Ramblings from a McMaster Graduate

The perfect season continues after a brief scare from the home team. Houston (6-0) overcame a halftime deficit to down the Baltimore Ravens (3-2) by a final score of 35-10. Trailing 10-7 at the half, a combined effort by both the offense and the defense in the third and fourth quarters were enough to seal the victory.

Another solid effort was put up by the defense on the road in Baltimore. They intercepted Ravens QB Joe Flacco twice, one leading to the final touchdown scored in the waning seconds of the game. The pass rush was too much for Flacco to handle as he was sacked 8 times by the linemen and linebackers. Ray Rice was held in check by the defense with only 46-yards rushing on the afternoon.

In a strategic move that has been rare for the Texans this year, the offense relied on Matt Stafford to get the job done in the second half. Even though he ran for 3 touchdowns, Arian Foster was held to only 40 yards rushing. Stafford was able to throw for 243 yards and a touchdown to keep the offense on the field. His 79-yard pass to WR Dorin Dickerson put the game out of reach at 21-10.

Houston faced two injury scares during the win. Rookie standout Patrick Peterson broke his ribs in the second quarter and was forced to sit for the remainder of the game. WR Jacoby Jones also was hurt on a pass across the middle. Both are expected to play next week.

The Texans stay on the road in Week 7 for a divisional clash against Chris Johnson and the 3-2 Tennessee Titans. The Titans are third in the division and are looking to make up ground on the undefeated Texans.

The Houston Texans (5-0) once again defended their home field as they shut out the Oakland Raiders (2-3) 21-0. The defense stole the show in this game, holding Raiders QB Jason Campbell to just 21 yards passing and RB Darren McFadden to 54 yards rushing. The young linebackers for the Texans made a combined 15 tackles, 7 of those for negative yards. Safety Daniel Manning had himself a great game in the secondary, forcing a fumble and intercepting Campbell.

The Texans offense was good enough to get the job done. The defense constantly set up the team with a short field to work with, which contributed to the lower offensive numbers usually put up by this high-powered attack. Stafford threw for 214 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He was helped out on the ground by Arian Foster, who chipped in 58 yards and a touchdown. Fullback Lawrence Fisher added his first touchdown of the year on a short 1-yard plunge.

Next week, Houston travels to Baltimore in Week 6 to take on the Ravens in a battle for playoff position. It is also the last week before the trade deadline, so we’ll see if the new GM makes any moves before the week is over.

In an attempt to prove that last week’s domination on the road in New Orleans was no fluke, the Houston Texans welcomed the Pittsburgh Steelers into Reliant Stadium. The hosts were rude to their guest as the Texans (4-0) decimated the Steelers (2-2) with a big 45-7 win. The Texans were powered by big games from seemingly everyone in their offense as they took turns scoring touchdowns against an aging Steeler secondary.

Matt Stafford led the way for the Texans throwing for 280 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a season high passer rating of 149.3, connecting with 5 different Texans receivers during the game. The dynamic duo of A.J. Green and Andre Johnson combined for 208 yards and 3 touchdowns. Green also achieved his first 100 yard receiving game as a pro, finishing with 110 yards on 8 touches.

When the ball needed to be moved on the ground, Arian Foster was up to the task. After putting a fumble in the first quarter behind him, Foster finished the game with 111 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns. He sat for the final drive of the game. He also contributed in the passing attack as he caught 2 balls for first downs to sustain some key Texans drives.

The Steelers offense did not show up in Houston. Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger finished with 156 yards, with 85 coming on a play where WR Mike Wallace slipped behind the otherwise perfect Texan secondary. Big Ben’s 3 interceptions in the first half allowed Houston to build a 24-0 lead going into the break. He also fumbled twice.

Houston welcomes Darren McFadden and the Oakland Raiders into Reliant Stadium as they try to continue their 4 game win streak. The Raiders (2-2) are coming off a 23-9 home win against the New England Patriots. 

A couple of years ago on this blog, I did a dynasty/franchise/whatever you want to call it with the Los Angeles Kings. I’d chronicle the season month by month, including statistics, line changes, injuries, and other transactions. Seeing as I am taking a year off school, I have some extra time for those things again this year. A couple of people told me they enjoyed reading them, so I’m going to start those up again.

However, this year will be different. I’ll be doing a NFL dynasty along with an NHL one. For the NFL, I’ve already selected the Houston Texans, a team that has never made they playoffs in their existence. They have a solid division in terms of video game players, so I think it would be fun. Also, I’m already using the Bills and 49ers in my online franchises. Ergo, my teams are already off the table.

The problem I have is the NHL side. I don’t know which team to be. I haven’t done a GM Mode in NHL 12, so part of me wants to be my team, the Leafs. I just don’t always have the heart to make the necessary trades to make them better.

This is where you guys come in. I’ll be taking suggestions for which NHL team to be. Since there is a planned PSN outage tomorrow, I’ll be starting this thing on the morning of Friday November 18, 2011. So, what team should I be?