The Texans (1-4) secured their first win of the season by pulling out a 29-28 last-minute victory over the Dolphins (2-3). It was a game that had five lead changes and a slew of clutch plays down the stretch, but the Texans were able remain perfect (4-0) as a franchise against Miami.
Quarterback draw secures win: It might have been the gutsiest call in franchise history. On fourth-and-two at Miami's three-yard line with seven seconds on the clock, coach Gary Kubiak called a quarterback draw.
And it worked. Matt Schaub juked the noseguard and ran in for the score after throwing three incomplete passes into tight coverage in the end zone.
"On the fourth down, I just gambled," Kubiak said. "I saw them playing quarters and I said, 'We're going to run the draw and if they come get us, we'll try to dump it to somebody.' It was just a gut feeling, but a great job by the players making plays."
{QUOTE}Schaub, who returned to action after sitting out last Sunday with a viral infection, was able to shoot through a giant gap created by the offensive line.
"That quarterback draw is a real shot in the dark because if you catch the wrong stunt inside, it can look real ugly," Kubiak said. "We called quarters, got them out of the box and it parted like the Red Sea. You just have to take chances in those situations."
Schaub, who had battled back after throwing two picks earlier in the day, said he didn't expect the call but liked it because it gave him options.
"I love the play," Schaub said. "It's one of those plays you call when the other team is least expecting it. We come out in empty (set), and there's a pass option in there in case it's a bad look for the draw. But they gave us a very good look for it, and I just let the thing sort out in front with the offensive and defensive line and found a hole and just tried to get into the end zone."
Defending the "Wildcat": If it hadn't been for running back Patrick Cobbs' 53-yard touchdown catch, the Texans' defense would have looked very good against Miami's single-wing "Wildcat" formation.
"We were ready for the flea flicker," linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "We kind of knew that that was going to be their next wrinkle off that. We talked about that this week. We were in man coverage on that and everybody just had to stay with their man. We kind of lost our man coverage on that one, and they made a big play."
The Dolphins ran six direct-snap plays that gained a total of 70 yards. Cobbs' touchdown reception aside, the Wildcat generated only 17 yards.
More impressive was the way Houston's defense held up on third downs. The Texans held Miami to two-for-10 on third downs.
Two of the biggest stops came in the fourth quarter when defensive end Mario Williams, who finished with two sacks, took down quarterback Chad Pennington for a loss of three yards and linebacker Morlon Greenwood tackled fullback Casey Cramer on third-and-two to force Miami to punt the ball.
"We were excellent on third downs," Kubiak said. "We gave up a couple of big plays, but were excellent on third downs."
Jones to the house: Wide receiver Jacoby Jones scored his first-career touchdown on a 70-yard punt return in the second quarter. The score got the Texans within a point of Miami and gave them the momentum going into the half.
"It means a lot to the team," Kubiak said. "The kid needed to make a play to get all that swagger back he had a year ago. I think you're going to see him move on and excel."
Jones had struggled since injuring his shoulder in September last year when he went down on a 74-yard punt return.
"Once I hit that seam, I saw nothing but white jerseys," Jones said. "I knew I had some protection and I just did what I did. God given, I just ran as fast as I could."
After the score, Jones leapt into the stands and hugged his mother, Emily, in the front row. She was waiting for him with open arms.
"I was pointing to Momma," Jones said of his on-field celebration 10 yards from the end zone. "As soon as I turned the corner and knew I was going, I said, 'Here I come.' I was going to Mom."
'Dre's franchise day: Andre Johnson set franchise records with his 178-receiving yard day. The Pro Bowl receiver made one of the most spectacular catches of his career, grabbing a 23-yard pass out of the arms of safety Yeremiah Bell on fourth-and-10 in the fourth quarter.
To read more about Johnson's performance, click **here**.
What the wins means: The Texans' first win of the season has huge implications for the team. With two more games at home in October, Houston could end the month 3-4, which would put them in position for a winning season and keep them in the AFC playoff hunt.
"We battled as hard as we can today, and something good happened to us," Kubiak said. "We're going to keep our chin up and keep working and try to work our way back into this thing."
Kubiak has divided the season into quarters for the players, with this Sunday marking the beginning of the second quarter for the Texans.
"That's how we look at a season," Ryans said. "You break it into four quarters, four games in each quarter. We definitely sucked in the first quarter, 0-4. But now, it's good to start off on a good foot in the second quarter.
"I think everybody's demeanor picks up. We're feeling very confident now that we can get used to winning. You have to get used to winning in the locker room and just it carry on week to week."
And the players already have their sights set on their next opponent, the Detroit Lions.
"We needed a win," wide receiver Kevin Walter said. "This was a must-win, and now we've got Detroit next week and we've got to just keep rolling. We've been playing good, good football these past few weeks. It's just that the ball hasn't rolled our way. Kubes said, 'If you keep working hard and doing the right things, good things like this are going to happen,' and it did."
