Texans’ defense in for big problems against Manning

By Connor Byrne  |   Wednesday, September 13, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Houston Texans
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The schedule gods really turned a bitter eye toward the Houston Texans back in April, didn't they?

After a Week 1 loss to the NFC contending Philadelphia Eagles, 24-10, the Texans are forced to face an AFC juggernaut in the second week of their season, the Indianapolis Colts. Frankly, although Houston is improving as a team, this weekend's matchup may be ugly for the Texans fans to watch.

The Colts, who many believe will finally win the Super Bowl this year, didn't have their 'A' game against the New York Giants on Sunday night, but they still managed a 26-21 victory in the daunted Meadowlands.

There's just about no way humanly possible the Texans' defense will come close to stop Peyton Manning and Indy's high-powered passing attack. If Houston let Donovan McNabb gash its secondary for 314 passing yards and three touchdowns, what will Manning's stat line look like? Scary to imagine, indeed.

Even without any semblance of a rushing attack, Manning still handled the Giants' respectable defense through the air, completing 61 percent of his passes and tossing for 276 yards. His infamously great No. 1 target, Marvin Harrison, caught nine of those completions for 113 yards.

Houston's secondary contains promising players such as Dunta Robinson and Phillip Buchanon, but by no means will they be enough to stop Manning and the Colts' full-throttle aerial assault.

Without much of a pass rush, there's no way a defensive backfield can hold up for long versus Indy. Against McNabb and the Eagles' offensive line, the Texans amassed only one sack for a loss of three yards. Their No. 1 overall pick, by the way, Mario Williams, was basically an on-field ghost, making absolutely no impact.

The Texans' offense, led by rising QB David Carr, could probably put up 30 points this weekend and it wouldn't matter. Not that the unit will do that anyway, considering the Colts' defense is expected to be a top 10 group this season.

Houston's going to keep taking baby steps toward respectability in its fifth year of existence in 2006, just don't expect any against the Indianapolis Colts. After all, they could be the class of the league.

Excuse the cliché, but, Houston, you'll have a problem...on Sunday.

News:

The Texans made a notable trade on Wednesday, acquiring running back Samkon Gado from the Green Bay Packers in exchange for another RB, Vernand Morency. Gado had a good year for the Pack in 2005 but had difficulty holding onto the football, while Morency gained just 13 yards on five carries in Week 1.

--Got feedback? Connor J. Byrne responds to readers' comments and questions each day: cbyrne@realfootball365.com.

Get weekly Houston Texans coverage at RealFootball365.com.
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