The first prime-time game of the season saw running back Arian Foster turn in a prime-time performance: 29 carries for 152 yards and a score. The Texans beat the Jets at Met Life Stadium by a 23-17 margin, and the Pro Bowl running back was one of the main reasons why.
"It's always good to perform well on the Monday Night Football stage," Foster said. "But, it was a total team effort and a good win for our team."
Foster's 100-yard output was his third of the season, with all three occurring in the team's road victories. It's also the fifth time in his career that he's gained more than 150 yards on the ground.
Late in the first quarter, with the offense in the shadows of their own goalpost on a first-and-10 from the 4-yard line, Foster ripped off a season-long 46-yarder to set the Texans up at midfield. On the next series he was brilliant again, going eight yards up the middle, 21 yards off right tackle and 13 yards around the left end for a touchdown. That flourish was something his head coach wanted to see.
"He was exceptional," Kubiak said. "I really challenged him last week. He's what makes us go. He stepped up and rose to the challenge. He's been close all year long, he hadn't had any big plays but he found some big plays tonight and I think that was the big thing."
Foster carried the ball nine times for 100 yards in a first half that saw the Texans take a 17-7 lead into the locker room. They never trailed New York, and the run game was a difference-maker on Monday evening.
"The first half mirrored the rest of the game," quarterback Matt Schaub said. "He was outstanding, but in order for him to do that those guys up front played excellent."
With an 8-yard run in the final quarter, Foster cracked 5,000 career yards from scrimmage. He accomplished that feat in just 40 games, and only Edgerrin James and Eric Dickerson did so in less time. As always, Foster was quick to spread the praise to the rest of the offense.
"That's from a collective effort with my teammates," Foster said. "It's one of those things that if you play the game with everything in you, you can accomplish those things. But that's just an individual accolade, you play to win games. "
The next game on the docket is Sunday night at home against the Packers, and Foster was quick to shift focus from being 5-0 to the challenge ahead in just six days.
"We still have a lot of games to play," Foster said. "We have a lot of work to put in on a short week and a good team in Green Bay coming on Sunday night."
