The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Vikings Edition
It’s getting closer to the post season and the Houston Texans have not shown the same explosiveness on offense that they have in the first quarter of the season. The Texans hosted the Vikings at Reliant Stadium and were very gracious hosts as they allowed the Vikings to put their feet up on the table and make themselves at home. The game never seemed out of control or out of hand, but the Texans could not capitalize on their offensive possessions.
FINAL SCORE: Texans 6 Vikings 23
TEXANS REGULAR SEASON RECORD: 12-3
TEXANS DIVISIONAL RECORD: 5-0
TEXANS AFC CONFERENCE RECORD: 10-1
TEXANS VS NFC CONFERENCE RECORD: 2-2
Texans Total Yards: 187
Vikings Total Yards: 345
Texans Passing Yards: 153
Vikings Passing Yards: 171
Texans Rushing Yards: 34
Vikings Rushing Yards: 174
Texans TOP: 25:14
Vikings TOP: 34:46
THE GOOD
The Texans’ defense did a fantastic job of containing Adrian Peterson by keeping him from making history and keeping him from the 100 yard mark. Glover Quin made Peterson earn every bit of yardage he gained on Sunday. Wherever Peterson was, Quin was his shadow ready to make the tackle. The Texans’ defense as a whole made life difficult for Peterson, but as great a back as Peterson it’s hard to completely pitch a shutout.
THE BAD
This was a very frustrating game to watch as a fan. The Texans’ offense looked very lethargic and had no sense of urgency the entire game. The defense played with purpose, but the offense just looked like they knew this game wasn’t important. If this is the type of effort they’re going to give going forward, they will not last long in the playoffs. The Texans looked tired as their execution was pathetic. They were just 1 of 11 on third down due to the majority of their attempts being 8 yards or more. Whatever the Texans were doing at the beginning of the season to average nearly 30 points a game needs to be recaptured before they go into the post season.
THE UGLY
Matt Schaub was horrible on Sunday. It seemed as if he was playing scared for some reason. My first thoughts were maybe he is thinking about Vikings defensive end Jared Allen previously going for his knees. Whatever the Vikings were doing, it was getting to Schaub and his execution of the offense was atrocious. Early in the season it wasn’t a problem for the Texans’ defense to bail out the offense in a pinch. Now with everyone gearing up for the playoffs, things have tightened up and the defense needs the offense to produce in order for them to remain fresh.
*Injury Note: Brooks Reed tweaked his groin and left the game but all indications are that he is fine and that he will return for the game against the Colts. Arian Foster left the game with an irregular heartbeat but head coach Gary Kubiak says that he was taken out as a precaution and that he will play against the Colts as well.
See more analysis and highlights of the game here.
