|
|
In their brief
history, the Houston Texans have never performed well in games following wins.
Then again, they've never had an offense like the one they have this season.
Coming off an emotional victory in their last outing, the Texans try to win consecutive games for the first time in team history as they visit the Tennessee Titans.
Houston went 4-12 in its inaugural season last year, and began 2003 with a shocking 21-20 road win over the Miami Dolphins. Following those five victories, the Texans have been outscored 135-58 in their next game. NFL Tickets
Houston's offense, however, has vastly improved since last season.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Texans are averaging 326.5 yards per game. Through four games last season,
Houston was averaging 193.5 yards per contest. The Texans have 887 yards through
the air, more than doubling their passing yardage output after four games in
2002.
That improvement can be attributed to the play of second-year quarterback David Carr and rookie wide receiver Andre Johnson.
Carr is averaging 220 passing yards a game, a 90.3-yard improvement over his first four games in 2002. Johnson, the third-overall pick in this year's draft, leads AFC rookies with 26 receptions and 346 receiving yards.
The duo led the Texans to their second win of the season two weeks ago. Johnson caught eight passes for 97 yards, and Carr scored the winning touchdown on a gutsy one-yard dive as time expired, lifting Houston to a 24-20 win over Jacksonville. NFL Tickets
``When you're six inches away from the goal line you can't give that up,'' Carr said. ``I'd rather take my shot right there on the six-inch line. It was a great call by the coaching staff and I am just glad that I just got up with the touchdown.
``Our team showed some heart and they came back and fought all the way down to the last second. That's what it takes in games like this in the NFL. It's going to come down like that in almost every game.''
The Titans are 3-2 following a 38-30 road loss to the New England Patriots last Sunday.
They began last year 1-4, but ended up winning 11 of their final 13 games before losing to Oakland in the AFC championship game.
Quarterback Steve McNair has been solid for Tennessee, but the Titans' rushing offense is ranked 29th in the NFL. The Titan defense is allowing opponents to score just over 23 points per game.
``You want to run the football, then get it right,'' Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said. ``It's that kind of thing. Of course, (opponents) are going to do something different than we anticipate, but if we adjust and get it right, then you never know what's going to happen.
``Our challenge is to be 4-2, period. And we're going to do whatever it takes to get there.''
The Titans will face that challenge without starting cornerback Samari Rolle, who will miss the next 3-to-6 weeks with a dislocated elbow suffered last Sunday.
``It takes a lot out of us,'' Titans tackle Fred Miller said. ``We want to make it to the playoffs, and we're definitely going to have to stop some of those big receivers that we're going to be going against here pretty soon. NFL Tickets
``We have a challenge ahead of us.''