2011 Houston Texans Predictions
After finishing with a winning record for the first time in the history of the franchise, the Houston Texans appeared ready to take the next step by making their first playoff appearance.
Instead, they took a step back. Last season’s 6-10 record was their worst since 2006.
Houston is one of the best offensive football teams in the NFL, but it won’t march into the playoffs until the defense shows major improvement.
Offense: The Texans ranked 3rd in the league in total offense in 2010 with 386.6 yards per game, and they ranked ninth in scoring offense with 24.4 points per game.
Unlike in 2009 when the passing game ranked 1st and the running game ranked 30th, the Texans boasted a balanced attack. They ranked fourth in the league with 259.0 passing yards per game and seventh with 127.6 rushing yards per contest.
Matt Schaub has developed into one of the best gunslingers in the game. He completed 63.6 percent of his passes for 4,370 yards with 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions last season.
Andre Johnson remained one of the top wideouts in the NFL despite playing with a nagging ankle injury. He finished sixth in the league with 1,216 receiving yards and caught 86 passes with eight of those going for touchdowns.
The surprising play of Arian Foster helped the running game make a complete turnaround. He led the league in rushing yards (1,616) rushing touchdowns (16) and total yards from scrimmage (2,220).
No Houston offense lineman earned a Pro Bowl nod, although I thought right tackle Eric Winston was deserving, but the group performed well as a unit. It opened plenty of holes for Foster and tied for 12th in the league with only 32 sacks allowed.
Defense: Not even an offense as explosive as Houston’s was enough to make up for a stop unit that ranked 30th in total defense with 376.9 yards allowed per game and 29th in scoring defense with 26.7 points allowed per game.
The Texans were abysmal against the pass. They finished dead last in the NFL with 267.5 yards allowed per game through the air. The Texans are hoping a switch to a 3-4 scheme will bring them more success against opposing air attacks.
Top pass rusher Mario Williams, who led the team with 8.5 sacks, will move to outside linebacker in the new scheme. The team is hoping top pick J.J. Watt can replace him up front and make an immediate impact.
With Williams moving to linebacker, Houston’s linebacking corps should be one of the best in the league. DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing make up as good an inside linebacking duo as you’ll find.
The secondary needed to be upgraded, and the Texans believe they’ve done so with the additions of Jonathan Joseph and Danieal Manning.
Prediction: 2nd Place AFC South – With Wade Phillips calling the defense, I expect the Texans to be a whole lot tougher to score on this season. Look for them to shake off last year’s disappointing campaign and contend for the first playoff berth in team history. NFL odds makers have listed the Texans at 12/1 to win the AFC championship.
Individual Team NFL Season Predictions
