The Texans have the #3 seed in the AFC Playoffs all wrapped up no matter what happens in the game this Sunday.  Look for them to rest some regulars in the second half this Sunday.  That doesn’t mean that they don’t want to whip the Titans again and knock them out of any chance to make the playoffs.  They thumped them 41-7 earlier this year in Nashville.  The Texans are going to get the Titans’ best shot this time around as they can make the playoffs with a win this Sunday and some help.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are going to get WR Andre Johnson heavily involved in the passing game early so that he can knock some rust off.  Having Johnson in the starting lineup will allow T.J. Yates to stretch the field with some deep shots.  That will open things up for the other receivers, TEs and RBs with short passes underneath.  The Texans might also look to get Jake Delhomme or Jeff Garcia into this game in the second half to knock some rust off.  The Texans are still going to be a run first team in this game with Arian Foster getting most of the carries early in this game and Ben Tate getting most of the carries late in this game against a Titans’ run D that is giving up 126.7 yards rushing per game and 4.4 yards per carry.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Texans are going to have to stop Chris Johnson and make Matt Hasselbeck beat them with his right arm.  The Texans should be able to do exactly that as Johnson has been up and down so far this year.  The Texans are going to be blitzing Matt Hasselbeck early and often in this game.  The Texans will have to be ready to defense the short pass as that will be what the Texans are trying to complete.  TE Jared Cook, WR Nate Washington, WR Damian Williams, WR Lavelle Hawkins and RB Chris Johnson are also decent players, so the Texans’ secondary is going to get challenged this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  TITANS 21, TEXANS 20

The Houston Texans are sending to players to the Pro Bowl.  25-year old RB Arian Foster has been amazing again this year for the Texans.  He has played in 13 games for the Texans so far this year and he has carried the ball 278 times for 1,224 yards (4.4 ypc) with 10 TD grabs.  Foster has also caught 53 passes for 617 yards (11.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs so far this year.  27-year old CB Johnathan Joseph has proven to be quite a shrewd free agent signing for the Texans.  Joseph has played in 15 games so far this year for the Texans and he has 44 tackles, 15 passes defensed, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 2 tackles for a loss.

The Texans could stop the Colts on their game winning drive as QB Dan Orlovsky took his team on a 12-play, 78 yards TD drive that took them only 1:37.  The offense was very vanilla for the Texans last night.  T.J. Yates completed 13 of 16 passes for 132 yards with 0 TD passes or interceptions.  Arian Foster had another monster game with 158 yards rushing on 23 carries (6.9 ypc) with a TD run and he also caught 3 passes for 16 yards (5.3 avg).  WR Kevin Walter (3 rec, 47 yards) and TE Joel Dreessen (4 rec, 38 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Texans last night.  The Texans finished up with 171 yards rushing on 31 carries (5.5 ypc) and they also completed 13 of 16 passes (81.3%) for 112 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:05.

The defense was outstanding until the last time the Colts had the football.  LB Brian Cushing led the way for the Texans in this game with 12 tackles, 1 sack and 1 QB hit.  CB Brice McClain (7 tackles and 2 passes defensed), LB Demeco Ryans (5 tackles) and DE J.J. Watt (5 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, 3 passes defensed and 3 QB hits) also had solid games for the Texans last night.  OLB Brooks Reed pitched in with 3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 fumble recovery.  The Colts finished up with 95 yards rushing on 32 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 41 passes (56.1%) for 225 yards in this game.  The Texans are now 10-5 on the season after this HUGE  loss.

The Texans had their 7-game winning streak stopped last weekend by the Panthers.  They are still in the hunt for one of the top two seeds in the AFC, so look for them to be more than ready to rumble tonight with the Colts, who they thumped 34-7 in the season opener in Houston.  The Colts finally broke the seal last weekend in beating the Titans 27-13 in Indianapolis.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are going to be very run heavy tonight as they are going to be all business.  Look for Arian Foster and Ben Tate are going to both have heavy workloads in this game against a Colts’ D that is allowing 138.7 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  T.J. Yates was off last weekend against the Bengals, but he should have an easier time tonight as long as his O-Line is giving him time to throw the ball.  Yates will be spreading the ball around, using a lot of receivers with Andre Johnson missing another game.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts ran the ball a lot last weekend and they will likely try it again tonight against the Texans.  Donald Brown will be the main man in the running game for the Colts tonight, but, Joseph Addai and Delone Carter will also get some work in.  The Texans are giving up 96.8 yards rushing per game so far this year, but 4.2 yards per carry.  The front seven will have to step up and make the Colts a 1 dimensional team offensively.  Dan Orlovsky will make mistakes when pressured and theh Texans are going to bring the heat.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 23, COLTS 13

The Panthers jumped on the Texans early in this game, as they were down 21-0 at the half.  The Texans looked flat for the most part and the Panthers took it to them.  T.J. Yates looked like a rookie today as he completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc).  Arian Foster led the way on the ground for the Texans in this game with 109 yards rushing on 16 carries (6.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 5 passes for 58 yards (11.6 avg) in this game.  Ben Tate pitched in with 26 yards rushing on 7 carries (3.6 ypc) in this game.  Fullback Lawrence Vickers didn’t carry the ball in this game but he did catch 4 passes for 29 yards (7.3 avg).  The Texans finished up with 150 yards rushing on 25 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 30 passes (63.3%) for 208 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:26.

The Texans’ D did not play too well today.  LB Brian Cushing (12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), LB Demeco Ryans (8 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and DE J.J. Watt (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Texans defensively today.  The Panthers finished up with 166 yards rushing on 34 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 24 passes (58.3%) for 150 yards in this game.  The Texans are now 10-4 on the year.

The Texans have won 7 games in a row and they are 5-1 at home this year.  They are in the hunt for the #1 seed in the AFC Playoffs, so they need to take this game very seriously.  The Panthers lost last weekend, but they have won 2 of their last three games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are going to run the ball a lot this weekend.  The Panthers are giving up 128.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year, so Arian Foster and Ben Tate are likely to have big games against the Panthers.  The Texans will likely let T.J. Yates pass the ball a bit more as he proved he could handle it last weekend against the Bengals.  The Panthers are giving up 236.5 yards passing per game so far this year, so there will be plays to be made in the passing game.  Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones will have to make some plays this weekend for the Texans.

When the Panthers have the ball:  This is going to be a big test for the defense.  The Texans are going to have to get after Cam Newton, while also containing him in the pocket.  The Texans are likely going to double cover WR Steve Smith and dare Newton to beat them by throwing to someone else.  He likes throwing to his TEs (Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey) and he also has decent receivers opposite of Smith in Legedu Naanee and Brandon LaFell.  The Panthers also have two very solid RBs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  All of that being said, the Texans have a dominating defense!

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 20, PANTHERS 17

The Texans took the shackles off 24-year old rookie QB T.J. Yates last weekend and he played well against the Bengals, leading his team to a 20-19 win.  Yates completed 26 of 44 passes (59.1%) for 300 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  He has now played in 3 games for the Texans so far this year and he has completed 46 of 84 passes (54.8%) for 558 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (82.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 11 times for 43 yards (3.9 ypc) so far this year.  The Texans seem to be gaining more trust in Yates and that is a good thing moving forward.

The Texans have waived 37-year old WR Derrick Mason.  Mason played in 7 games for the Texans and he caught 6 passes for 55 yards (9.2 avg).  He played in 12 games overall this year with the Jets and Texans in which he caught 19 passes for 170 yards (8.9 avg).  Mason has played in 230 games in his NFL career and he has caught 943 passes for 12,061 yards (12.8 avg) with 66 TD grabs.  Mason had a really good career in the NFL, but the needle on his gas tank is really close to empty.

The Texans have lost 28-year old RG Mike Brisiel indfefinitely due to a fractured fibula.  He has played in 13 games (all starts) for the Texans this year.  He has now played in 50 games (47 starts) in his first six years with the Texans.  The Texans aren’t going to put Brisiel on the Injured Reserve List as they think he could return to the team in the playoffs at some point.

This was an amazing game.  The Texans didn’t play too well in the first half as they were down 16-3.  They made adjustments at halftime and they outscored the Bengals 17-3 in the second half, including 10 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to prevail.  T.J. Yates hit Kevin Walter with a 6-yard TD pass with 2 seconds left in the game to give the Texans a huge win.  T.J. Yates completed 26 of 44 passes for 300 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 36 yards (7.2 ypc) in this game as he was outstanding.  Ben Tate led the way on the ground for the Texans yesterday with 67 yards rushing on 8 carries (8.4 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg).  Arian Foster pitched in with 41 yards rushing on 15 carries (2.7 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 33 yards (8.3 avg).  WR Owen Daniels led the way in the passing game for the Texans yesterday with 100 yards receiving on 7 grabs (14.3 avg).  WR Kevin Walter (6 rec, 76 yards, TD) and TE Joel Dreessen (3 rec, 22 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Texans in the passing game.  The Texans finished up with 144 yards rushing on 28 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 44 passes (59.1%) for 268 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:44.

The Texans played solid again defensively yesterday, as usual.  Safety Danieal Manning (11 tackles) and LB Demeco Ryans (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Texans in this game.  DE Connor Barwin (5 tackles, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and OLB Brooks Reed (3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery) also pitched in for the Texans yesterday.  The Bengals finished up with 101 yards rushing on 29 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 28 passes (57.1%) for 184 yards.  The Texans are now 10-3 on the season as they clinched the AFC South Title yesterday.