Last week on the SportsRadio 610 Morning Show I said if the Texans lost to the Colts I would give up coffee until they won again. At some point during a fourth quarter commercial with the Texans ahead by 17, I told Andre Ware that my Starbucks Monday morning was going to be delicious. Add me to the list of everyone you know who claims to have jinxed the Texans.
I was going to blog on the most painful losses in team history, but then I remembered doing that after their last one: The 38-36 spleen-removing defeat at the hands of the Titans last year. Having been at the mic for all the "how the heck did that happen"
defeats in team history, I'll go ahead and put this 31-27 masterpiece of a meltdown at the top of the list.
They've blown some leads and "sure things" in team history, but this is the all-time teeth-kicker. This makes Vince Young running down our throats for 39 yards in overtime feel like a win. The 10-point final-minute lead over the Rams that turned into
an overtime loss? That's like a loving massage compared to the carnage on display in the 2008 home opener.
The Texans have now lost in every conceivable way to start the season. They were blown out at Pittsburgh. They made a lot of mistakes in a somewhat competitive but decisive loss at Tennessee. They played a see saw shoot out and fell in overtime at
Jacksonville. And they blew a 17-point lead with under five minutes to go against the Colts.
It hurts so much because after all the problems Houston has had with Indy over the Years, this was finally going to be the game where the Texans get revenge. This was Marty McFly with the knock out punch at Biff. This was the guy who got sand kicked
in his face rising up against the big bully. Glory was waiting at the finish line until the Texans started treating the football like a hot potato.
People may not want to read this now, but...as bad as this feels, there is still a remarkable chance to make something happen this year. I've felt that all the Texans' sins in the last three games are correctable, and they could easily be 2-2 if not better.
But the winning culture that Gary Kubiak has sought is still very much under construction.
Miami is coming off back-to-back wins over New England and San Diego, but at least they are coming to Houston. Cincinnati and Detroit look very beatable. And who knows about Minnesota and Baltimore. There is plenty of season left, but the ditch the Texans are in is starting to resemble the sinkhole in Liberty County. Something good better happen soon or we'll be talking draft before you know it.
