Week 1 win shows promise, but there’s still a lot to prove
Ladies and gentlemen, the Houston Texans are unbeaten and in sole possession of first place in the AFC South Division.
Raise your hand if you predicted that.
Look at me, typing with one hand.
This wasn’t an exercise to show off genius prognosticator skills. It was to show that anyone can get lucky.
The Texans didn’t get lucky Sunday. They showed up prepared to play and performed at a high level from start to finish in claiming a dominant 37-21 win over Jacksonville.
Their win, and home losses by the Titans and Colts, puts the Texans atop the division. If the playoffs
were to start today …
OK, let’s get a grip.
What do we make of the Texans’ superb performance?
It’s so like the Texans to lower expectations to a point where a good percentage of you don’t care what they did Sunday, then deliver a performance that deserves applause.
They look like they have been coached well. They looked like they wanted to win.
I mean, they looked like they belonged in the NFL.
Tyrod Taylor was outstanding at quarterback. Brandin Cooks looked like a No. 1 wideout. Homegrown Danny Amendola, who just signed this past week, caught a touchdown pass and looked like he has been with the team all year.
The Texans converted their third-down attempts (10 of their first 15). They scored when they reached the red zone. They hit hard, tackled well, forced turnovers.
Defensively, they looked like, well, anything but the Texans we were so accustomed to seeing last season.
They played as a team, celebrating each small victory like veterans who understand how those fit into bigger plans.
They simply played good, smart football. Just as coach David Culley expected them to.
When the Jaguars were called for an illegal formation on their first offensive play, then had to call a timeout before their second
snap, you had to figure this was a team with which the Texans could compete.
Lest we forget, the Jaguars finished last season with 15 straight losses, and as bad as we know the Texans were a year ago, they did beat the Jaguars twice.
The instinct is to tell you not to get overly excited about this victory, but I’m not going to.
Mainly, because you’re not excited.
The empty seats in NRG Stadium were stunning for a season opener. It was even more shocking that you could buy a seat at
the game on the Internet for less than $10 on Sunday morning. And that’s OK.
Make the Texans prove this wasn’t a fluke. Force them to earn back your trust.
Require them to be good for real before you put your hope in them again.
Those who showed up to boo the Texans were out of luck. Culley’s team didn’t give them reason to.
“It’s all about the team here,” Culley said. “Basically, our mantra has always been: ‘It’s about us.’ It’s about us doing the right things.
“No matter who you play, when you go out every time to play in this league, if you do the right things, you’ll have a chance to win.”
While first place after the first game means little, it is better than last.
It is easy to overreact to a season-opening victory, particularly when it was as impressive as this Texans effort. One aspect the Texans can’t be given too much credit for is the energy with which they played.
With the Texans holding a 27-point lead near the end of the third quarter, punter Cameron Johnson booted a streaming 52-yard punt with little hang time. So little that primetime Usain Bolt would have had difficulty getting downfield to cover it.
Despite the kick being the kind that often results in a strong return, the Texans’ special teams hustled and swarmed.
Tremon Smith tackled Jamal Agnew for a 1-yard return.
Even with the score decidedly in its favor, Culley’s squad still was coming hard.
That’s good football. That is notable for a franchise that, in recent years, has had some moments but looked lost at times.
These Texans are out to prove they are not the COVID-2020 Texans or any variant thereof.
“If you doubt us … we don’t really care,” said running back Mark Ingram, who led the Texans with 85 rushing yards and scored the first touchdown of the game. “We believe in each other. We believe that we have everything we need to get wins and have success.”
Just before the start of the fourth quarter, the in-house entertainment crew decided to get the crowd going by asking fans to make noise in groups.
First ladies, then men, then season-ticket holders, then everyone.
The on-screen cajoling didn’t produce the raucous response we are accustomed to at NRG Stadium.
It was sad.
Since the stadium opened, Texans fans have been among the NFL’s best, whether their team deserved it or not.
That night, when the Texans beat Dallas in the franchise’s first game, Jerry Jones of the Cowboys said the crowd made a difference.
“I thought the crowd had a big part in it,” Jones said. “They acted like they had been educated about a home-field advantage forever. Their team overcame some adversity, and the crowd was right there with them. They smelled blood, and I think that contributed to their win. “Their fans were hungry.” Those fans, entering their 20th season of heartbreak and disappointment, are starving for a winner. However, they aren’t about to be satisfied with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, the worst team in the NFL last season.
But even they would admit Game 1, Step 1 was pretty tasty.