Texans find path to overcoming early adversity

HOUSTON (AP)

The Houston Texans have always been a delicate bunch.

All it ever took was one injury, one mistake, one coaching gaffe and everything would crumble in a game - and, subsequently, a season.

Not anymore.

Even as they seem to lose a key player every week, the Texans (9-3) have stayed on point, winning six straight games and surging to the doorstep of that elusive first postseason berth.

Houston plays at Cincinnati (7-5) on Sunday and can clinch the AFC South with a victory and a Tennessee loss to New Orleans, but no one in the locker room is talking about the potential milestone nor the magnitude of the moment when the young franchise finally makes its breakthrough.

Maybe that says it all about how much this team has grown up, and where it seems to be heading.

''You don't hear much about it, you don't hear a lot of talk about it,'' said right tackle Eric Winston, a third-round pick in 2006. ''It's just, `Hey, we need to take care of our business, and do our deal.'

''If we keep racking up wins, no matter if it happens this week, or in two weeks, it's going to happen.''

For most of the team's history, it seemed as though it never would.

The Texans beat Dallas 19-10 in their inaugural game in 2002 - still one of the franchise's greatest victories - then languished through five losing seasons.

Houston went 8-8 in 2007 and expectations began to swell, but just when the Texans seemed poised to take flight, something bizarre always seemed to knock them down.

In 2008, Hurricane Ike damaged Reliant Stadium, postponing Houston's home opener and forcing the Texans to begin the season with three straight road games. The eventual home opener then turned disastrous, with backup quarterback Sage Rosenfels' fumbles and interceptions helping Peyton Manning and Indianapolis rally from 17 points down in the fourth quarter for a 31-27 victory.

In 2009, Arizona stuffed Houston on three plays from the 1-yard line in the final minute of a 28-21 Texans loss. Later that year, Kris Brown missed last-second field-goal tries in consecutive weeks, and coach Gary Kubiak signed off on a halfback pass that Jacksonville intercepted, sealing a 23-18 defeat.

Last year, the Texans lost middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, then lost games on a last-second pass from midfield (at Jacksonville), a last-minute, 72-yard drive (against the New York Jets) and an interception return in overtime (against Baltimore).

Fans began calling for Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith to be fired, while inside the locker room the team bonded together.

''It would've been pretty easy at a lot of junctures last year, for this team to split apart,'' right tackle Eric Winston said. ''We never did, and I think that says a lot about the character of the guys. Everyone believed we were on the right course. We just hit a bad detour.''

At times, things seemed to be falling apart again this season.

Star receiver Andre Johnson hurt his right hamstring without anyone touching him and sacks leader Mario Williams tore a chest muscle in consecutive weeks. Key offseason acquisition Danieal Manning then broke his left leg intercepting a pass, Matt Schaub broke his right foot on a quarterback sneak, of all things, and backup Matt Leinart broke his left collarbone less than two quarters into his first start in two years.

This time, though, the Texans were ready.

Smith, hired a few months after Kubiak, has built a roster sturdy enough to sustain injuries at virtually every position, and Kubiak has so far made all the right calls to keep the team on track.

''The thing about this year, with our younger guys, is our depth is a lot better, we have a lot better talent around our guys,'' Ryans said. ''When guys go down, the next man steps up and you've got to just go in and do your job. Don't try to do too much.

''Everybody rallies around whoever goes down, and does their job a little bit better,'' Ryans said. ''And we've been fine.''

New defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has offered a magic touch to a unit that ranked as one of the league's worst in 2010, and Houston's offensive line has emerged as one of the NFL's best. The Texans rank second in defense and third in rushing.

Even when they had to turn to their third-string quarterback, Houston has kept right on winning.

Rookie T.J. Yates ably stepped in for Leinart last week and guided the Texans to a 17-10 victory. Kubiak didn't change his play-calling for Yates, instead demanding that he run the offense exactly as Schaub did.

''You get in a tough situation like this, and the first thing you've got to do is think positive and exude that with the player and that's what we're doing with T.J.,'' Kubiak said. ''This is why you coach, to see guys like this step to the plate and handle situations like he's in. Every day's a challenge, but he's getting better.''

The Texans will at the very least match their best record (9-7 in 2009), and a few more victories could earn them the right to host the city's first NFL playoff game since 1994.

By now, why should they settle for just that?

''I don't know if it's amazing or not, I don't know what you'd really call it,'' Winston said. ''But it's a situation where it's exciting. We've already done a lot of things that this franchise has never done, and we're going to do some more before this thing is over.

''Like I said, nothing happens unless we win,'' Winston said. ''I think everybody knows that, and everybody's just got their eye on that prize.''