Houston Texans – Blog

Postgame notes: Vikings 23, Texans 6

Courtesy of the Texans’ media relations staff, notes from Week 16 at Reliant Stadium, where the Texans lost to the  Minnesota Vikings 23-6:

THE TEXANS

·         Raised $34,400 at the team’s gameday silent auction. The team announced on Friday that it would donate the proceeds from the auction to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund. Texans owner Bob McNair pledged to match the amount raised at the auction, meaning that he and his team will donate $68,800 to the fund.

·         Fell to 6-2 at home this season, which is tied for the best mark at Reliant Stadium in team history. Houston also went 6-2 at home in 2007 and 2008.

·         Reached the 400-point mark for the season, marking the first time in team history that Houston has scored 400 or more points in a season.

·         Tied a franchise single-season record by recovering their 13^th fumble of the season. It was the 29^th takeaway overall this season for Houston, which is one shy of the team record of 30 set in 2004.

·         Scored on their opening possession for the seventh time this season and the second game in a row. Houston fell to 6-1 this year when scoring on the first possession of the game.

·         Scored first for the ninth time this season. Houston fell to 8-1 this year when scoring first.

·         Trailed after the first quarter, at halftime and after three quarters. It was the fifth time this year that Houston trailed after one period and the fourth time the team trailed at halftime and after three quarters.

·         Lost the time of possession battle for the third time this season and had fewer than 30:00 of possession for the second time this year. Houston held the ball for 35:38 in an overtime game in Week 12 at Detroit (11/22) but lost the time of possession.

·         Finished with a negative turnover margin for the fourth time this season and fell to 2-2 in those games.

·         Failed to score a touchdown for the first time in 106 games. The last game in which the Texans did not reach the end zone was a 35-6 loss at Dallas on 10/15/06.

TE OWEN DANIELS

·         Extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 82 with a 6-yard catch on the final play of the first quarter.

RB ARIAN FOSTER

·         Set a career high with his 328^th rushing attempt of the season. He set the mark on his fourth carry of the game, a gain of 8 yards in the first quarter. With 10 carries today, Foster has 335 rushing attempts on the season.

K SHAYNE GRAHAM

·         Tied his season long with a 51-yard field goal to cap Houston’s opening possession. The field goal was Graham’s 12^th career kick of 50 yards or longer. He is

·         Scored six points in the game, raising his season total to 128 points. That is the second-highest point total in Texans history and is also the second-highest point total in his career.  K Neil Rackers holds the team record with 135 points in 2011, and Graham’s career-high is 131 points in 2005 with Cincinnati.

ILB BRADIE JAMES

·         Recovered a fumble in the third quarter. It was his second fumble recovery of the season and the 14^th of his career.

WR ANDRE JOHNSON

·         Became the second-fastest player in NFL history to reach 800 career receptions, doing so in his 137^th career game. He reached the milestone with his first catch of the game, a 5-yard catch in the first quarter.

Player                       Games to 800           Career Total

Marvin Harrison                          131                      1,102

ANDRE JOHNSON                     137                         806

Torry Holt                                  142                         920

Jimmy Smith                              149                         862

Jerry Rice                                  152                      1,549

·         Caught his 100^th pass of the season, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to catch 100 or more passes in four seasons. He reached the century mark on his seventh catch of the game, a gain of 14 yards in the third quarter.

Player                                             100-Catch Seasons

Wes Welker                                                                 5

ANDRE JOHNSON                                                      4

Jerry Rice                                                                    4

Marvin Harrison                                                           4

Brandon Marshall                                                         4

Reggie Wayne                                                             4

·         Surpassed 1,400 receiving yards for the season on a 17-yard catch in the first quarter. He became the 10^th player in NFL history to top 1,400 yards in a season after the age of 30. Johnson now has 1,457 receiving yards on the season.

Player                          Year           Age              Yards

Jerry Rice                     1994              33                1,848

Marvin Harrison             2002              30                1,722

Jimmy Smith                 1999              30                1,636

Wes Welker                   2011              30                1,569

Jerry Rice                     1993              31                1,503

Jerry Rice                     1994              32                1,499

Randy Moss                 2007              30                1,493

Stanley Morgan             1986              31                1,491

Brett Perriman*              1995              30                1,488

ANDRE JOHNSON        2012              31                1,457

Don Maynard                1967              32                1,434

Tim Brown                     1997              31                1,408

Muhsin Muhammad       2004              31                1,405

* Turned 30 on Oct. 10, 1995

·         Passed WR Chad Johnson (11,059) for 27^th on the NFL’s all-time receiving yardage list, doing so on a 17-yard catch in the first quarter.

·         Extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a reception to 97 with a 5-yard catch in the first quarter.

SS EDDIE PLEASANT

·         Made his professional debut when he took the field for the opening kickoff. Pleasant was signed from the Texans practice squad on Friday. Pleasant made a tackle on the opening kickoff of the second half.

FS GLOVER QUIN

·         Led the team with a season-high 10 tackles, including nine solos, and had three tackles for loss.

DE J.J. WATT

·         Became the ninth player in NFL history to record 20 or more sacks in a season when he sacked Minnesota QB Christian Ponder for a loss of 3 yards in the third quarter. The sack gave him 20.5 on the season.

Player                          Year, Team          G         Sacks

Michael Strahan*           2001 NYG            16            22.5

Jared Allen                    2011 Min             16            22.0

Mark Gastineau             1984 NYJ            16            22.0

Chris Doleman              1989 Min             16            21.0

Reggie White*               1987 Phi              12            21.0

J.J. WATT                    2012 HOU            15            20.5

Lawrence Taylor^*          1986 NYG            16            20.5

Derrick Thomas             1990 KC              15            20.0

DeMarcus Ware             2008 Dal              16            20.0

^ Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player

* Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year

·         Forced a fumble in his fourth consecutive game. It was his fourth of the season, tying a franchise single-season record.

·         Has now been responsible, in one way or another, for nine of Houston’s 29 takeaways (31.0 percent) on the season. He has forced four fumbles, three of which were recovered by the Texans, has recovered two fumbles and has deflected four passes that resulted in Texans interceptions.

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

·         Inactive players for the Texans were CB Alan Ball, G Antoine Caldwell, SS Quintin Demps, T Andrew Gardner, NT Terrell McClain, CB Stanford Routt and G Cody White.

·         Captains for the Texans were ILB Tim Dobbins, WR Andre Johnson, FS Shiloh Keo, C Chris Myers, QB Matt Schaub, DE Antonio Smith and DE J.J. Watt. Schaub, Johnson and Smith went to midfield for the pregame coin toss.

·         The Texans won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.

·         Sold out their 111^th consecutive home game with a crowd of 71,688. Houston has sold out every home game, including preseason, regular season and postseason contests, in team history.

Third-quarter notes: Vikings 16, Texans 6

Courtesy of the Texans’ media relations staff, notes from the third quarter at Reliant Stadium, where the Texans trail the  Minnesota Vikings 16-6:

THE TEXANS

·         Raised $34,400 at the team’s gameday silent auction. The team announced on Friday that it would donate the proceeds from the auction to the Sandy Hook School Support Fund. Texans owner Bob McNair pledged to match the amount raised at the auction, meaning that he and his team will donate $68,800 to the fund.

·         Tied a franchise single-season record by recovering their 13^th fumble of the season. It was the 29^th takeaway overall this season for Houston, which is one shy of the team record of 30 set in 2004.

·         Trailed at the end of the third quarter for the fourth time this season. Houston is 1-2 this season when trailing going into the fourth quarter.

ILB BRADIE JAMES

·         Recovered a fumble in the third quarter. It was his second fumble recovery of the season and the 14^th of his career.

WR ANDRE JOHNSON

·         Caught his 100^th pass of the season, becoming the fifth player in NFL history to catch 100 or more passes in four seasons. He reached the century mark on his seventh catch of the game, a gain of 14 yards in the third quarter.

DE J.J. WATT

·         Became the ninth player in NFL history to record 20 or more sacks in a season when he sacked Minnesota QB Christian Ponder for a loss of 3 yards in the third quarter. The sack gave him 20.5 on the season.

·         Forced a fumble in his fourth consecutive game. It was his fourth of the season, tying a franchise single-season record.

First-quarter notes: Vikings 7, Texans 3

Courtesy of the Texans’ media relations staff, notes from the first quarter at Reliant Stadium, where the Texans trail the  Minnesota Vikings 7-3:

THE TEXANS

·         Scored on their opening possession for the seventh time this season and the second game in a row. Houston is 6-0 this year when scoring on the first possession of the game.

·         Scored first for the ninth time this season. Houston is 8-0 this year when scoring first.

·         Trailed after one quarter for the fifth time this year. Houston is 2-2 this season when trailing after the opening period.

TE OWEN DANIELS

·         Extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 82 with a 6-yard catch on the final play of the first quarter.

K SHAYNE GRAHAM

·         Tied his season long with a 51-yard field goal to cap Houston’s opening possession. The field goal was Graham’s 12^th career kick of 50 yards or longer.

WR ANDRE JOHNSON

·         Became the second-fastest player in NFL history to reach 800 career receptions, doing so in his 137^th career game. He reached the milestone with his first catch of the game, a 5-yard catch in the first quarter.

·         Extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive games with a reception to 97 with a 5-yard catch in the first quarter.

·         Surpassed 1,400 receiving yards for the season on a 17-yard catch in the first quarter. He became the 10^th player in NFL history to top 1,400 yards in a season after the age of 30.

·         Passed WR Chad Johnson (11,059) for 27^th on the NFL’s all-time receiving yardage list, doing so on a 17-yard catch in the first quarter.

SS EDDIE PLEASANT

·         Made his professional debut when he took the field for the opening kickoff. Pleasant was signed from the Texans practice squad on Friday.

MISCELLANEOUS STATS

·         Inactive players for the Texans were CB Alan Ball, G Antoine Caldwell, SS Quintin Demps, T Andrew Gardner, NT Terrell McClain, CB Stanford Routt and G Cody White.

·         Captains for the Texans were ILB Tim Dobbins, WR Andre Johnson, FS Shiloh Keo, C Chris Myers, QB Matt Schaub, DE Antonio Smith and DE J.J. Watt. Schaub, Johnson and Smith went to midfield for the pregame coin toss.

·         The Texans won the toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff.

Texans-Vikings inactives, lineup changes

Here are inactives and lineup changes for the Texans’ Week 16 game against the Minnesota Vikings at Reliant Stadium. Kickoff is at noon CT.

Texans inactives
22 CB Alan Ball
27 S Quintin Demps
30 CB Stanford Routt
62 G Antoine Caldwell
66 T Andrew Gardner
67 G Cody White
97 NT Terrell McClain

Texans starting lineup changes
None.

Vikings inactives
4 QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson
11 WR Stephen Burton
27 CB Brandon Burton
57 LB Audie Cole
78 T Troy Kropog
91 DE D’Aundre Reed
96 DE Brian Robison

Vikings starting lineup changes
Everson Griffen will start at defensive end for Brian Robison.

Texans-Vikings Week 16 Friday injury report

The Friday (final) injury report for the Texans and Minnesota Vikings, who play at Reliant Stadium in Week 16:

HOUSTON TEXANS

OUT
CB Alan Ball (Foot/DNP)

DOUBTFUL
None

QUESTIONABLE
None

PROBABLE
OLB Bryan Braman (Knee/Full), FB Tyler Clutts (Abdominal/Full), NT Shaun Cody (Back/Limited), DE Jared Crick (Neck/Full), TE Owen Daniels (Hamstring/Full), ILB Tim Dobbins (Shoulder/Thumb/Limited), RB Justin Forsett (Knee/Full), CB Johnathan Joseph (Groin/Limited), T Derek Newton (Knee/Limited), S Glover Quin (Hip/Limited), OLB Brooks Reed (Groin/Limited), ILB Darryl Sharpton (Toe/Limited), DE Antonio Smith (Ankle/Limited), G Wade Smith (Knee/Ribs/Limited), RB Ben Tate (Hamstring/Foot/Full), QB T.J. Yates (R. Elbow/Full)

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

OUT
None

DOUBTFUL

QUESTIONABLE
DE Brian Robison (Shoulder/Limited)

PROBABLE
DE Jared Allen (Shoulder/Full), DE Everson Griffen (Elbow/Full), T Matt Kalil (Illness/Full), P Chris Kluwe (L. Knee/R. Groin/Full), T Phil Loadholt (Knee/Full), RB Adrian Peterson (Abdomen/Groin/Full), S Mistral Raymond (Ankle/Full), CB Marcus Sherels (Quadriceps/Elbow/Full), CB Antoine Winfield (Knee/Limited)

Check in Week 16 and win!

The Houston Texans’ final 2012 regular-season home game Sunday is aptly named Fan Appreciation Day presented by FOX Sports Southwest.

We’re in the holiday spirit, so we have planned our biggest Foursquare special of the season this weekend. If you’re attending the game at Reliant Stadium, check in using the Foursquare mobile app any time between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on gameday and share your check-in on Twitter using #TexansGameday.

We’ll pick two random winners to each receive the following prizes:

• 2012 Texans Yearbook autographed by WR Andre Johnson
• Fleece Houston Texans blanket
• Houston Texans Gameday magazine vs. Vikings
• Houston Texans official folders
• Houston Texans “We Are Texans” pens

Make sure to follow us at http://foursquare.com/HoustonTexans

Texans-Vikings Week 16 Thursday injury report

The Thursday injury report for the Texans and Minnesota Vikings, who play at Reliant Stadium in Week 16:

HOUSTON TEXANS

OUT
None

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
CB Alan Ball (Foot)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
NT Shaun Cody (Back), ILB Tim Dobbins (Shoulder/Thumb), CB Johnathan Joseph (Groin), T Derek Newton (Knee), OLB Brooks Reed (Groin), ILB Darryl Sharpton (Toe), DE Antonio Smith (Ankle), G Wade Smith (Knee/Ribs)

FULL PARTICIPATION
OLB Bryan Braman (Knee), FB Tyler Clutts (Abdominal), DE Jared Crick (Neck), TE Owen Daniels (Back), RB Justin Forsett (Knee), ILB Barrett Ruud (Knee), RB Ben Tate (Hamstring/Foot), QB T.J. Yates (R. Elbow)

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

OUT
None

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
T Matt Kalil (Illness), RB Adrian Peterson (Abdomen/Groin), DE Brian Robison (Shoulder)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
DE Jared Allen (Shoulder), P Chris Kluwe (L. Knee/R. Groin), T Phil Loadholt (Knee), S Mistral Raymond (Ankle), CB Antoine Winfield (Knee)

FULL PARTICIPATION
DE Everson Griffen (Elbow), CB Marcus Sherels (Quadriceps/Elbow)

Texans-Vikings Week 16 Wednesday injury report

The Wednesday injury report for the Texans and Minnesota Vikings, who play at Reliant Stadium in Week 16:

HOUSTON TEXANS

OUT
None

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
CB Alan Ball (Foot)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
NT Shaun Cody (Back), ILB Tim Dobbins (Shoulder/Thumb), CB Johnathan Joseph (Groin), T Derek Newton (Knee), OLB Brooks Reed (Groin), ILB Darryl Sharpton (Toe), DE Antonio Smith (Ankle), G Wade Smith (Knee/Ribs)

FULL PARTICIPATION
OLB Bryan Braman (Knee), FB Tyler Clutts (Abdominal), DE Jared Crick (Neck), TE Owen Daniels (Back), RB Justin Forsett (Knee), ILB Barrett Ruud (Knee), RB Ben Tate (Hamstring/Foot), QB T.J. Yates (R. Elbow)

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

OUT
None

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
T Matt Kalil (Illness), RB Adrian Peterson (Abdomen/Groin), DE Brian Robison (Shoulder)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
DE Jared Allen (Shoulder), P Chris Kluwe (L. Knee/R. Groin), T Phil Loadholt (Knee), S Mistral Raymond (Ankle), CB Antoine Winfield (Knee)

FULL PARTICIPATION
DE Everson Griffen (Elbow), CB Marcus Sherels (Quadriceps/Elbow)

Enter to win tickets to this Sunday’s game

Post pictures with your Texans AFC South division champions gear on Twitter using #AFCSouthChamps for chance to win tickets to this Sunday’s Texans-Minnesota Vikings game at Reliant Stadium. The Texans (12-2) face the Vikings (8-6) at noon CT with a chance to clinch home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Deadline to enter is noon CT on Thursday.

Post pic w/your #Texans AFC South title gear,use #AFCSouthChamps for chance at HOU-MIN tix. Rules: bit.ly/WmmuYV twitter.com/HoustonTexans/…

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) December 18, 2012

Texans can clinch first-round bye, home-field advantage on Sunday

The Texans (12-2) clinched a playoff spot in Week 13 at Tennessee and clinched the AFC South in Week 15 against Indianapolis. They can clinch a first-round bye and home-field advantage this week.

Here are the Texans’ latest playoff scenarios, as provided by the NFL:

Houston clinches a first-round bye with:

1)    HOU win or tie OR
2)    NE loss or tie OR
3)    DEN loss

Houston clinches home-field advantage throughout AFC playoffs with:

1)    HOU win OR
2)    HOU tie + DEN loss or tie OR
3)    NE loss or tie + DEN loss

The Texans play the Minnesota Vikings (8-6) at Reliant Stadium on Sunday at noon CT. The Denver Broncos (11-3) play the Cleveland Browns (5-9) in Denver on Sunday at 3:05 p.m. CT. The New England Patriots (10-4) play the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-12) on Sunday at noon in Jacksonville.

If the playoffs started today, the Texans would have the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Broncos would have the No. 2 seed, followed by the Patriots, Baltimore Ravens (9-5), Indianapolis Colts (9-5) and Cincinnati Bengals (8-6).

The Texans can clinch home-field advantage with a victory in either of their last two games. They finish the regular season at Indianapolis on Dec. 30.