The 2002 inaugural game against the Dallas Cowboys that ended in a 19-10 win is one that many original Texans players will look back on as their favorite.
For former quarterback and NFL Network analyst David Carr, there is another game that he'll always remember as one of his best memories as a Texan.
It was another franchise first – the team's first victory against the Indianapolis Colts on Dec. 24, 2006. The Texans defeated Peyton Manning and the Colts with a 48-yard field goal by Kris Brown as time expired at NRG (then Reliant) Stadium. Carr, who was 16-of-23 for 163 yards and a touchdown, completed a 17-yard pass to Andre Johnson up the middle of the field to set up the final score.
"That game was huge because they had a really good football team," Carr said on Texans Radio. "We weren't playing for too much. It was actually going to be my second-to-last game at that stadium and it was on Christmas Eve. It was a really cool environment, really cool time. We'd never beat the Colts and to be able to go out there and take care of that. That was something I'll never forget. Obviously, the Dallas one was great and there were a lot of ones in between there but that was a pretty special one."
The Colts would go on to win Super Bowl XLI that year while the Texans won their final two games to finish 6-10. While the memory of that win is a happy one, it also leaves a feeling of regret for Carr, who says he's still pulling for Bob McNair and the team that drafted him No. 1 overall back in 2002.
"That's the one thing I regret," Carr said. "He's (McNair's) such a good man, such a great ambassador for the game. He does so much for the city, bringing football back. That's the one person I wish I could have gone out there and held up a trophy for, at least gotten into the playoffs and done some damage it's for Bob McNair. Hopefully, they get a chance to do that for him because he definitely deserves it."
Texans All Access will air the full interview Tuesday night at 6 p.m. CDT on SportsRadio 610 and on HoustonTexans.com.
