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On a day when there was much debate on the college circuit about the best teams and quality of wins, it was reassuring to live through a game in which outscoring the opponent was the only stat that matters.
The Texans 27-13 victory over the Jaguars won't be remembered in Canton or in a 30 For 30 film but it was another important step in Bill O'Brien's first season.
The offense had trouble clicking in the first half. Andre Johnson looked like he was on his way to a big afternoon when he was knocked out of the game. Johnson headed to the locker room and was evaluated for a concussion. The running lanes were tough to find and Ryan Fitzpatrick's aerial exploits of last week didn't appear to make the road trip.
But Houston was able to seize momentum in the second half with a stop on the Jaguars opening possession followed by a 17-play, clock-eating drive that put the Texans up for good.
Another Texans touchdown came on a short field when D.J. Swearinger picked off Blake Bortles, giving the offense the ball at the 26-yard line. Arian Foster capped that drive with a tremendous one yard run that had him redirect after a traffic jam on the right side in a fourth and goal situation.
The Texans didn't get any help from Cleveland today in their uphill fight for the division crown. But the most important thing they can do is help themselves by winning. Three games remain in the regular season and they might just squeak into the playoffs as a wild card team if they win them all.
Up next is their white whale: a victory over the Colts in Indy. They'll be hearing all week on how they've never won there. They've gotten close. In '08, having the ball late with a chance to tie. In '09 missing a tying field goal at the buzzer and in '11 seeing Reggie Wayne catch a late TD to break their hearts.
They'll have to be at their very best, much better than they were against the Jags, to exorcise the Indy demons and keep this winning streak going.
