Texans Score 21 Unanswered Points to Stay Alive

Every playoff scenario that would get the Houston Texans into the playoffs was nearly moot. Fred Taylor's second touchdown of the game put the New England Patriots up 27-13 with 14 minutes left in the fourth quarter. It appeared the Texans were doomed to lose the game due to self-sabotage yet again (they had already missed two field goals and given up a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown).

Instead, the Texans -- on the shoulders of their stud quarterback -- showed the kind of fortitude worthy of a playoff team.

First, Matt Schaub led them on a 69-yard drive, capped by a touchdown pass to Jacoby Jones. The defense responded with a three-and-out (with Tom Brady still in the game). The game-tying touchdown drive took just two minutes and 47 seconds, as Arian Foster (pictured) punched it in from the one. Two plays later, Brady was intercepted. It took the Texans just four plays and less than two minutes before Foster was again marching into the end zone. The final tally? Houston 34, New England 27.

Now all the Texans can do is hope -- if the Bengals beat the Jets in New York on Sunday night, Houston would advance to the AFC playoffs.

In the meantime, the Texans can, at the very least, celebrate the first winning season in franchise history. Congratulations to them for that.

"We're winners,'' cornerback Dunta Robinson said. "We're not right at .500. We're over .500. It's a great thing. I can say that I was a part of the first winning season for the Houston Texans. We're a part of something special.''

Sunday's game saw Matt Schaub post yet another 300-yard passing game. His 303 yards marked the ninth time this season he's topped that mark and he finished with a staggering 4,770 passing yards. That will, barring something unforeseen this afternoon, make him the NFL's top passer, in terms of yards, for the season and place him sixth all-time for passing yards in a season. Simply put, it's pretty evident the Texans have a franchise quarterback. All he needed to do to prove it this year is stay healthy and he did.
The Texans also seem to have found a ground game, as rookie runner Foster compiled 119 yards on 20 carries, including the aforementioned two touchdowns. They do still have a problem with the kicking game, though. Kris Brown missed both of his field goal attempts. One was forgivable, as it was a 56-yarder. The other wasn't, as he completely shanked a 38-yarder. It will be interesting to see if the Texans move forward with him should they make the playoffs.

On the other side of the field, the Patriots were speculated to be treating this as a preseason game, but they actually left in their key players for most of the game. Brady only exited prior to the final possession. Randy Moss caught five passes for 75 yards. They may have suffered a huge blow by playing Wes Welker, however, as he went down with a knee injury during the first quarter. We have since learned that Welker tore both his MCL and ACL and he will obviously be out for a long time. Heading to the playoffs, this is a big blow, as Welker ended the season with 123 catches for 1,348 yards.

For the time being, though, the big story is the Houston Texans. They need some help, and if they get it, they'll be in the postseason for the first time ever.

UPDATE: With victories by the Ravens and Jets, the Houston Texans have not qualified for the playoffs.