2011 Houston Texans: The First Rodeo

2011 Houston Texans: The First Rodeo

2011 Houston Texans: The First Rodeo

In their first nine years of existence, the Houston Texans had one season when they finished with a winning record. They finished the 2009 season with a 9-7 record. It was good enough for second in the AFC South, but it wasn’t good enough for a playoff berth. The Texans followed up their first winning season with a 6-10 campaign in 2010. During the offseason, the Texans beefed up their defense by hiring defensive mastermind, Wade Phillips, and drafting the 6”6, 290 pound defensive end, J.J. Watt. The defense improved from allowing 26.7 points per game in 2010 to 17.4 points in 2011. This massive improvement on the defensive side of the ball led to the best season of the Texans’ young history.

Their 11th pick of the draft, J.J. Watt, was another year away from becoming a game wrecker, but he nevertheless played a valuable role in the defense. Watt was third on the team in tackles with 48 and he also contributed 5.5 sacks. Leading the team in sacks was Connor Barwin with 11.5 sacks. Brian Cushing led the team in tackles with 81 and cornerback Johnathan Joseph led the secondary with 4 interceptions on his way to a Pro Bowl selection. The Texans defense ranked 3rd in fewest passing yards allowed and 4th in fewest rushing yards allowed.

With the defense containing opposing offenses, the Texans’ offense relied on their talented running backs for offensive support. Arian Foster and Ben Tate led the potent Texans rushing attack to 2nd in rushing yards and 3rd in rushing touchdowns. Foster led the team with 1224 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns. Tate contributed 942 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns. While the running game led the league in crucial categories, the passing game was mediocre at best. Their best receiver from 2010, Andre Johnson, was lost for most of the year with a leg injury. Tight end, Owen Daniels, led the team in receptions and receiving yards. Running back Arian Foster was second on the team with 53 receptions and 617 receiving yards.

Quarterback proved to be a turbulent position for the Texans during the 2011 season. Matt Schaub started ten games and completed 61% of his passes for 2479 and 15 touchdowns. He led the Texans to a 7-3 record before a foot injury sidelined him for the rest of the season. Former Heisman trophy winner Matt Leinart started for the Texans in Week 12 until he broke his collarbone. Rookie quarterback, T.J. Yates finished the game and led the Texans to a victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Yates would win the next two games against the Atlanta Falcons and the Cincinnati Bengals propelling the Texans to a 10-3 record. The Texans would lose the final three games of the regular season, but their 10-6 record would be enough to win their first AFC South title.

The Texans earned their first playoff appearance in franchise history where they would meet the Cincinnati Bengals at home in the Wild Card round. With rookie T.J. Yates nursing a shoulder injury he sustained in the season finale, the Texans leaned heavily on their Pro Bowl running back, Arian Foster. Foster had 24 carries for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. The game was tied at 10 with time winding down in the first half when J.J. Watt returned an Andy Dalton interception for the touchdown. The Texans took a 17-10 lead into halftime and wouldn’t look back. Andre Johnson returned in time for the playoffs and caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Yates and Foster scored his second touchdown of the game to give the Texans a 31-10 victory.

After recording the first playoff win in franchise history in their first trip to the playoffs, the Texans would face the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round. The game got out of reach quickly for the Texans as they trailed 17-3 before the end of the first quarter. Arian Foster scored a touchdown to cut the Ravens’ lead to 17-13, but T.J. Yates’ three interceptions prevented the Texans from mounting a serious comeback. The Texans committed four total turnovers as they lost 20-13 to the Ravens.

The Texans’ first playoff appearance was short lived, but they would use the success from 2011 to propel them to a 12-4 record in 2012.