Patriots 41, Texans 28: Offense Turns Offensive On Big Stage. Again.

By Ben DuBose Sun., Jan. 13 2013 at 9:21 PM

Adapting to new NFL norms

Ideally, you wouldn't want the opposing offense to score 41 points. But it's not unheard of. Removing the Texans and Patriots from consideration, the other six divisional playoff teams put up 38, 35, 45, 31, 30 and 28 points in their games -- an average of almost 35.

The Patriots weren't significantly above the norm, and that was with Brady playing at home. In the playoffs especially, the tempo gets pushed and points are put up. It's often up to the other offense to match.

In another meaningful game, the Texans couldn't match. Yet again, Schaub looked jittery and rattled in obvious passing situations, overthrowing a wide open Andre Johnson in the end zone and not identifying Rob Ninkovich dropping into coverage on the pick.

Perhaps most damning was a throwaway on Houston's first drive of the third quarter, when Schaub actually managed to elude a defender but threw the ball out of bounds when it appeared he had several seconds to let the play develop.

Schaub is capable of putting up points if everything else is ideal, allowing him to work bootlegs off playaction. But in the salary-cap era, it's tough to hold a great offensive line together, and the shelf life of a top-flight running back like Arian Foster is very limited.

The Texans lost two good linemen last offseason in Eric Winston and Mike Brisiel, and this year's version of Foster often lacked the burst seen in his first three seasons. That put more of a burden on Schaub as a pure passer down the stretch, and he couldn't handle it. Moreover, Schaub will be 32 when next season starts, and it's hard to imagine much more development at this stage of his career.

Basically, Schaub is what he is. And without an elite ground game, it's not good enough to win a Super Bowl.

Where to go from here

Unfortunately, there's not much of an option to look elsewhere. The Texans signed Schaub to a massive extension before this season started, effectively securing his place as the starting quarterback for at least the next two years.

In addition, the Texans have somewhat of an aging core with Johnson, Foster and Owen Daniels, much of which wouldn't be around by the time a young quarterback could hypothetically develop.

To win a Super Bowl with the current Houston core, the only hope is to invest heavily in the offensive line -- both in the draft and with their limited salary-cap space -- and hope they strike gold to replace Winston and Brisiel, thereby reviving the elite rushing attack.

The defense can't be forgotten, but it doesn't need as much work. With J.J. Watt, the return of a healthy Brian Cushing and a secondary that features young playmakers in Johnathan Joseph, Kareem Jackson and Glover Quin, they're capable of competing for a Super Bowl in the modern NFL.

The same can't be said for the offense, so long as Schaub is asked to be the focal point.
That's the lesson the Texans learned time and time again in the final six weeks of 2012.

Even on a night when the offense put up 28.

Tags:

Patriots, playoffs, Texans

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thepresident

still trying to figure out how giving up 41 points is on the offense? you can't beat the pats – or anyone – giving up 41 points. it was a team loss – the pats are simply better

JKSweets

@thepresident It's simple. If you have a capable offense, the defense rests on the bench longer and the opposition offense has less time on the field to score points. When you make overly conservative calls, you're relying on your defense to bail you out. Do that too often, and you're going to get burned. Repeatedly. 3 and outs also lead to disadvantageous field position, which leads to more pressure on both sides of the ball. Even if the defense holds up, you're more likely to get pinned back in your own territory. Especially the way they've been punting.

BenDuBose

@John1837 @thepresident There's also the fact that of the 41 points, 10 came after an onsides kick and fourth-down failure -- both of which set up the Patriots n field goal range before their offense even took the field. Hard to pin much of those on the defense. In reality, Tom Brady's team (or Peyton Manning's) is going to score 30-ish points at home -- you simply need an offense that extends drives and puts up points of their own. Baltimore had that Saturday, and the Texans didn't Sunday.

thepresident

@BenDuBose @John1837 @thepresident of course I understand all this, it's fundamental football. keep the ball, burn clock, keep Brady on the bench, and hopefully score touchdowns in the process. Sounds good in theory. That said, NYG drew the best blueprint on how to beat Brady. Pressure with the front four. We simply don't have the talent or depth on the D line / front 7 to do that. Which of course, validates your point and the keep-away strategy, but suggesting that this loss is primarily on the offense is overstating it. It was a team loss. While the offense sputtered often, the defense also did virtually nothing to disrupt Brady, all while blowing assignments. I know it's fashionable to pile on Schaub, but we were outplayed in every facet of the game, except perhaps special teams.