LANDOVER, Md. - After watching the Texans escape with a 30-27 overtime victory - the first OT win in team history - an emotionally drained Gary Kubiak was alone Sunday in the visiting coach's dressing room at FedEx Field.
Kubiak welcomed two visitors - Washington coach Mike Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.
"Gary's a great friend and a heck of a coach," Mike nfl jerseys
Shanahan said after congratulating his protégé. "He works for a great organization, and I couldn't be more proud of him right now."
Neil Rackers' 35-yard field goal with 3:24 left in overtime enabled the Texans to start 2-0 after they overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit. It was the second-biggest comeback victory in team history, next only to a 2004 game in which they came from 18 down to defeat Tennessee.
The Texans, who have a six-game winning streak dating to last season, are alone in first place in the AFC South with the Dallas Cowboys coming to Reliant Stadium. They increased their record against the NFC to 10-3 over the last four seasons.
The Texans proved again they're not intimidated in hostile territory. A crowd of 88,240 couldn't unnerve them. They're 8-4 in their last 12 road games, including 6-3 over their last nine.
"A win like this can be so big for a team like us," said defensive end Antonio Smith, who played for Arizona's Super Bowl team two years ago. "It should have taught us a lesson: You're going to go through times like this, adversity like we faced today, and if you stay focused and persevere, you can get through it and come out on top."
Breakdowns galore
The Texans overcame deficits of 20-7 and 27-10 and 426 yards passing by Donovan McNabb.
"We had too many breakdowns," said strong safety Bernard Pollard, whose block of a field-goal try may have saved the victory. "We have to fix our pass defense. We gave up too many big plays. We can't do this every week and expect to win.
"When you're down 20-7 in a place like this and you come back to win, that shows a lot of heart, an awful lot of heart."
Nobody showed more heart than quarterback Matt Schaub, receiver 49ers jersey
Andre Johnson and defensive end Mario Williams.
Schaub was sacked five times, tying a career high. At times, the Texans acted as if they'd never practiced for a blitz. Yet Schaub refused to lose, completing 38 of 52 passes for a career-high 497 yards and three touchdowns.
Johnson finished with 12 catches for 158 yards and an incredible 34-yard touchdown against double coverage to tie the score at 27 with 2:03 left in regulation. He had left the game with a sprained right ankle and wasn't supposed to return.
Not discouraged
Johnson and Kevin Walter (11 catches for 144 yards and a TD) were magnificent.
"We have a lot of determination," Johnson said. "No matter what happened during the game, we never got discouraged. I think it shows we're making that turn in the right direction."
Williams sacked McNabb three times, including once in the fourth quarter and once in overtime.
Kubiak made two gutsy decisions in overtime. He bypassed a 52-yard field goal by Neil Rackers because he worried about a breeze. When Washington's Graham Gano lined up for a possible 52-yard game winner, Kubiak called time out just before he kicked. The kick was good, but forced to do it again, Gano was wide right, giving the Texans another shot at victory.
The Texans got the ball a second time in overtime. Schaub's 28-yard pass to leaping tight end Joel Dreessen gave them a first down at the Washington 18. Two plays later, Rackers kicked his third field goal.
"That's one of the greatest games I've ever been in," Kubiak said. "There probably wasn't a guy on our team that didn't have a boneheaded play in the game, but there probably wasn't a guy on the team that didn't make a great play to help us come back."
'Coming out swinging'
The defense had no answer for McNabb in the first half. He Saints jersey
burned the Texans' young cornerbacks, especially rookie Kareem Jackson. But the Redskins did score only one touchdown in the second half and overtime.
"In the second half, it was a bunch of guys coming out swinging, and they kept swinging no matter how bleak it got," offensive tackle Eric Winston said. "Any time you win a game a game like that, it amplifies that winning feeling about 10 times."
没有评论:
发表评论