Well, shut my mouth

October 26, 8:09 PMHouston Texans ExaminerAlan Burge

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This is one case when it's good to be wrong.

Here I was all worried that this Bengals team was different.  I thought we would be in for a fight.  I thought they hadn't quit.  I said take the over and the points.  Boy was I wrong.

How exactly did this Bengals team hang with the Steelers into the 4th quarter last week?  I don't see it. 

Yes, they were tough against the run and their DBs hit hard - except of course when Jonathan Joseph decided to play patty cake with Kevin Walter instead of tackling him - allowing Walter to put the game out of reach with a 39 yard TD catch late in the 3rd quarter.

But this one felt different.   I kept waiting for the Bengals to make their run, but they didn't.  Even though Ced Benson ran well in the first half, there wasn't any big play threat with this Bengals team.  And it turned into an old fashioned ass kicking - something that's been all too familiar to Bengals fans, and all too rare for us - at least when we're on the good side of the score.

The Bengals defense had no answer for Andre Johnson, who was a one man wrecking crew again.  And when they rolled a couple guys Andre's way, Matt Schaub found Walter or David Anderson wide open for scores.

I saw things at this game that I hadn't seen for a long time.

I saw the Texans defense make a stop and force a turnover when it mattered - forcing a Ryan Fitzpatrick fumble after the Bengals had driven 55 yards in 11 plays down to the Texans 10 yard line.  It was 28-6 Texans at the time and forgive me but that's not a safe lead - even against the Bengals.  The Texans were +3 in turnovers for the day and that reverses an ugly trend.

I saw an opponent not allow the Texans offense to touch the ball until the 6:24 mark of the first quarter - and trail 7-3.

I saw confident smiles of satisfaction from fans all around me before the game even entered the 4th quarter.  Again, this one felt different and you knew the lead was going to hold up.

I saw Bengals fans capitulate to the point of one throwing his jersey onto the field in the south end zone after Walter's second TD.

I also saw things I've seen too many times before, such as a 3/4 empty stadium at kickoff and a crowd that seemed sedated throughout the contest.

Aside from the excitement of Jacoby's quick strike punt return for touchdown, this one took a while to figure out.

The Bengals running game was having some success early but was mostly abandoned in the second half to the large deficit.  The Texans were able to control Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh and not allow any big plays.  As much as we've been critical of the Texans defense lately, they deserve credit for keeping the Bengals out of the endzone. 

It was good to see Dunta out there again today.  He looked less rusty and his presence is a big help back there.

The Texans had a hard time running the ball for the first time in several games, but Schaub was on the money all day long.  The Texans converted ten of thirteen 3rd-down conversion attempts and had TD drives of 91, 84, and 86 yards.

Now at 3-4, the Texans have put themselves into a position where they can make things interesting as we head into November.  As long as the offense keeps on clicking, they should be able to compete in most games from here on out.

Don't you wish we had those games back against Indy and Jacksonville right about now?

We can't undo the past so lets enjoy the present.  And the present is a three game winning streak heading into a tough roadie at Minnesota next week. 

Hey, did you hear?  The Texans have never won 4 in a row... pass it on.