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| We’ve seen a lot of Shayne Graham on Saturday. (US Presswire) |
On six drives in the first half of the Texans-Bengals wild-card game, Houston reached at least as far Cincinnati’s 30-yard line three times. The Texans ran 47 plays to Cincinnati’s 17. They gained 250 yards to the Bengals’ 53. Cincinnati had thrown for minus-6 yards and had held the ball for only 7:03. Basically, Houston had dominated.
Houston only held a 9-7 lead at halftime with some major questions about its red zone offense that had forced Shayne Graham to kick three field goals. But Texans finally got a touchdown when running back Arian Foster recorded a one-yard score with 10:31 to play in the third quarter for a 16-7 lead.
Before that, the Texans' red-zone offense has been horrid. Or maybe the Bengals' red-zone defense has been just good enough to force Houston to kick three field goals.
Either way, the Texans had a two-point lead, and after a first half in which they controlled every aspect of the game, that had to be disappointing.
Particularly since the Bengals offense hadn’t done anything.
BenJarvus Green-Ellis rushed three times for 43 yards, and the rest of the team combined to gain 10 yards. A.J. Green didn't have a catch in the first half. Jermaine Gresham dropped a pass. The only Bengals score occurred because Houston quarterback Matt Schaub made a terrible throw in Texans territory and Bengals cornerback Leon Hall undercut fullback James Casey, intercepted it and returned it 21 yards for the touchdown.
The Texans have scored just two offensive touchdowns in the past 14 quarters. Even though they have a nine-point lead, they'll have to continue taking advantage of their red-zone opportunities in order to assure their postseason advancement.
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