The 2012 Houston Texans find themselves in the exact same spot after this season that the 2011 Houston Texans did, the No. 3 seed in the AFC hosting the Bengals on Wild Card weekend. Of course, this year, that No. 3 seed is a huge disappointment. Houston was 11-1 and in firm control of the AFC playoff race. After Sunday’s 28-16 loss in Indianapolis, the Texans have lost three of their last four and won’t even receive a bye in the postseason.
Offense: F
Houston had 352 yards of total offense and averaged 5.1 yards per rush. However, the Texans reached the end zone just once. QB Matt Schaub was 24 for 36 for 275 yards but also threw two interceptions. RB Arian Foster had a nice game, carrying the ball 16 times for 96 yards and a score. WR Andre Johnson capped off a fantastic regular season with 12 receptions for 141 yards. Last week’s grade: F
Defense: F
The defense limited Indianapolis to just 265 total yards, but it broke at the wrong time. The Colts converted 9 of 15 third downs, and one of those conversions came on a 70-yard touchdown pass from QB Andrew Luck to WR T.Y. Hilton on third-and-23 in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Texans were down 21-16. Houston managed to sack Luck just one time, and the defense also did not force any turnovers. Last week’s grade: C+
Special teams: F
K Shayne Graham gave Houston its only lead of the game on a 37-yard field goal in the third quarter. However, that lead lasted just 12 seconds as Colts WR Deji Karim returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown. Graham made three of his four kicks, missing from 52 yards out in the fourth quarter with the Texans down 21-16. Last week’s grade: B
Coaching: F
The Texans had nine penalties Sunday and lost by double-digits to a team that could not improve its playoff standing. Houston now limps into the postseason having lost three of its last four and blown multiple opportunities to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Last week’s grade: F
Follow Texans blogger Sean Bielawski on Twitter, @CBSTexans.
