# 2010 Houston Texans season

The 2010 season was the Houston Texans' ninth season in the National Football League (NFL) and their fifth under head coach Gary Kubiak. They started the season with a 4–2 record going into a Week 7 bye week, but collapsed with two wins in the last 10 games in the second part of the season, finishing 6–10.
The Texans gave up 427 points to opponents (26.2 points per game), second-most in the AFC and fourth-most in the entire league. Football statistics site Football Outsiders states that the Texans' defense had allowed the highest percentage of plays with broken tackles in the league, allowing a broken tackle on 8.1% of defensive plays. FO also calculated that Houston had the #2 offense in the league per play (adjusted for strength of opponent), but the second-worst defense (also adjusted). In their final eight losses, the Texans allowed an average of just under 30.4 points per game.
Undrafted second year running back Arian Foster led the NFL in rushing in 2010 with 1,616 yards. Foster had rushed for 257 yards in six games the season before.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

* On January 6, Kyle Shanahan was hired as the new offensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins, shortly after his father, Mike Shanahan, was hired as the new head coach of the Redskins. One week later (January 13), the Texans hired former longtime Denver Broncos offensive assistant Rick Dennison as Kyle Shanahan's replacement.
* On January 12, assistant head coach/offensive line coach Alex Gibbs was hired to the same position with the Seattle Seahawks.

### NFL draft

2010 Houston Texans draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 20 | Kareem Jackson | Cornerback | Alabama |
| 2 | 58 | Ben Tate | Running back | Auburn |
| 3 | 81 | Earl Mitchell | Defensive tackle | Arizona |
| 4 | 102 | Darryl Sharpton | Linebacker | Miami (FL) |
| 4 | 118 | Garrett Graham | Tight end | Wisconsin |
| 5 | 144 | Sherrick McManis | Cornerback | Northwestern |
| 6 | 187 | Shelley Smith | Guard | Colorado State |
| 6 | 197 | Trindon Holliday | Wide receiver | LSU |
| 7 | 227 | Dorin Dickerson | Tight end | Pittsburgh |
| Made roster ||||||

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 14 | at Arizona Cardinals | L 16–19 | 0–1 | University of Phoenix Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 21 | at New Orleans Saints | L 20–38 | 0–2 | Louisiana Superdome | Recap |
| 3 | August 28 | Dallas Cowboys | W 23–7 | 1–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | September 2 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | L 17–24 | 1–3 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 12 | Indianapolis Colts | W 34–24 | 1–0 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 19 | at Washington Redskins | W 30–27 (OT) | 2–0 | FedExField | Recap |
| 3 | September 26 | Dallas Cowboys | L 13–27 | 2–1 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 3 | at Oakland Raiders | W 31–24 | 3–1 | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Recap |
| 5 | October 10 | New York Giants | L 10–34 | 3–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | W 35–31 | 4–2 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | November 1 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 17–30 | 4–3 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 7 | San Diego Chargers | L 23–29 | 4–4 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 14 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 24–31 | 4–5 | EverBank Field | Recap |
| 11 | November 21 | at New York Jets | L 27–30 | 4–6 | New Meadowlands Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 28 | Tennessee Titans | W 20–0 | 5–6 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 2 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 24–34 | 5–7 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
| 14 | December 13 | Baltimore Ravens | L 28–34 (OT) | 5–8 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 19 | at Tennessee Titans | L 17–31 | 5–9 | LP Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 26 | at Denver Broncos | L 23–24 | 5–10 | Invesco Field at Mile High | Recap |
| 17 | January 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 34–17 | 6–10 | Reliant Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Standings
#### Division

AFC South :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ Indianapolis Colts | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 445 | 388 | W4 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 351 | 419 | L3 |
| Houston Texans | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–3 | 4–8 | 390 | 427 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 356 | 339 | L2 |

#### Conference

AFC
viewtalkedit :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| Division winners ||||||||||||
| 1 | New England Patriots | East | 14 | 2 | 0 | .875 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .504 | .504 | W8 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .500 | .417 | W2 |
| 3 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .473 | .425 | W4 |
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .414 | .381 | L1 |
| Wild cards ||||||||||||
| 5 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .484 | .422 | W4 |
| 6 | New York Jets | East | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .492 | .409 | W1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason ||||||||||||
| 7 | San Diego Chargers | West | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .457 | .410 | W1 |
| 8 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .453 | .383 | L3 |
| 9 | Oakland Raiders | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 6–0 | 6–6 | .469 | .469 | W1 |
| 10 | Miami Dolphins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .539 | .438 | L3 |
| 11 | Houston Texans | South | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .523 | .500 | W1 |
| 12 | Tennessee Titans | South | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .508 | .500 | L2 |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns | North | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .570 | .475 | L4 |
| 14 | Denver Broncos | West | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .516 | .453 | L1 |
| 15 | Buffalo Bills | East | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .578 | .344 | L2 |
| 16 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .582 | .438 | L1 |
| Tiebreakers ||||||||||||
| 1 2 Pittsburgh clinched the AFC North title instead of Baltimore based on division record (5–1 to Baltimore's 4–2). 1 2 Indianapolis clinched the AFC No. 3 seed instead of Kansas City based on a head-to-head victory. 1 2 Jacksonville finished ahead of Oakland based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 Houston finished ahead of Tennessee in the AFC South based on division record (3–3 to Tennessee's 2–4). 1 2 3 Denver finished ahead of Buffalo and Cincinnati based on strength of victory. 1 2 Buffalo finished ahead of Cincinnati based on head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division. ||||||||||||

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Texans | 6 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 34 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: September 12
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 70,974
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 30-yard field goal, Texans 3–0, Drive: 9 plays, 19 yards, 3:40.
HOU – Neil Rackers 49-yard field goal, Texans 6–0, Drive: 4 plays, 53 yards, 1:19.
Second quarter
HOU – Kevin Walter 22-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 13–0, Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 3:44.
IND – Reggie Wayne 14-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Adam Vinatieri kick), Texans 13–7, Drive: 7 plays, 35 yards, 2:53.
IND – Adam Vinatieri 20-yard field goal, Texans 13–10, Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 3:35.
Third quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 1-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 20–10, Drive: 15 plays, 66 yards, 7:57.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 25-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 27–10, Drive: 4 plays, 91 yards, 1:57.
IND – Dallas Clark 10-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Adam Vinatieri kick), Texans 27–17, Drive: 12 plays, 75 yards, 3:49.
HOU – Arian Foster 8-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 34–17, Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 2:56.
IND – Austin Collie 73-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Adam Vinatieri kick), Texans 34–24, Drive: 2 plays, 77 yards, 0:41.
Top passers
IND – Peyton Manning – 40/57, 433 yards, 3 TD
HOU – Matt Schaub – 9/17, 107 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
IND – Joseph Addai – 10 rushes, 44 yards
HOU – Arian Foster – 33 rushes, 231 yards, 3 TD
Top receivers
IND – Austin Collie – 11 rushes, 163 yards, TD
HOU – Andre Johnson – 3 receptions, 33 yards
Top tacklers
IND – Antoine Bethea – 8 tackles, 5 assists
HOU – Zac Diles – 9 tackles, 3 assists :
Starting lineups: HOUSTON – OFFENSE: QB Matt Schaub, LT Duane Brown, LG Wade Smith, C Chris Myers, RT Antoine Caldwell, RG Eric Winston, WR Andre Johnson, RB Arian Foster, FB Vonta Leach, TE Owen Daniels, WR Kevin Walter.
The Texans began their season with a home game against the Indianapolis Colts, a division rival in which they had only beaten once ever. However, Houston got off to an early 13–0 lead after 30 and 49-yard field goals from Neil Rackers (who had recently replaced Kris Brown as the team's kicker) and a 22-yard touchdown pass from Matt Schaub, leading passer in the league a year ago, to Kevin Walter. As expected, the Colts wouldn't go down without a fight as Indy scored ten unanswered points to close out the half on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne and a 20-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri. With the momentum seemingly shifting to Indianapolis, Houston took nearly eight minutes off the third-quarter clock with a 15-play drive (13 rushes) out of the locker room, as Arian Foster scored from a yard out, his first of three touchdowns on the day. Going into the fourth with Houston leading 20–10, the Texans continued to run, and the Colts continued to pass, as Peyton Manning attempted 57 passes that day, completing 40, a career-high. However, it wouldn't be enough; even though the Colts scored two touchdowns on a 10-yard pass to Dallas Clark and a 73-yard pass to Austin Collie, the Texans would score two of their own: 25 and 8-yard runs from Arian Foster en route to a 34–24 Houston win at Reliant Stadium. Arian Foster finished with 231 rushing yards on 33 carries. Both were Houston records for a game, and the 231 yards was the second most rushing yards on opening week, only behind O. J. Simpson. Peyton Manning eventually went 40/57 for 433 yards and three touchdowns. Houston began the season 1–0 and won for only the second time against Indianapolis, against fifteen losses. The Colts, after going 0–4 in the 2010 preseason, lost their fifth game overall to start the 2010 year.

#### Week 2: at Washington Redskins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
| Redskins | 6 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 27 |
at FedExField, Landover, Maryland
* Date: September 19
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 85 °F (29 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 88,240
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
WAS – Graham Gano 41-yard field goal, Redskins 3–0, Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 5:23.
WAS – Graham Gano 27-yard field goal, Redskins 6–0, Drive: 5 plays, 33 yards, 2:11.
Second quarter
HOU – Jacoby Jones 5-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 7–6, Drive: 11 plays, 77 yards, 5:52.
WAS – Clinton Portis 1-yard run (Graham Gano kick), Redskins 13–7, Drive: 5 plays, 73 yards, 2:27.
WAS – Clinton Portis 1-yard run (Graham Gano kick), Redskins 20–7, Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 0:59.
Third quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 47-yard field goal, Redskins 20–10, Drive: 11 plays, 56 yards, 5:38.
WAS – Chris Cooley 22-yard pass from Donovan McNabb (Graham Gano kick), Redskins 27–10, Drive: 9 plays, 92 yards, 5:31.
HOU – Kevin Walter 6-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Redskins 27–17, Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 3:51.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 43-yard field goal, Redskins 27–20, Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:05.
HOU – Andre Johnson 34-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Tied 27–27, Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 1:13.
Overtime
HOU – Neil Rackers 35-yard field goal, Texans 30–27, Drive: 7 plays, 41 yards, 3:48.
Top passers
HOU – Matt Schaub – 38/52, 497 yards, 3 TD, INT
WAS – Donovan McNabb – 28/38, 426 yards, TD
Top rushers
HOU – Arian Foster – 19 rushes, 69 yards
WAS – Clinton Portis – 13 rushes, 33 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
HOU – Andre Johnson – 12 receptions, 158 yards, TD
WAS – Santana Moss – 10 receptions, 89 yards
Top tacklers
HOU – Zac Diles, Glover Quin – 5 tackles, 3 assists
WAS – Reed Doughty – 10 tackles, 4 assists :
Hoping to maintain their winning streak the Texans flew to FedExField for an Interconference duel with the Redskins. In the first quarter The Texans trailed early as kicker Graham Gano got a 41 and a 27-yard field goal. In the second quarter the Texans replied and took the lead with QB Matt Schaub completing a 5-yard TD pass to WR Jacoby Jones, but fell behind again when RB Clinton Portis got two 1-yard TD runs to put the Redskins up 20–7. The Texans tried to cut the lead in the third quarter as kicker Neil Rackers nailed a 47-yard field goal, but the Redskins increased their lead with QB Donovan McNabb completing a 22-yard TD pass to TE Chris Cooley. The Texans then went on a scoring rally to successfully cut the lead when QB Matt Schaub made a 6-yard TD pass to WR Kevin Walter, followed in the 4th quarter by Rackers making a 43-yard field goal. Then Schaub threw a 34-yard TD pass to WR Andre Johnson. The Texans pulled out the overtime victory, their first in franchise history, when Rackers booted a 35-yard field goal to win the game for the Texans by the score of 30–27.
With the win, Houston improved to 2–0.

#### Week 3: vs. Dallas Cowboys

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cowboys | 0 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: September 26
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,456
* Referee: Carl Cheffers
* TV announcers (FOX): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 24-yard field goal, Texans 3–0, Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 6:19.
DAL – Marion Barber 1-yard run (David Buehler kick), Cowboys 7–3, Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 7:30.
DAL – David Buehler 49-yard field goal, Cowboys 10–3, Drive: 7 plays, 32 yards, 1:40.
Third quarter
DAL – Roy E. Williams 15-yard pass from Tony Romo (David Buehler kick), Cowboys 17–3, Drive: 7 plays, 90 yards, 4:02.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 30-yard field goal, Cowboys 17–6, Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:31.
DAL – Roy E. Williams 63-yard pass from Tony Romo (David Buehler kick), Cowboys 24–6, Drive: 4 plays, 74 yards, 2:10.
DAL – David Buehler 40-yard field goal, Cowboys 27–6, Drive: 10 plays, 29 yards, 5:28.
HOU – Kevin Walter 7-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Cowboys 27–13, Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 2:21.
Top passers
DAL – Tony Romo – 23/30, 284 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Matt Schaub – 23/32, 241 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
DAL – Marion Barber – 17 rushes, 55 yards, TD
HOU – Arian Foster – 17 rushes, 106 yards
Top receivers
DAL – Roy E. Williams – 5 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Andre Johnson – 4 receptions, 64 yards
Top tacklers
DAL – Terence Newman, Gerald Sensabaugh – 7 tackles
HOU – Bernard Pollard – 6 tackles, 9 assists :
Hoping to increase their winning streak the Texans played on home ground for an Inter-conference duel with the Cowboys. Houston took the early lead in the 1st quarter when kicker Neil Rackers hit a 24-yard field goal. Then they fell behind with RB Marion Barber getting a 1-yard TD run, followed by kicker David Buehler's 49-yard field goal. The Texans struggled further in the third quarter when QB Tony Romo completed a 15-yard TD pass to WR Roy E. Williams. Houston replied with Rackers nailing a 30-yard field goal, but Dallas continued to score when Romo found Williams again on a 63-yard TD pass. Then David Buehler made a 40-yard field goal. The Texans would finally score when QB Matt Schaub made a 7-yard TD pass to WR Kevin Walter.
With the loss, the Texans fell to 2–1.

#### Week 4: at Oakland Raiders

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 14 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| Raiders | 7 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 24 |
at Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, California
* Date: October 3
* Game time: 3:05 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C) (Partly Cloudy)
* Game attendance: 32,218
* Referee: Scott Green
* TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Derrick Ward 33-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 7–0, Drive: 6 plays, 90 yards, 2:48.
OAK – Michael Bush 2-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:52.
HOU – Joel Dreessen 11-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 14–7, Drive: 5 plays, 37 yards, 1:46.
Second quarter
OAK – Marcel Reece 13-yard pass from Bruce Gradkowski (Sebastian Janikowski kick), Tied 14–14, Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:47.
Third quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 74-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 21–14, Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:44.
HOU – Neil Rackers 35-yard field goal, Texans 24–14, Drive: 13 plays, 73 yards, 7:40.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 10-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 31–14, Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 2:20.
OAK – Zach Miller 10-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 31–21, Drive: 9 plays, 87 yards, 3:58.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 39-yard field goal, Texans 31–24, Drive: 10 plays, 61 yards, 3:43.
Top passers
HOU – Matt Schaub – 16/29, 192 yards, 2 TD
OAK – Bruce Gradkowski – 24/39, 278 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
HOU – Arian Foster – 17 rushes, 133 yards, TD
OAK – Darren McFadden – 12 rushes, 47 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Joel Dreessen – 5 receptions, 73 yards, TD
OAK – Zach Miller – 11 receptions, 122 yards, TD
Top tacklers
HOU – Bernard Pollard – 8 tackles, 3 assists
OAK – Michael Huff – 7 tackles, 1 assist :
Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Cowboys the Texans flew to Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum for an AFC duel with the Raiders. The Texans took the early lead in the 1st quarter as RB Derrick Ward got a 33-yard TD run. The Raiders replied with RB Michael Bush making a 2-yard TD run. The Texans got the lead back when QB Matt Schaub completed an 11-yard TD pass to TE Joel Dreessen. The Raiders responded in the 2nd quarter with QB Bruce Gradkowski getting a 13-yard TD pass to FB Marcel Reece. In the 3rd quarter the Texans started to rally with RB Arian Foster making a 74-yard TD run, followed by kicker Neil Rackers getting a 35-yard field goal, then in the 4th quarter Schaub threw a 10-yard TD pass to RB Arian Foster. The lead was cut with Gradkowski found TE Zach Miller on a 14-yard TD pass, and kicker Sebastian Janikowski nailing a 39-yard field goal.
With the win, the Texans improved to 3–1.

#### Week 5: vs. New York Giants

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Giants | 14 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 34 |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 10
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,110
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston and Tony Siragusa
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
NYG – Hakeem Nicks 6-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), Giants 7–0, Drive: 8 plays, 85 yards, 4:32.
NYG – Brandon Jacobs 1-yard run (Lawrence Tynes kick), Giants 14–0, Drive: 4 plays, 40 yards, 1:59.
Second quarter
NYG – Haleem Nicks 12-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), Giants 21–0, Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 2:58.
HOU – Neil Rackers 38-yard field goal, Giants 21–3, Drive: 10 plays, 35 yards, 4:09.
NYG – Lawrence Tynes 45-yard field goal, Giants 24–3, Drive: 12 plays, 70 yards, 4:09.
Third quarter
HOU – Derrick Ward 1-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Giants 24–10, Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards, 0:32.
NYG – Lawrence Tynes 42-yard field goal, Giants 27–10, Drive: 11 plays, 47 yards, 5:38.
Fourth quarter
NYG – Steve Smith 4-yard pass from Eli Manning (Lawrence Tynes kick), Giants 34–10, Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 5:12.
Top passers
NYG – Eli Manning – 27/42, 297 yards, 3 TD, 2 INT
HOU – Matt Schaub – 16/34, 196 yards, INT
Top rushers
NYG – Ahmad Bradshaw – 16 rushes, 67 yards
HOU – Arian Foster – 11 rushes, 25 yards
Top receivers
NYG – Hakeem Nicks – 12 receptions, 130 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Andre Johnson – 5 receptions, 95 yards
Top tacklers
NYG – Antrel Rolle, Terrel Thomas – 5 tackles, 1 assist
HOU – DeMeco Ryans – 8 tackles, 3 assists :
Coming off their win over the Raiders the Texans played on home ground for an Interconference duel with the Giants. In the first quarter the Texans trailed early when QB Eli Manning made a 6-yard TD pass to WR Hakeem Nicks. Then RB Brandon Jacobs got a 1-yard TD run. This was followed in the 2nd quarter by Manning finding Hicks again on a 12-yard TD pass. The Texans tried to cut the lead when kicker Neil Rackers hit a 38-yard field goal, which was responded by Lawrence Tynes' 45-yard field goal. The Texans' offense managed to break through in the third quarter when RB Derrick Ward got a 1-yard TD run, but was closed off after Tynes made a 42-yard field goal; followed by Manning completing a 4-yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith.
With the loss, Houston fell to 3–2.

#### Week 6: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 21 | 35 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 17
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) (Partly Cloudy)
* Game attendance: 70,926
* Referee: Ron Winter
* TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
KC – Mike Vrabel 2-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Ryan Succop kick), Chiefs 7–0, Drive: 15 plays, 74 yards, 8:37.
Second quarter
HOU – Joel Dreessen 5-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 4:37.
KC – Dwayne Bowe 17-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Ryan Succop kick), Chiefs 14–7, Drive: 7 plays, 63 yards, 2:00.
Third quarter
KC – Dwayne Bowe 42-yard pass from Matt Cassel (Ryan Succop kick), Chiefs 21–7, Drive: 9 plays, 77 yards, 4:53.
HOU – Derrick Ward 38-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Chiefs 21–14, Drive: 3 plays, 66 yards, 1:17.
KC – Ryan Succop 24-yard field goal, Chiefs 24–14, Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:04.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 2-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Chiefs 24–21, Drive: 11 plays, 46 yards, 5:52.
KC – Thomas Jones 11-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), Chiefs 31–21, Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 5:01.
HOU – Arian Foster 1-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Chiefs 31–28, Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 3:35.
HOU – Andre Johnson 11-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 35–31, Drive: 9 plays, 80 yards, 1:54.
Top passers
KC – Matt Cassel – 20/29, 201 yards, 3 TD
HOU – Matt Schaub – 25/33, 305 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
KC – Thomas Jones – 19 rushes, 100 yards, TD
HOU – Arian Foster – 18 rushes, 71 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
KC – Dwayne Bowe – 6 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Andre Johnson – 8 receptions, 138 yards, TD
Top tacklers
KC – Derrick Johnson – 6 tackles, 3 assists
HOU – Eugene Wilson – 7 tackles, 3 assists :
Hoping to rebound from their loss to the Giants the Texans played on home ground for an AFC duel against the Chiefs. In the first quarter the Chiefs took the early lead with QB Matt Cassel getting a 2-yard TD pass to OLB Mike Vrabel. The Texans responded and tied the game with QB Matt Schaub making a 5-yard TD pass to TE Joel Dreessen. The Chiefs rallied with Cassel making a 17 and then a 42-yard TD pass to WR Dwayne Bowe in the 3rd quarter. The Texans replied with RB Derrick Ward getting a 38-yard TD run. Then kicker Ryan Succop made a 24-yard field goal to put the Chiefs up 24–14. In the fourth quarter the Texans closed the gap with RB Arian Foster making a 2-yard TD run, but the Chiefs tried to pull away with RB Thomas Jones getting an 11-yard TD run. However, the Texans replied and eventually snatched the win with Foster making a 1-yard TD run, and then with Schaub finding WR Andre Johnson on an 11-yard TD pass.
With the win, Houston went into their bye week at 4–2.

#### Week 8: at Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Colts | 7 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 30 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: November 1
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 66,363
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden, Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
IND – Jacob Tamme 2-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Adam Vinatieri kick), Colts 7–0, Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 4:04.
Second quarter
IND – Kelvin Hayden 25-yard interception return (Adam Vinatieri kick), Colts 14–0.
HOU – Neil Rackers 53-yard field goal, Colts 14–3, Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 2:44.
IND – Adam Vinatieri 48-yard field goal, Colts 17–3, Drive: 13 plays, 36 yards, 4:59.
Third quarter
IND – Reggie Wayne 15-yard pass from Peyton Manning (Adam Vinatieri kick), Colts 24–3, Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 3:30.
HOU – Andre Johnson 28-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Colts 24–10, Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 3:50.
IND – Adam Vinatieri 23-yard field goal, Colts 27–10, Drive: 12 plays, 64 yards, 6:22.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 6-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Colts 27–17, Drive: 10 plays, 86 yards, 3:56.
IND – Adam Vinatieri 36-yard field goal, Colts 30–17, Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 4:59.
Top passers
HOU – Matt Schaub – 22/38, 201 yards, TD, INT
IND – Peyton Manning – 26/45, 268 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
HOU – Arian Foster – 15 rushes, 102 yards, 1 TD
IND – Mike Hart – 12 rushes, 84 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Andre Johnson – 7 receptions, 106 yards, TD
IND – Pierre Garçon – 7 receptions, 78 yards
Top tacklers
HOU – Zac Diles – 10 tackles, 1 assist
IND – Clint Session – 8 tackles, 1 sack :
Starting lineups: HOUSTON – DEFENSE: DE Antonio Smith, DT Shaun Cody, DT Amobi Okoye, DE Mario Williams, LB Brian Cushing, LB Kevin Bentley, LB Darryl Sharpton, CB Glover Quinn, CB Kareem Jackson, SS Bernard Pollard, FS Eugene Wilson.
Coming off their bye week the Texans played at Lucas Oil Stadium for an AFC South division rivalry match against the Indianapolis Colts. In the first quarter the Texans trailed early as QB Peyton Manning completed a 2-yard TD pass to TE Jacob Tamme. The Texans struggled further in the 2nd quarter when Matt Schaub's pass was intercepted by CB Kelvin Hayden and returned 25 yards for a touchdown. They soon responded with kicker Neil Rackers nailing a 53-yard field goal. The Texans fell further behind with kicker Adam Vinatieri getting a 48-yard field goal. This was followed in the third quarter by Manning throwing a 15-yard TD pass to WR Reggie Wayne. The Texans' offense broke through with Schaub connecting to WR Andre Johnson on a 28-yard TD pass. The Colts replied with Vinatieri hitting a 23-yard field goal. The Texans tried to fight back but only came away with a touchdown after RB Arian Foster got a 6-yard TD run. The Colts closed the game with Vinatieri making a 36-yard field goal.
With the loss, Houston fell to 4–3.

#### Week 9: vs. San Diego Chargers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chargers | 14 | 0 | 7 | 8 | 29 |
| Texans | 10 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 23 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 7
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 70,886
* Referee: Mike Carey
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 8-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 7–0, Drive: 1 plays, 8 yards, 0:04.
SD – Seyi Ajirotutu 55-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Kris Brown kick), Tied 7–7, Drive: 6 plays, 78 yards, 3:38.
HOU – Neil Rackers 27-yard field goal, Texans 10–7, Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 4:41.
SD – Randy McMichael 11-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Kris Brown kick), Chargers 14–10, Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:39.
Second quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 2-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 17–14, Drive: 8 plays, 44 yards, 3:49.
HOU – Neil Rackers 21-yard field goal, Texans 20–14, Drive: 12 plays, 87 yards, 6:16.
Third quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 25-yard field goal, Texans 23–14, Drive: 11 plays, 66 yards, 6:05.
SD – Randy McMichael 12-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Kris Brown kick), Texans 23–21, Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:07.
Fourth quarter
SD – Seyi Ajirotutu 28-yard pass from Philip Rivers (Mike Tolbert run), Chargers 29–23, Drive: 7 plays, 65 yards, 4:14.
Top passers
SD – Philip Rivers – 17/23, 295 yards, 4 TD, INT
HOU – Matt Schaub – 21/32, 267 yards, INT
Top rushers
SD – Ryan Mathews – 9 rushes, 42 yards
HOU – Arian Foster – 27 rushes, 127 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
SD – Seyi Ajirotutu – 4 receptions, 111 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Arian Foster – 4 receptions, 70 yards
Top tacklers
SD – Antoine Cason, Eric Weddle – 7 tackles, 1 assist
HOU – Bernard Pollard – 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble :
Starting lineups: HOUSTON – OFFENSE: QB Matt Schaub, LT Duane Brown, LG Wade Smith, C Chris Myers, RG Mike Brisiel, RT Eric Winston, WR Andre Johnson, RB Arian Foster, FB Vonta Leach, TE Joel Dreessen, WR Kevin Walter. HOUSTON – DEFENSE: LDE Antonio Smith, DT Shaun Cody, DT Amobi Okoye, RDE Mario Williams, SLB Kevin Bentley, MLB Brian Cushing, WLB Zac Diles, CB Glover Quinn, CB Kareem Jackson, SS Bernard Pollard, FS Eugene Wilson.
The Texans' eighth game was an AFC duel with the Chargers. In the first quarter the Texans took the early lead as RB Arian Foster got an 8-yard TD run. The Chargers replied with QB Philip Rivers making a 55-yard TD pass to WR Seyi Ajirotutu. The Texans led again with kicker Neil Rackers nailing a 27-yard field goal, but fell behind after Rivers got an 11-yard TD pass to TE Randy McMichael. They took the lead in the second quarter as Foster made a 2-yard TD run, followed by Rackers hitting a 21 and a 25-yard field goal. The Texans lost the lead with Rivers finding McMichael again on a 12-yard TD pass. This was followed in the 4th quarter by Rivers' 28-yard TD pass to Ajirotutu (With a successful 2-point conversion as FB Mike Tolbert ran to the endzone).
With the loss, Houston fell to 4–4.

#### Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 3 | 0 | 14 | 7 | 24 |
| Jaguars | 3 | 14 | 0 | 14 | 31 |
at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: November 14
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 62,340
* Referee: Gene Steratore
* TV announcers (CBS): Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
JAC – Josh Scobee 38-yard field goal, Jaguars 3–0, Drive: 12 plays, 52 yards, 6:01.
HOU – Neil Rackers 24-yard field goal, Tied 3–3, Drive: 10 plays, 69 yards, 4:28.
Second quarter
JAC – Maurice Jones-Drew 3-yard run (Josh Scobee kick), Jaguars 10–3, Drive: 9 plays, 52 yards, 5:01.
JAC – Maurice Jones-Drew 9-yard run (Josh Scobee kick), Jaguars 17–3, Drive: 6 plays, 55 yards, 1:13.
Third quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 1-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Jaguars 17–10, Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 3:41.
HOU – Andre Johnson 9-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Tied 17–17, Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:30.
Fourth quarter
JAC – Zach Miller 52-yard pass from David Garrard (Josh Scobee kick), Jaguars 24–17, Drive: 10 plays, 87 yards, 5:53.
HOU – Kevin Walter 18-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Tied 24–24, Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:38.
JAC – Mike Thomas 50-yard pass from David Garrard (Josh Scobee kick), Jaguars 31–24, Drive: 2 plays, 66 yards, 0:08.
Top passers
HOU – Matt Schaub – 22/32, 314 yards, 2 touchdowns
JAC – David Garrard – 24/31, 342 yards, 2 touchdowns
Top rushers
HOU – Arian Foster – 15 rushes, 56 yards, 1 touchdown
JAC – Maurice Jones-Drew – 24 rushes, 100 yards, 2 touchdowns
Top receivers
HOU – Andre Johnson – 9 receptions, 146 yards, 1 touchdown
JAC – Mike Thomas – 8 receptions, 149 yards, 1 touchdown
Top tacklers
HOU – Glover Quin – 13 tackles
JAC – Courtney Greene – 7 tackles :
The Texans' ninth match was an AFC South rivalry match against the Jaguars at EverBank Field. In the first quarter the Texans trailed early as kicker Josh Scobee hit a 38-yard field goal. They replied after kicker Neil Rackers made a 24-yard field goal. They trailed again in the 2nd quarter with RB Maurice Jones-Drew getting a 3 and a 9-yard TD run. However, the lead didn't last long after RB Arian Foster got a 1-yard TD run, and QB Matt Schaub threw a 9-yard TD pass to WR Andre Johnson. The Jaguars stayed in the lead when QB David Garrard completed a 52-yard TD pass to TE Zach Miller, but the Texans replied again with Schaub finding WR Kevin Walter on an 18-yard TD pass. Suddenly, the Texans' defense broke through with only a few seconds remaining after Garrard made a 50-yard TD pass to WR Mike Thomas. The ball was batted into his hands by Texans Defensive back Glover Quin, who made an attempt to bat the ball to the ground.
With the loss, the Texans fell to 4–5.

#### Week 11: at New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 20 | 27 |
| Jets | 3 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 30 |
at New Meadowlands Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: November 21
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 78,843
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel & Dan Dierdorf
* http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2010112101/2010/REG11/texans@jets
Game information :
First quarter
NYJ – Nick Folk 37-yard field goal, Jets 3–0, Drive: 6 plays, 10 yards, 1:47.
Second quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 2-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 7–3, Drive: 11 plays, 67 yards, 5:35.
NYJ – Braylon Edwards 4-yard pass from Mark Sanchez (Nick Folk kick), Jets 10–7, Drive: 10 plays, 78 yards, 4:59.
NYJ – Nick Folk 33-yard field goal, Jets 13–7, Drive: 8 plays, 33 yards, 3:15.
Third quarter
NYJ – Santonio Holmes 41-yard pass from Mark Sanchez (Nick Folk kick), Jets 20–7, Drive: 9 plays, 92 yards, 4:06.
Fourth quarter
NYJ – Nick Folk 30-yard field goal, Jets 23–7, Drive: 4 plays, 10 yards, 1:28.
HOU – Neil Rackers 38-yard field goal, Jets 23–10, Drive: 7 plays, 59 yards, 2:30.
HOU – Joel Dreessen 43-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Jets 23–17, Drive: 1 plays, 43 yards, 0:09.
HOU – Arian Foster 1-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 24–23, Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 3:51.
HOU – Neil Rackers 22-yard field goal, Texans 27–23, Drive: 4 plays, 6 yards, 0:57.
NYJ – Santonio Holmes 6-yard pass from Mark Sanchez (Nick Folk kick), Jets 30–27, Drive: 5 plays, 72 yards, 0:45.
Top passers
HOU – Matt Schaub – 19/33, 254 yards, 1 touchdown
NYJ – Mark Sanchez – 22/38, 315 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
Top rushers
HOU – Arian Foster – 22 rushes, 84 yards, 2 touchdowns
NYJ – Shonn Greene – 15 rushes, 42 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Joel Dreessen – 4 receptions, 106 yards, 1 touchdown
NYJ – Santonio Holmes – 7 receptions, 126 yards, 2 touchdowns
Top tacklers
HOU – Kevin Bentley – 6 tackles, 2 assisted, 1 interception
NYJ – Brodney Pool – 7 tackles :
Starting lineups: HOUSTON – OFFENSE: QB Matt Schaub, LT Duane Brown, LG Wade Smith, C Chris Myers, RG Mike Brisiel, RT Eric Winston, WR Andre Johnson, RB Arian Foster, FB Vonta Leach, TE Joel Dreessen, WR Kevin Walter. HOUSTON – DEFENSE: LDE Antonio Smith, NT Shaun Cody, DT Amobi Okoye, RDE Mario Williams, SLB Brian Cushing, MLB Kevin Bentley, WLB Darryl Sharpton, LCB Glover Quinn, RCB Kareem Jackson, SS Bernard Pollard, FS Eugene Wilson. In an attempt to break a three-game losing streak the Texans flew to New Meadowlands Stadium for an AFC duel with the Jets. In the first quarter the Texans trailed early as kicker Nick Folk nailed a 37-yard field goal. They replied in the second quarter with RB Arian Foster getting a 2-yard TD run. The Texans struggled further as QB Mark Sanchez threw a 4-yard TD pass to WR Santonio Holmes; followed by Folk making a 30-yard field goal. The Jets' lead extended in the third quarter with Sanchez found Holmes again on a 41-yard TD pass. In the fourth quarter Folk made a 30-yard field goal to put the Jets up 23–7. The Texans rallied to take the lead back with kicker Neil Rackers nailing a 38-yard field goal, followed by QB Matt Schaub completing a 43-yard TD pass to TE Joel Dreessen, followed by Foster getting a 1-yard TD run, and then Rackers got a 22-yard field goal. The Texans' defense however broke through with Sanchez finding Holmes again on a 6-yard TD pass.
With the loss, Houston fell to 4–6.

#### Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Texans | 0 | 14 | 3 | 3 | 20 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 28
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C) (Mostly Cloudy)
* Game attendance: 70,855
* Referee: Clete Blakeman
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
Second quarter
HOU – Joel Dreessen 1-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 7–0, Drive: 4 plays, 25 yards, 2:02.
HOU – Andre Johnson 2-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 14–0, Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 5:06.
Third quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 35-yard field goal, Texans 17–0, Drive: 11 plays, 49 yards, 5:24.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 33-yard field goal, Texans 20–0, Drive: 14 plays, 80 yards, 8:27.
Top passers
TEN – Rusty Smith – 17/31, 138 yards, 3 interceptions
HOU – Matt Schaub – 25/35, 178 yards, 2 touchdowns
Top rushers
TEN – Javon Ringer – 4 rushes, 27 yards
HOU – Arian Foster – 30 rushes, 143 yards
Top receivers
TEN – Justin Gage – 4 receptions, 50 yards
HOU – Arian Foster – 9 receptions, 75 yards
Top tacklers
TEN – Stephen Tulloch – 11 tackles, 3 assists
HOU – Brian Cushing – 6 tackles, 1 assist :
Starting lineups: HOUSTON – OFFENSE: QB Matt Schaub, LT Duane Brown, LG Wade Smith, C Chris Myers, RG Mike Brisiel, RT Eric Winston, WR Andre Johnson, RB Arian Foster, FB Vonta Leach, TE Joel Dreessen, WR Kevin Walter. Hoping to snap a four-game losing streak the Texans played on home ground for an AFC South rivalry match against the Titans. The Texans took control throughout the game as QB Matt Schaub got a 1-yard TD pass to TE Joel Dreessen, followed by his 2-yard TD pass to WR Andre Johnson. The lead was increased when kicker Neil Rackers hit a 35 and a 33-yard field goal.
With the easy win, the Texans improved to 5–6. However, Johnson was ejected following a fight with Titans CB Cortland Finnegan, who was also ejected.

#### Week 13: at Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 3 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| Eagles | 7 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 34 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
* Date: December 2
* Game time: 7:20 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C) (Partly Cloudy)
* Game attendance: 69,144
* Referee: Walt Anderson
* TV announcers (NFLN): Bob Papa, Matt Millen and Joe Theismann
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
PHI – LeSean McCoy 1-yard pass from Michael Vick (David Akers kick), Eagles 7–0, Drive: 11 plays, 88 yards, 7:04.
HOU – Neil Rackers 48-yard field goal, Eagles 7–3, Drive: 7 plays, 39 yards, 3:01.
Second quarter
PHI – LeSean McCoy 4-yard run (David Akers kick), Eagles 14–3, Drive: 11 plays, 72 yards, 5:25.
PHI – David Akers 36-yard field goal, Eagles 17–3, Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:16.
HOU – Jacoby Jones 8-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Eagles 17–10, Drive: 8 plays, 80 yards, 3:57.
PHI – David Akers 22-yard field goal, Eagles 20–10, Drive: 7 plays, 14 yards, 0:59.
Third quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 13-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Eagles 20–17, Drive: 11 plays, 79 yards, 6:11.
HOU – Arian Foster 3-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 24–20, Drive: 13 plays, 86 yards, 6:23.
Fourth quarter
PHI – Michael Vick 2-yard run (David Akers kick), Eagles 27–24, Drive: 6 plays, 60 yards, 2:46.
PHI – Owen Schmitt 5-yard pass from Michael Vick (David Akers kick), Eagles 34–24, Drive: 8 plays, 72 yards, 5:52.
Top passers
HOU – Matt Schaub – 22/36, 337 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
PHI – Michael Vick – 22/33, 302 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Top rushers
HOU – Arian Foster – 22 rushes, 83 yards, 1 touchdown
PHI – Michael Vick – 10 rushes, 48 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Andre Johnson – 6 receptions, 149 yards
PHI – LeSean McCoy – 8 receptions, 86 yards, 1 touchdown
Top tacklers
HOU – Jason Allen – 9 tackles, 1 interception
PHI – Quintin Mikell – 7 tackles :
Starting lineups:
HOUSTON – OFFENSE: QB Matt Schaub, LT Duane Brown, LG Wade Smith, C Chris Myers, RG Mike Brisiel, RT Eric Winston, WR Andre Johnson, RB Arian Foster, FB Vonta Leach, TE Joel Dreessen, WR Kevin Walter. HOUSTON – DEFENSE: DE Antonio Smith, DT Shaun Cody, DT Amobi Okoye, DE Mario Williams, LB Brian Cushing, LB Kevin Bentley, LB Darryl Sharpton, CB Glover Quinn, CB Kareem Jackson, SS Bernard Pollard, FS Eugene Wilson. Coming off their shutout win over the Titans, the Texans flew to Lincoln Financial Field for a Week 13 interconference duel with the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night. Houston trailed early in the first quarter as Eagles quarterback Michael Vick completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to running back LeSean McCoy. The Texans answered with a 48-yard field goal from kicker Neil Rackers, but Philadelphia struck back with McCoy getting a 4-yard touchdown run, followed by kicker David Akers getting a 36-yard field goal. Houston replied with quarterback Matt Schaub finding wide receiver Jacoby Jones on an 8-yard touchdown pass. The Eagles would close out the half with Akers making a 22-yard field goal.
The Texans took the lead in the third quarter with running back Arian Foster catching a 13-yard touchdown pass from Schaub and getting a 3-yard touchdown run. Philadelphia regained the lead with Vick getting a 2-yard touchdown run, followed by his 5-yard touchdown pass to fullback Owen Schmitt. Houston tried to rally, but the Eagles' defense prevented any progress.
With the loss, the Texans fell to 5–7.

#### Week 14: vs. Baltimore Ravens

Battle Red Day
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Ravens | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 34 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 28 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: December 13
* Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: None (Dome Closed)
* Referee: Bill Leavy
* TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, Jon Gruden, Suzy Kolber and Michele Tafoya
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
BAL – Willis McGahee 1-yard run (Billy Cundiff kick), Ravens 7–0, Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:55.
Second quarter
BAL – Derrick Mason 9-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff kick), Ravens 14–0, Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 3:15.
BAL – Derrick Mason 26-yard pass from Joe Flacco (Billy Cundiff kick), Ravens 21–0, Drive: 4 plays, 38 yards, 0:34.
HOU – Andre Johnson 46-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Ravens 21–7, Drive: 7 plays, 80 yards, 0:55.
Third quarter
BAL – David Reed 103-yard kickoff return (Billy Cundiff kick), Ravens 28–7, Drive: 0 plays, 0 yards, 0:15.
HOU – Neil Rackers 24-yard field goal, Ravens 28–10, Drive: 16 plays, 70 yards, 7:37.
HOU – Neil Rackers 42-yard field goal, Ravens 28–13, Drive: 10 plays, 42 yards, 4:28.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Jacoby Jones 7-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Ravens 28–20, Drive: 15 plays, 99 yards, 5:03.
HOU – Andre Johnson 5-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Matt Schaub – Jacoby Jones pass), Tied 28–28, Drive: 12 plays, 95 yards, 2:21.
Overtime
BAL – Josh Wilson 12-yard interception return, Ravens 34–28.
Top passers
BAL – Joe Flacco – 22/33, 235 yards, 2 touchdowns
HOU – Matt Schaub – 31/62, 393 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Top rushers
BAL – Ray Rice – 19 rushes, 54 yards
HOU – Arian Foster – 20 rushes, 100 yards
Top receivers
BAL – Derrick Mason – 6 receptions, 78 yards, 2 touchdowns
HOU – Andre Johnson – 9 receptions, 140 yards, 2 touchdowns
Top tacklers
BAL – Josh Wilson – 7 tackles, 1 interception
HOU – Kevin Bentley – 6 tackles, 5 assists :
Hoping to rebound from their road loss to the Eagles, the Texans went home, donned their alternate uniforms, and played a Week 14 Monday night duel with the Baltimore Ravens. Houston trailed in the first quarter as Ravens running back Willis McGahee got a 1-yard touchdown run. Baltimore added onto their lead in the second quarter as quarterback Joe Flacco completed a 9-yard and a 26-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Derrick Mason. The Texans would answer with quarterback Matt Schaub finding wide receiver Andre Johnson on a 46-yard touchdown pass.
The Ravens struck back in the third quarter as wide receiver David Reed returned the second half's opening kickoff 103 yards for a touchdown. Houston continued to hang around with a 24-yard and a 42-yard field goal from kicker Neil Rackers. The Texans tied the game in the fourth quarter as Schaub connected with wide receiver Jacoby Jones on a 7-yard touchdown pass, followed by a 5-yard touchdown pass to Johnson and a successful two-point conversion pass to Jones and the game headed to overtime.
The Ravens won the toss, but failed to advance the ball and punted to the Texans 9. On the second play, Schaub's pass was intercepted by Josh Wilson, who ran untouched into the end zone.
With the loss, not only did Houston fall to 5–8, but they became the first team in NFL history to have four games where they have come back and either tie or the lead, only to end up losing the game.

#### Week 15: at Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
| Titans | 21 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: December 19
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C) (Sunny and Cold)
* Game attendance: 69,143
* Referee: Gene Steratore
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
TEN – Nate Washington 3-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Rob Bironas kick), Titans 7–0, Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 4:40.
TEN – Justin Gage 1-yard pass from Kerry Collins (Rob Bironas kick), Titans 14–0, Drive: 5 plays, 61 yards, 2:13.
TEN – Chris Johnson 11-yard run (Rob Bironas kick), Titans 21–0, Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 2:01.
Second quarter
HOU – Neil Rackers 37-yard field goal, Titans 21–3, Drive: 12 plays, 38 yards, 5:27.
TEN – Rob Bironas 30-yard field goal, Titans 24–3, Drive: 4 plays, 10 yards, 0:47.
Third quarter
HOU – Andre Johnson 12-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Titans 24–10, Drive: 10 plays, 66 yards, 5:43.
TEN – Javon Ringer 7-yard run (Rob Bironas kick), Titans 31–10, Drive: 6 plays, 80 yards, 2:46.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Kevin Walter 4-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Titans 31–17, Drive: 13 plays, 83 yards, 4:27.
Top passers
HOU – Matt Schaub – 35/54, 325 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
TEN – Kerry Collins – 14/24, 237 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Top rushers
HOU – Arian Foster – 11 rushes, 15 yards
TEN – Chris Johnson – 24 rushes, 130 yards, 1 touchdown
Top receivers
HOU – Kevin Walter – 7 receptions, 70 yards, 1 touchdown
TEN – Kenny Britt – 6 receptions, 128 yards
Top tacklers
HOU – Bernard Pollard – 4 tackles, 2 assists
TEN – Stephen Tulloch – 8 tackles, 1 assist :
Hoping to break a two-game losing streak the Texans flew to LP Field for an AFC South rivalry rematch against the Titans. The Texans trailed early after QB Kerry Collins threw a 3 and a 1-yard TD pass to WR Nate Washington and to WR Justin Gage. This was followed by RB Chris Johnson getting an 11-yard TD run. The Texans got on the scoreboard after kicker Neil Rackers made a 37-yard field goal, but fell further behind after kicker Rob Bironas hit a 30-yard field goal. The Texans tried to cut the lead with QB Matt Schaub getting a 12-yard TD pass to WR Andre Johnson, but the Titans would pull away with RB Javon Ringer getting a 7-yard TD run. The Texans tried to come back into the game, but only came away with Schaub throwing a 4-yard TD pass to WR Kevin Walter.
With the loss, the Texans fell to 5–9, and were officially eliminated from postseason contention.

#### Week 16: at Denver Broncos

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 7 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 23 |
| Broncos | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 24 |
at INVESCO Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado
* Date: December 26
* Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C) (Partly Cloudy)
* Game attendance: 73,691
* Referee: Ron Winter
* TV announcers (CBS): Don Criqui and Steve Beuerlein
* Recap
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Arian Foster 3-yard run (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 7–0, Drive: 6 plays, 91 yards, 3:11.
Second quarter
HOU – Owen Daniels 3-yard pass from Matt Schaub (Neil Rackers kick), Texans 14–0, Drive: 6 plays, 86 yards, 3:42.
HOU – Neil Rackers 34-yard field goal, Texans 17–0, Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 3:42.
Third quarter
DEN – Correll Buckhalter 6-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), Texans 17–7, Drive: 4 plays, 80 yards, 2:02.
HOU – Neil Rackers 54-yard field goal, Texans 20–7, Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 2:44.
DEN – Steven Hauschka 57-yard field goal, Texans 20–10, Drive: 7 plays, 71 yards, 3:08.
HOU – Neil Rackers 57-yard field goal, Texans 23–10, Drive: 8 plays, 42 yards, 4:32.
Fourth quarter
DEN – Correl Buckhalter 23-yard pass from Tim Tebow (Steven Hauschka kick), Texans 23–17, Drive: 12 plays, 74 yards, 6:39.
DEN – Tim Tebow 6-yard run (Steven Hauschka kick), Broncos 24–23, Drive: 12 plays, 76 yards, 4:40.
Top passers
HOU – Matt Schaub – 23/33, 310 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
DEN – Tim Tebow – 16/29, 308 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Top rushers
HOU – Arian Foster – 19 rushes, 91 yards, 1 touchdown
DEN – Correll Buckhalter – 11 rushes, 42 yards, 1 touchdown
Top receivers
HOU – Jacoby Jones – 5 receptions, 115 yards
DEN – Brandon Lloyd – 5 receptions, 111 yards
Top tacklers
HOU – Glover Quin – 8 tackles
DEN – Brian Dawkins, Wesley Woodyard – 8 tackles, 1 assist :
The Texans' fifteenth game was an AFC duel with the Broncos. The Texans commanded the first half with RB Arian Foster getting a 3-yard TD run, followed by QB Matt Schaub getting a 3-yard TD pass to TE Owen Daniels, then with kicker Neil Rackers hitting a 34-yard field goal. The Broncos got on the board with RB Correll Buckhalter getting a 3-yard TD run, but the Texans scored again with Rackers nailing a 54-yard field goal. The Broncos replied as kicker Steven Hauschka got a 27-yard field goal, but the Texans extended their lead with Rackers hitting a 57-yard field goal. However, they failed to maintain this lead after QB Tim Tebow completed a 23-yard TD pass to Buckhalter, followed by Tebow scrambling 6-yards for a touchdown.
With the close loss, the Texans fell to 5–10.

#### Week 17: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| Texans | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: January 2
* Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C) (Sunny)
* Game attendance: 71,023
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Game information :
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
Top passers
JAC – Trent Edwards 12–25, 140 yds, 1 td
HOU – Matt Schaub 18–22, 253 yds, 1 td
Top rushers
JAC – Rashad Jennings 22 car, 108 yds, 1 td
HOU – Arian Foster 31 car, 180 yds, 2 tds
Top receivers
JAC – Jason Hill 3 rec, 68 yds, 0 tds
HOU – Jacoby Jones 5 rec, 70 yds, 0 tds :
The Texans' final game was a division rivalry rematch against the Jaguars. The Texans took the lead as RB Arian Foster got a 2-yard TD run, followed by kicker Neil Rackers making a 26-yard field goal. The Jaguars responded with RB Rashad Jennings getting a 3-yard TD run, but Houston scored further as RB Derrick Ward made a 35-yard TD run. The Jaguars managed to tie the game with kicker Josh Scobee hitting a 39-yard field goal, followed by Edwards completing a 7-yard TD pass to Marcedes Lewis. However, the Texans pulled away from the tie with Rackers making a 33-yard field goal, followed by QB Matt Schaub completing a 5-yard TD pass to TE Owen Daniels, then with Foster getting a 35-yard TD run.
With the win, Houston ended their season with a 6–10 record.

## Statistics
### Team

| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
| Passing offense | 4,144 | 259.0 | 4th |
| Rushing offense | 2,042 | 127.6 | 7th |
| Total offense | 6,186 | 386.6 | 3rd |
| Passing defense | 4,280 | 267.5 | 32nd |
| Rushing defense | 1,751 | 109.4 | 13th |
| Total defense | 6,031 | 376.9 | 30th |

### Individual

| Category | Player | Total |
| Offense |||
| Passing yards | Matt Schaub | 4,370 |
| Passing touchdowns | Matt Schaub | 24 |
| Rushing yards | Arian Foster | 1,616 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Arian Foster | 16 |
| Receiving yards | Andre Johnson | 1,216 |
| Receiving touchdowns | Andre Johnson | 8 |
| Defense |||
| Tackles (Solo) | Bernard Pollard | 81 |
| Sacks | Mario Williams | 8.5 |
| Interceptions | Jason Allen | 6 |
Source: