To preview this week’s big game between what look like the top two teams in the AFC South this year, I conducted our regular question-and-answer session with Dustyn Richardson of Bloguin’s Houston Texans site, Texans Tribune.
After the jump, my Q&A with Dustyn.
Total Titans: Is Matt Schaub the guy? With Andre Johnson out and the Texans losing two games in a row, it seems like he’s the man under pressure. Can he make the plays and avoid the mistakes to help the Texans win on Sunday, and could the Texans be looking for an upgrade in the offseason?
Texans Tribune: Schaub is under a lot of pressure from the Houston fans. A lot of fans don’t think he can take us to the next level. Schaub has struggled in big situations and this is a big concern. I’d expect the Texans to run the ball a lot and in this case Schaub could be successful Sunday. They won’t look to upgrade in the offseason unless Schaub really falls off this season which I don’t see happening.
Total Titans: The Texans had a particularly good rushing offense last year, but from the outside it seems to have fallen off some, especially in the red zone. Has the offensive line been playing at the same level as last year? What about the backs, both Arian Foster in the follow-up to his breakout season and Ben Tate in his first real work?
Texans Tribune: Foster’s hamstring and quad have been bothering him all year. In the one game he was fully healthy (vs Pittsburgh) he was superb. If Foster is 100% he is an elite back. The red zone troubles have plagued the whole team this season. Ben Tate has looked good but like Foster, health has been the issue. The offensive line is not playing up to the standard they set last year but if the backs are healthy this run offense is top tier.
Total Titans: The Texans switched to the Wade Phillips version of the 3-4 in the offseason. How has it been through the first six weeks of the season? Is the secondary still the Texans’ biggest defensive issue, or is it something else?
Texans Tribune: The defense has seen a huge upgrade under Phillips. The loss of Mario Williams though is very big. Rookie Brooks Reed is a decent fill in but we will have to see how he takes to getting the majority of snaps. The secondary was upgraded with Johnathon Joseph and Danieal Manning but the second corner is still a big hole. Both Kareem Jackson and Jason Allen have started there this year and neither has been able to do much of anything, except get burned.
Total Titans: It’s early in the year, but the second Titans-Texans game isn’t until Week 17 at the end of the year. Are Texans fans looking at this game and seeing it put the winner in the driver’s seat in the AFC South, or is it just another divisional game?
Texans Tribune: This game is huge for Texans fans. Playing the Titans is always a big game for us since there are still a lot of Tennessee fans here after they moved but with the division up for grabs this year this game takes on even more importance. This game will definitely put a team in the drivers seat as these two teams will produce the South winner.
Total Titans: Is there anything you want Titans fans to know about the Texans that I haven’t mentioned?
Texans Tribune: This Texans team gets to the QB more than any other team in franchise history. Even with Williams out, Wade Phillips puts constant pressure on the backfield. Look for guys like Connor Barwin, JJ Watt, Reed, and Antonio Smith to have their names called a lot by putting some hits on Hasselbeck.
Total Titans: Finally, if you’d like to make a score prediction, please feel free.
Texans Tribune: I think it’s finally time for the Texans to step up but this game will be close. I could see an overtime game but I think Foster carries the team to a win with a couple of touchdowns. Texans 23 Titans 20
Thanks to Dustyn for participating in this week’s Q&A exchange. Check out Texans Tribune for more Texans coverage and for my responses to Dustyn’s questions. As I did last year, I also did answered some questions about the Titans this week for Steph Stradley’s Texans Chick, so check out those as well.
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