Sherman’s big pick changed franchise
The last time the Texans played Seattle, they lost an overtime game at NRG Stadium that changed the season, and, ultimately, the course of franchise history.
Sunday’s game against the Seahawks has brought back a bad memory for some of the players who suffered through that 23-20 overtime loss on Sept. 29, 2013 and helped make cornerback Richard Sherman a household name in the NFL and, unfortunately, a part of Texans’ history. If the Texans had not wasted leads of 20-3 at halftime and 20-6 in the fourth quarter, they would have
started 3-1 and confident they could win a third consecutive AFC South title under Gary Kubiak.
Blowing the Seattle game when Steven Hauschka kicked a 45-yard field goal sent the Texans into a catastrophic nosedive that ended with a 14-game losing streak and a 2-14 record.
“That was an interesting turn of events,” said receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was a rookie in 2013. “I definitely feel like that game turned around our whole season.”
A victory over the Seahawks might have helped Kubiak survive his eighth season. Bill O’Brien might be coaching another NFL team.
The Texans would not have earned the first overall pick in the draft, so Jadeveon Clowney wouldn’t be a member of the team.
“That was a turning point for the franchise,” tight end Ryan Griffin. “I didn’t know it at the time because I was just a rookie, but that game started a downhill (slide) for the team.”
The Texans lost nine games by seven of fewer points, five by three or fewer. Kubiak was fired with three games left — all defeats for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, who had been named interim coach.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” cornerback Kareem Jackson said. “It kind of turned our whole season around, sent it in a different direction.
“We were playing some pretty good ball to be ahead in the fourth quarter. Stuff like that can make or break your season, but at the same time, you’re supposed to overcome something like that.”
Bring up Sherman to Texans’ fans, and they don’t need an explanation. They know he intercepted a poorly thrown pass by Matt Schaub and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown with 2:40 remaining, tying the game and forcing overtime.
“When he intercepted it, my stomach just dropped,” Hopkins said.
Start of the tailspin
Sherman’s touchdown devastated the Texans. It seemed to zap them of their energy and confidence for the remainder of the game — and the rest of the season.
It was an amazing tailspin. With the Texans leading 20-6 in the fourth quarter, the Seahawks pulled within a touchdown on Marshawn Lynch’s 3-yard run, finishing a 14play, 98-yard drive.
The Texans were still in a good position to win. The next time Seattle had the ball, cornerback Johnathan Joseph intercepted Russell
Wilson at the Texans’ 45 with 5:13 remaining.
With 2:51 left, the Texans faced third-and-4 at the Seattle 40. Kubiak called a bootleg right, one of the team’s most successful plays. Tight end Owen Daniel went in motion. Schaub rolled to his right. What was supposed to be a short pass for a first down became a disaster.
“I remember the exact moment in time when Schaub booted it,” Griffin said. “There was a blitz (by strong safety Kam Chancellor), and when he released the ball, the whole sideline went, ‘Nooooo!’ ”
Sherman, playing in his third season, jumped the route, caught the ball and took off down the left sideline, scoring easily.
“Nobody knew much about Richard Sherman, and I think that was when
he kind of exploded onto the scene,” Joseph said. “I had made an interception before that, and we thought the game was pretty much sealed. Sherman made a great play on the ball, and our season went downhill from there.
“Seattle was a young team with a lot of great players. They were kind of finding themselves and developing an identity, and that game helped propel them. Sherman(’s career) just took off, and the rest was history.”
Changed course
The Seahawks went on to finish 13-3 and defeat Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII.
“It changed the course of that season for sure,” said Daniels, who is retired and residing in Houston. “That was a hard one to get over. It was still early in the season, but we could have gone up 3-1 and had a ton of confidence.
“I still think about it sometimes and wonder why didn’t we just run the ball? That’s one of the things we did best.”
Daniels suffered a season-ending injury in the next loss at San Francisco and didn’t play for the Texans again. But his career — not to mention Kubiak’s — ended well because they both won Super Bowl rings with Denver.
“We got of smacked around (by the 49ers) in the next game, and that was a clear indication that we didn’t do a very good job of getting over that (Seattle) game,” Daniels said. “It’s strange. I’ve never been in a situation like that where one game — one half of football, really — can change the course of a whole season.
“That game hurt us, confidence-wise.”
Daniels thought a victory over Seattle would have led to another successful season.
“I don’t think there’s any question,” he said. “If we had gotten that win, we would have had a lot of confidence. I think it would have been a huge difference, going 3-1 and feeling good about ourselves than being 2-2 and thinking, ‘Holy cow! How did that happen?’ ”
After Sherman’s touchdown, the Texans had three more possessions, including two in overtime, but failed to score. They finished with 476 yards to Seattle’s 270.
Schaub, who threw a pick-six for the third consecutive game and would add another one a week later at San Francisco, had 355 yards passing, including two touchdowns.
Arian Foster ran for 102 yards and Andre Johnson had nine catches for 110 yards.
Lingering loss
Hopkins thought the loss to Seattle affected the Texans on the field and in the locker room.
“Sometimes, when you have expectations of something and you have a good team, but things don’t go your way, it takes everybody in the locker room to pull together,” Hopkins said. “Even though it was just one loss, I feel like some were in it, but some weren’t. I think it divided some people.”
The Texans have only eight players on their active roster who played in that 2013 game and will play at CenturyLink Field on Sunday. They might tell their teammates the story of Sherman’s return and the plunge the team took after one of the most bitter defeats in team history.