Final - OT
Texans top Redskins 30-27 in OT to move to 2-0
Sep 20, 2010 - 1:30 AM By JOSEPH WHITE AP Sports WriterLANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- Their quarterback threw for 497 yards. They overcame a 17-point third-quarter deficit. They've beaten Peyton Manning and Donovan McNabb back-to-back. They even won an overtime game for the first time.
Needless to say, these are not your older brother's Houston Texans.
Houston won a wild one Sunday, a game that produced nearly 1,000 yards of offense and wasn't done until Neil Rackers kicked a 35-yard field goal with 3:24 left in the extra period. The Texans knocked off the Washington Redskins 30-27 to move to 2-0 for the second time in the franchise's nine-year history, giving promise that this might be the year they finally make the playoffs.
"My thought coming into this week was that I knew that a lot of people was going to be questioning us, asking if we were for real," said Andre Johnson, who had 158 yards receiving and tied a career high with 12 catches despite leaving the game for part of the second half with a sprained right ankle. "I think we showed a little something today."
A week after Arian Foster rushed for a franchise-record 231 yards in an upset over the nemesis Indianapolis Colts, the Texans went back to the air. Matt Schaub completed 38 of 52 passes for 497 yards - yep, another franchise record - with three touchdowns with one interception despite getting sacked five times.
Kevin Walter caught 11 passes for 144 yards. Foster had 69 yards on 19 carries and caught three passes for 69 yards. Mario Williams was the defensive star in a game without much defense, sacking McNabb three times.
Two of Schaub's completions stand out above the others. A fourth-and-10 heave turned into a touchdown when Johnson outjumped safety Reed Doughty in the end zone to snag a 34-yard touchdown pass that tied the game at 27 with 2:03 to play to regulation, Johnson's 601st career catch.
A similar throw led to Joel Dreessen's leaping, turnaround grab in overtime, a 28-yard pass to move the ball to the Washington 18 to set up Rackers' kick, giving the Texans their first overtime win in seven tries since entering the league in 2002.
"I'm just trying to give guys a chance to make a play," Schaub said. "The one to Andre was fourth down. He had two guys on him. I don't even know how he caught it. ... We got behind in a tough environment and we battled, and it just shows the resolve this team has."
McNabb was also cranking it out, hitting 28 of 38 passes for 426 yards with one touchdown for the Redskins, who are 1-1 under new coach Mike Shanahan. It was the first time both quarterbacks threw for more than 400 yards in an NFL game since Drew Bledsoe and Dan Marino put on a show when New England played Miami in September 1994, according to STATS.
"That type of game is always tough to lose," Shanahan said. "You have your opportunities to put the game away, and you don't take advantage of it."
The overtime was just as crazy as the rest of the game. The Texans won the coin toss to get the ball and moved to the Washington 34, but coach Gary Kubiak opted to punt rather than try a 52-yard field goal because he didn't think the breeze was favorable. The punt went for a touchback, giving Washington the ball at its own 20.
The Redskins then drove to the Houston 34 - the same yard line as the Texans - and Shanahan opted to try the field goal. Graham Gano made the first attempt, but it didn't count because Kubiak called timeout just before the snap. Gano's second try was wide right, putting the ball back in Schaub's hands for the winning drive.
"I felt real good about the first one. I hit it real well. I maybe got a little more relaxed on the second one," Gano said. "I thought I was going to make it. Maybe next time I just won't relax as much."
Another key play came when the Redskins had a chance to take a 30-20 lead with 6:36 to play in regulation. Gano was set to kick a chip shot 29-yarder, but Bernard Pollard blocked it to keep the Texans within one score.
There were other oddities. Two of McNabb's completions in the second quarter went for 62 yards apiece, but neither scored a touchdown. He threw for 101 yards in one drive, a statistical anomaly made possible by a sack and a penalty. Clinton Portis had two 1-yard touchdown runs, but the Redskins rushed for only 18 yards overall.
"I told the team there probably wasn't a guy on our team that didn't have a bonehead play," Kubiak said. "But there probably wasn't a guy on our team that didn't make a great play in the game."
Notes: Johnson will have an MRI on his ankle on Monday. ... Washington LT Trent Williams injured his left knee and a toe and will also have an MRI. ... Houston has won six overall, the longest winning streak in franchise history, and Kubiak's career record is now 33-33. ... Mario Williams said he was motivated by taunts during the game from Redskins fans, who made references to the mushrooms in the Super Mario Brothers video game. "'You need a mushroom' and all that," Williams said. "They got their mushroom. They definitely got it."
- NFL
FINAL IN 1ST OT 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH OT TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -- -----
HOUSTON 0 7 10 10 3 30
WASHINGTON 6 14 7 0 0 27 FINAL IN 1ST OT
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: WAS - FG, GRAHAM GANO 41 YD, 5:23.
WASHINGTON 3-0
WAS - FG, GRAHAM GANO 27 YD, 9:12.
WASHINGTON 6-0
2ND QUARTER: HST - TD, JACOBY JONES 5 YD PASS FROM
M
Sep 19 7:38 PM - NFL
FG HST
NEIL RACKERS 35 YD
HOUSTON 30
WASHINGTON 27 IN 1ST OT POSSESSION
Texans 30, Commanders 27 End of Reg.Sep 19 7:38 PM - NFL
HOUSTON 27
WASHINGTON 27 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Sep 19 7:10 PM - 170
roots
TD HST ANDRE JOHNSON 34 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 27, Commanders 27 4th - 2:03Sep 19 6:54 PM
TD HST ANDRE JOHNSON 34 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 27, Commanders 27 4th - 2:03Sep 19 6:54 PM
TD HST ANDRE JOHNSON 34 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 27, Commanders 27 4th - 2:03Sep 19 6:54 PM
TD HST ANDRE JOHNSON 34 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 27, Commanders 27 4th - 2:03Sep 19 6:53 PM
TD HST ANDRE JOHNSON 34 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 27, Commanders 27 4th - 2:03Sep 19 6:53 PM
TD HST ANDRE JOHNSON 34 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 27, Commanders 27 4th - 2:03Sep 19 6:53 PM- NFL
FG HST
NEIL RACKERS 43 YD
HOUSTON 20
WASHINGTON 27 11:15 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Texans 20, Commanders 27 4th - 11:15Sep 19 6:25 PM
TD HST KEVIN WALTER 6 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 17, Commanders 27 End of 3rdSep 19 6:15 PM
TD HST KEVIN WALTER 6 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 17, Commanders 27 End of 3rdSep 19 6:15 PM
TD HST KEVIN WALTER 6 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 17, Commanders 27 End of 3rdSep 19 6:15 PM
TD HST KEVIN WALTER 6 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 17, Commanders 27 End of 3rdSep 19 6:15 PM
TD HST KEVIN WALTER 6 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 17, Commanders 27 End of 3rdSep 19 6:15 PM
TD HST KEVIN WALTER 6 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 17, Commanders 27 End of 3rdSep 19 6:15 PM
TD WAS CHRIS COOLEY 22 YD PASS FROM DONOVAN MCNABB (GRAHAM GANO KICK)
Texans 10, Commanders 27 3rd - 3:51Sep 19 6:05 PM
TD WAS CHRIS COOLEY 22 YD PASS FROM DONOVAN MCNABB (GRAHAM GANO KICK)
Texans 10, Commanders 27 3rd - 3:51Sep 19 6:05 PM
TD WAS CHRIS COOLEY 22 YD PASS FROM DONOVAN MCNABB (GRAHAM GANO KICK)
Texans 10, Commanders 27 3rd - 3:51Sep 19 6:05 PM
TD WAS CHRIS COOLEY 22 YD PASS FROM DONOVAN MCNABB (GRAHAM GANO KICK)
Texans 10, Commanders 27 3rd - 3:51Sep 19 6:02 PM
TD WAS CHRIS COOLEY 22 YD PASS FROM DONOVAN MCNABB (GRAHAM GANO KICK)
Texans 10, Commanders 27 3rd - 3:51Sep 19 6:02 PM
TD WAS CHRIS COOLEY 22 YD PASS FROM DONOVAN MCNABB (GRAHAM GANO KICK)
Texans 10, Commanders 27 3rd - 3:51Sep 19 6:02 PM- NFL
FG HST
NEIL RACKERS 47 YD
HOUSTON 10
WASHINGTON 20 9:22 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Texans 10, Commanders 20 3rd - 9:27Sep 19 5:49 PM - NFL
HOUSTON 7
WASHINGTON 20 0:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Sep 19 5:29 PM
TD HST JACOBY JONES 5 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 7, Commanders 6 2nd - 14:56Sep 19 4:49 PM
TD HST JACOBY JONES 5 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 7, Commanders 6 2nd - 14:56Sep 19 4:49 PM
TD HST JACOBY JONES 5 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 7, Commanders 6 2nd - 14:56Sep 19 4:49 PM
TD HST JACOBY JONES 5 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 7, Commanders 6 2nd - 14:56Sep 19 4:46 PM
TD HST JACOBY JONES 5 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 7, Commanders 6 2nd - 14:56Sep 19 4:46 PM
TD HST JACOBY JONES 5 YD PASS FROM MATT SCHAUB (NEIL RACKERS KICK)
Texans 7, Commanders 6 2nd - 14:56Sep 19 4:46 PM- NFL
HOUSTON 0
WASHINGTON 6 0:00 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Sep 19 4:43 PM - NFL
FG WAS
GRAHAM GANO 27 YD
HOUSTON 0
WASHINGTON 6 5:48 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Texans 0, Commanders 6 1st - 5:52Sep 19 4:32 PM - NFL
FG WAS
GRAHAM GANO 41 YD
HOUSTON 0
WASHINGTON 3 9:37 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Texans 0, Commanders 3 1st - 9:42Sep 19 4:21 PM
Related News
- Commanders Hire Dan Quinn as Head Coach Feb 1
- Commanders Reportedly Hire Former Warriors GM Bob Myers Jan 8
- Washington Commanders Vs. New York Jets - Studs and Duds Dec 26
- Why C.J. Stroud is Houston’s clear cut MVP Dec 26
- Daily Slop - 26 Dec 23: Everybody’s talking quarterbacks in Washington right now Dec 26
- Texans’ Derek Stingley Jr. can’t trash talk Dec 26
- All aTwitter: 26 December 2023 - Commanders currently hold the #3 overall pick in the 2024 draft (with two games left in the regular season) Dec 26
- NFL Monday Football: Merry Christmas Tripleheader Dec 25
- Monday Night Football Open Thread Dec 25
- Houston Texans open as favorites at home against Titans in Week 17 Dec 25
- Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Battle Red Blog Dec 25
- All aTwitter: 25 December 2023 - Sam Howell benched again; Brissett leads 5 TD drives in 30 mins of football over two weeks Dec 25