. And, for additional coverage on the Broncos, head over to <a href="http://www.milehighreport.com">Mile High Report</a> and <a href="http://denver.sbnation.com">SB Nation Denver</a>.</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2012/9/24/3382458/broncos-texans-2012Chris White2012-09-23T19:24:19-05:002012-09-23T19:24:19-05:00Texans Vs. Broncos Final Score: Houston Holds On For 31-25 Win
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<p>The <a href="https://www.battleredblog.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Houston Texans</a> defeated the <a href="https://www.milehighreport.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Denver Broncos</a>, 31-25, on Sunday afternoon at Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colo. Texans quarterback <span>Matt Schaub</span> threw four touchdown passes in the victory.</p>
<p>Schaub connected with <span>Andre Johnson</span>, <span>Arian Foster</span> and <span>Kevin Walter</span> for touchdowns in the first half, and found <span>Owen Daniels</span> for a second-half score. Schaub completed passes to eight different receivers in the balanced effort.</p>
<p>Schaub's pass to Daniels gave the Texans a 20-point lead, but the Broncos came storming back, picking up two fourth-quarter touchdowns. <span>Peyton Manning</span> hit <span>Brandon Stokley</span> with a 38-yard strike just over five minutes into the quarter. Then, Manning found former Texan <span>Joel Dreessen</span> for a 6-yard score on Denver's next possession.</p>
<p>Houston would bear down and salt the game away on their final possession, as Schaub hooked up with Johnson for a key first down, which allowed the Texans to run the clock down to 33 seconds before having to punt the ball back to Denver.</p>
<p>Peyton Manning threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns and <span>Eric Decker</span> caught eight balls for 136 yards in the losing effort.</p>
<p><b>Fantasy Stud</b></p>
<p>Schaub overcame an interception and quite a bit of pressure from the Denver defensive line to throw for 290 yards and four touchdowns.</p>
<p><b>Fantasy Dud</b></p>
<p>With Denver playing from behind for the entire second half, <span>Willis McGahee</span> didn't see much action. He carried the ball just 12 times for 36 yards.</p>
<p>Visit <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fantasy">SB Nation's Fantasy hub</a> for more information.</p>
<p><b>Did They Cover?</b></p>
<p>The Broncos were favored by a point, and that would have come to fruition had they been able to score on the final drive. But, the Texans win here, as well as in the game.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/odds">Click here</a> to view lines from this game and others around the NFL.</p>
<p><b>Next Week</b></p>
<p>Houston: Sept. 30 vs. <a href="https://www.musiccitymiracles.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Tennessee Titans</a>; Denver: Sept. 30 vs. <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/oakland-raiders" class="sbn-auto-link">Oakland Raiders</a>.</p>
<p><i>This story was originally published at <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/9/23/3379450/broncos-texans-2012-score/in/3140547">SBNation.com</a>.</i></p>
<p><i>For more on the Texans, be sure to visit <a href="http://www.battleredblog.com">Battle Red Blog</a> and <a href="http://houston.sbnation.com">SB Nation Houston</a>. And, for additional coverage on the Broncos, head over to <a href="http://www.milehighreport.com">Mile High Report</a> and <a href="http://denver.sbnation.com">SB Nation Denver</a>.</i></p>
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https://houston.sbnation.com/2012/9/23/3379762/texans-vs-broncos-final-scoreBryan Kilpatrick2012-09-23T18:04:11-05:002012-09-23T18:04:11-05:00Texans Vs. Broncos Score Update: Houston Leads Denver After 3 Quarters, 31-11
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<p>The Houston Texans lead the Denver Broncos, 31-11, after three quarters at Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colo. Texans tight end Owen Daniels caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matt Schaub with a minute and a half left in the quarter to put Houston up by 20.</p>
<p>The defenses set the tone for the majority of the quarter, as the only scoring until the final couple of minutes came from a Houston field goal, which was aided by a Denver pass interference penalty. However, the Texans broke through on their final drive of the quarter. Schaub connected with Lestar Jean for a 46-yard gain, then found Daniels streaking toward the endzone two plays later.</p>
<p>Schaub has thrown for 274 yards and four touchdowns thus far. Meanwhile, the Texans have held Peyton Manning to a sub-50 percent completion rate.</p>
<p>The Broncos have the ball at the Houston 47 yard line as the fourth quarter begins.</p>
<p><i>Read more on the Broncos at the <a href="http://milehighreport.com">Mile High Report</a> and <a href="http://denver.sbnation.com">SB Nation Denver</a>. Head over to the <a href="http://battleredblog.com">Battle Red Blog</a> and <a href="http://houston.sbnation.com">SB Nation Houston</a> for more on the Texans.</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2012/9/23/3379334/broncos-texans-2012-score-updateBryan Kilpatrick2012-09-23T16:58:51-05:002012-09-23T16:58:51-05:00Texans Vs. Broncos Score Update: Houston Leads Denver At Halftime, 21-11
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.battleredblog.com/">Houston Texans</a> hold a 21-11 halftime lead over the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.milehighreport.com/">Denver Broncos</a> at Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colo. Texans quarterback <span>Matt Schaub</span> threw for 199 yards and three touchdowns in the opening half.</p>
<p>Schaub and the Texans got off to a bit of a rough start, as the quarterback was sacked in his own endzone by Denver's <span>Elvis Dumervil</span> just a minute and a half into the game, giving the Broncos a quick 2-0 lead. They were able to tack on a field goal after getting a short field off of the ensuing free kick, but after that is when the Texans began to take over.</p>
<p>Houston needed only three plays to take the lead, as Schaub capped off a quick 80-yard drive with a 60-yard touchdown strike to <span>Andre Johnson</span>. Then, after forcing the Broncos to punt, the Texans embarked on a massive 14-play, 97-yard drive which culminated with another scoring pass from Schaub, this time to <span>Arian Foster</span>. The Texans wasted no time putting their third touchdown on the board, as Schaub found <span>Kevin Walter</span> for a 52-yard score following a Denver three-and-out.</p>
<p>Denver would settle for a <span>Matt Prater</span> field goal at the end of the ensuing drive, which occurred with just under six minutes left in the half. Then, after Schaub threw an interception as the Texans were driving into Denver territory, the Broncos tacked an another field goal with one second remaining in the half.</p>
<p><i>Read more on the Broncos at the <a href="http://milehighreport.com">Mile High Report</a> and <a href="http://denver.sbnation.com">SB Nation Denver</a>. Head over to the <a href="http://battleredblog.com">Battle Red Blog</a> and <a href="http://houston.sbnation.com">SB Nation Houston</a> for more on the Texans.</i></p>
https://houston.sbnation.com/2012/9/23/3378934/broncos-texans-2012-score-updateBryan Kilpatrick