Go ahead. Rip me. Tear me to shreds. How can I even think about next season with so much to be decided yet in this one?
That's what we do. We look ahead. We speculate. We rush our lives away, wrongfully I might say.
The Texans are showing steady improvement under Gary Kubiak. (AP)
Plus, who doesn't want to make the claim to be the first to say the Texans will be a playoff team next season? So I'll stake that claim here in December.
After watching the Texans the past two weeks -- courtesy of having a late game and then a night game -- I'm impressed. They upset the Tennessee Titans 13-12 on Sunday in a game that evened the Texans' record at 7-7.
But it's more than beating the AFC's best team that makes me think the Texans will be ready for a major move forward next season.
It's the play of Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson and Steve Slaton.
After missing four games with an injured knee, Schaub has returned the past two weeks and has been on fire. He threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns last week in a victory over the Green Bay Packers and then came back and threw for 284 yards and a touchdown against the Titans.
It helps he has Johnson.
He leads the NFL in catches with 103 and had 11 for 207 yards and a touchdown against Tennessee. Slaton had 100 yards rushing, the third consecutive game he has had 100 yards or more.
Those three, coupled with an improved offensive line and a good tight end in Owen Daniels, give the offense hope for next season.
The defense has young stars like Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans and is one offseason away from being a good unit.
There are a lot of nice pieces on this roster, which is probably why they've won four consecutive games. Were it not for an overtime loss to the Jaguars early this season -- they lost when they didn't win the coin toss and never got the ball -- and the Sage Rosenfels meltdown against the Colts, the Texans could be in the playoff hunt this season. They're getting better, that's for sure, building toward next season.
The Texans earned an A in my weekly grades this week.
A year from now, they might be earning a playoff spot.
Bears: They were outplayed for much of the game, but the kickoff for a touchdown by Danieal Manning and another long one proved to be the difference. Kyle Orton's drive to the game-tying field goal was impressive. The defense played better than it has been playing.
B-
2.56
C
Saints: Drew Brees had a tough go of it with two picks. They did get the running game going with Pierre Thomas and the defense played well. But that late-game drive to the tying field goal was a tough one to take. The kickoff coverage team was abysmal.
Seahawks: Give them loads of credit for coming back in the fourth quarter. They made plays. The Rams didn't. Seneca Wallace made a huge throw for 45 yards to Deion Branch. The defense played better than in recent weeks.
C
1.61
C-
Rams: They find new and creative ways to lose games. This time they blew a lead. Giving up that big play to Branch is inexcusable. Steven Jackson ran for 91 yards and a score. Why didn't he get it late?
Jets: They have major defensive issues, even though it was a big defensive score that won it. They can't stop anybody. Brett Favre did get it down the field more than he has been in recent weeks.
F
2.28
C-
Bills: What were they doing letting J.P. Losman throw it on second down on the play that blew it? That was horrific. The defense had problems early, but the turnovers were the difference here.
Dolphins: It wasn't pretty -- are any of them for this team? -- but they found a way. Chad Pennington had two touchdown passes, but was just OK. The defense bent but stiffened at key times.
B+
2.55
C-
49ers: They fought hard, which is a good sign for Mike Singletary. The defense has made big strides since he took over. DeShaun Foster played well in place of Frank Gore.
Chargers: Philip Rivers played his butt off to rally the Chargers. He threw for 346 yards and two scores. The Chargers had three turnovers, which caused them to fall behind. Rivers saved the day.
B+
2.24
B-
Chiefs: What you saw here is what happens to young teams that don't know how to win yet. But there are some good young players to build around for next season. Tyler Thigpen played a decent game and seems to be getting better.
Jaguars: David Garrard, who has struggled this season, had his best game. He was much surer of himself in the pocket, and the ball went down the field. The defense gave up some yards, but made key stops with the Packers moving it.
C-
1.79
C-
Packers: They moved the ball, but bogged down at key times. The defense has issues. The biggest one is rushing the passer. Garrard had all day. That has to be fixed next season.
Colts: The offense moved the ball, but the defense struggled. They made Dan Orlovsky look good. That has to be a worry heading down the stretch. But they are rolling against bad teams.
B+
2.45
C
Lions: You have to give them credit for fighting. They could have folded it up. Orlvosky played pretty well, and Kevin Smith ran the ball well. The defense just isn't good enough.
Texans: Andre Johnson is the best receiver in the league. Period. Schaub is playing well too. The defense had a nice day slowing down the Tennessee running attack. That kept the Titans in check.
B-
2.29
C-
Titans: Is this a case of running into a team that was playing its Super Bowl or a sign of trouble? They couldn't get the running game going and the pass defense wasn't very good. Why Jeff Fisher didn't let Rob Bironas try the 49-yard field goal is shocking.
Bengals: Cedric Benson had a big game with 161 yards from scrimmage, including a 79-yard screen pass for a score. The defense forced two key turnovers, one on the goal line that stopped the Redskins from tying it.
D
1.70
D
Redskins: That was an awful start, falling behind 17-0. They just don't do enough on offense to overcome a start like that. Jason Campbell has regressed. The turnovers were killers.
Falcons: Michael Turner had a great day running it with 152 yards and a touchdown, much needed on a day that Matt Ryan didn't play that well. The defense gave up some yards, but made plays when needed. John Abraham's late-game sacks were huge.
B-
3.04
C
Buccaneers: The defense gave up some chunks but made big plays with their backs to the wall. Brian Griese played well in relief of the injured Jeff Garcia. They just couldn't score touchdowns.
Vikings: I want to give big props to Tarvaris Jackson for throwing four touchdown passes. He has made a lot of progress. Adrian Peterson had another big day running it and the defense was dominant up front.
C+
2.64
F
Cardinals: That was really bad. They couldn't stop the Vikings in the first half and they couldn't get anything going. That won't win you a lot of games. That's not the way you want to show that you're a real playoff team.
Patriots: They scored on their first four drives to blow it open early. Matt Cassel was big with four touchdown passes and they ran for more than 200 yards. The defense was always ahead of the game.
B-
2.51
D
Raiders: The defense was pathetic. They offered little resistance. JaMarcus Russell didn't play that badly, one of the lone bright spots on this day.
Panthers: They ran it. They threw it. And they played good defense. That's a formula for a blowout victory, which they got. Jake Delhomme was sharp. Steve Smith came up big with 165 yards receiving and a touchdown.
B
2.90
D
Broncos: The ghosts of terrible defense reared their head again. That wasn't very good. They gave up 400 yards, which won't get you many victories. Jay Cutler couldn't get the passing game going, either.
Steelers: What a clutch drive for Ben Roethlisberger to the game-winning touchdown. That's what good quarterbacks do. He came up big in this one. The defense, as usual, was suffocating.
B-
2.93
B-
Ravens: They just didn't do enough on offense. You can't win big games with 115 yards passing. The defense played great for most of the day, but that last Steelers drive cost them a chance to win the division.
Cowboys: This was won by the defensive front. They had eight sacks and many more pressures. Running back Tashard Choice had a big game running the ball, including a game-clinching touchdown with 2:16 left.
C
2.71
C
Giants: They didn't do much of anything on offense. Their line was whipped. A decent defensive effort went to waste.
Eagles: Donovan McNabb had a good game throwing it. This should have been worse, but two end-zone interceptions made it closer. The defense had a good night, made easy by a bad Cleveland offense.
A+
2.65
D
Browns: It wasn't very good, that's for sure. They didn't stop the Eagles and only the two end-zone picks made it tight. The offense didn't do much.
Pittsburgh lucks out for the second consecutive week on a last minute victory which shouldn't have even been a TD to begin with, they turned the ball over several times, and had one good drive the entire game. Dallas dominates the Super Bowl champs at home on both sides of the ball and does not turn the ball over. I don't know how both get a B+. Dallas should have gotten an A- an
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Well, well, it seem that America's Team is on the rise. For all you HATERS, the Cowboys Defense is for real. I know all of you will say the Giants didnt have Jacobs or Plaxico. Well, just for the record, the first game they played this year was the first time Jacobs actuall gained some yardage against the Cowboys and Plaxico did not have a good game. O'yeah, Romo was hurt. Now you have a Cowboy te
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I really would like to see the Texans do something in 2009. As a Houston-born New Yorker, I would love nothing more than to have to decide who wins a Super Bowl between the Texans and Giants.
Towards the end of the 2007 season and early in 2008, the Texans were a sexy pick to make the playoffs this year. Then a hurricane literally hit Houston and they started 0-4. The wheels fell off w
The Chiefs are the Texans from last year. Playing extremely well with a TON of youth but still finding ways to lose games (not having a hard to finding ways to win) they've had at least 2 score leads in 5 of their 11 loses. They have large leads then blow them. This is what the Texans did last year, now Dwayne Bowe is not Andre Johnson but the same formula to build has been used by both teams. The
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to be a different team the last 2 games that they have played. their offensive line made the cowboys front look like hall of famers. eli is very inconsistent, running game below average, the wide receivers seem to be arena players. sorry to say it, but really doubt the cowboys make the playoffs though. they may beat the ravens but philly a different animal. i look for philly and the falcons
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I don't understand how Prisco can say that the Texans are going to the playoffs next year simply because they beat a 12-1 Titan team. If I remember correctly the so called experts also thought the 49ers would go to the playoffs in 2007 after they "improved" to 7-9 in 2006. We all know how that went. They regressed. Sure there were many factors that contributed to their poor performance.
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The reason Steven Jackson didn't get the ball late is because the doctors didn't clear him to play late - because he was lightheaded (aka, out of shape?). Anyway, get all the facts before making a pronouncement on the decisions of the coaches...
I'm a Patriot fan and i am sick of hearing about these Matt Cassel and Tom Brady comparisons. Matt Cassel is currently 7-5 as the Patriots starter, that's a pretty far cry from the 16-0 that Tom Brady was with this roster. Even Brady's first year he went 11-3 in the regular season (They started 0-2 with Bledsoe) his winning percentage if you count the Playoffs was 82 percent. Cassel's is 58 percen
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A win over the Titans a couple weeks ago turned the Jets into the Giants of '07 and now the Texans are the Cleveland of last year. LOL
It's laughable....yes, winning deserves attention but no offense, the Texans are sitting where they are for a reason, just like the years my Titans weren't in the post season. Every season poses new challenges and most often a whole
Sorry Petey, you don't get to be the first to claim the Texans will be a playoff caliber team next year. You are nothing special and not that different from any other person out there that actually watches football. Everyone can see the Texans are loaded and poised. They are good on both sides of the ball and what is happening now, is that talent is starting to matu
The upside of the Houston Texans is the playoffs, downside is they play out a few good games and the experts serve notice that the Texans could be really good ? They were that way under Capers and it never transpired. Jacksonville was supposed to be a lot better this season after making a good run and serving notice in the playoffs.
I drew the comparison that the Texans are like the
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I forgot to post this before the games ran Sunday, but since I am the consummate professional, I am still going to reveal them here. Some of them were slightly off:
There is no way Oakland's dastardly plan of assassinating Matt Cassel's father in order to finally get a win can come back to haunt them...
Word has it that Tarvaris Jackson made a magical Chr
While I don't care what the grades are, I want to say this:
#1: The better team won
#2: TD or no TD it was ONLY 3RD DOWN! Ravens fans are crying about the Refs costing them the game. The Steelers still had the opportunity to punch it in or kick the FG and go to OT on 4th down had it not been ruled a TD.
#3: Did the Refs allow Ben Roethlisberger to conduct a 92 yard drive
Besides that garbage time TD that they gave up against the Giants, Eagles D hasn't given up an Defensive TD since the Arizona game. And to be honest, the Redskins aren't exactly running up and down the field on anyone so it wouldnt' shock me if they held them Touchdown-less this weekend.
Eagles D is healthy and clicking at the right time. Just may be too little too late
