2011 Houston Texans season
OwnerBob McNair
General managerRick Smith
Head coachGary Kubiak
Home fieldReliant Stadium
Results
Record10–6
Division place1st AFC South
Playoff finishWon Wild Card Playoffs
(vs. Bengals) 31–10
Lost Divisional Playoffs
(at Ravens) 13–20
Pro Bowlers
4

The 2011 Houston Texans season was the franchise's 10th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 6th under head coach Gary Kubiak. The Texans improved on their record from the 2010 season, despite losing starting quarterback Matt Schaub & backup Matt Leinart to season ending injuries. Third stringer T.J. Yates filled in, and earned the franchise's first playoff berth by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 20–19 in Week 14 and clinching the AFC South. It also assured the Texans of at least one playoff game at home—the first NFL playoff game in Houston since 1993. After reaching the Divisional match against the Baltimore Ravens, the Texans suffered their maiden loss in the NFL Playoffs, losing 20–13.

Prior to the season, former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips was hired as defensive coordinator, replacing Frank Bush who was terminated by Texans owner Bob McNair.[1] The Texans defense made major improvements in Phillips' first year calling Houston's defensive plays. The team allowed the fourth-fewest points in the league in 2011 (compared to fourth most in 2010), the second-fewest yards allowed (third-most in 2010) and third-fewest yards per play (4.8, compared to 6.0, second-worst in 2010). Not only do the 2011 Texans hold the record for least points conceded in the average game of a season for the team with 17.4 points, which happened nine times, but they also got a +103 point differential, which is the best in franchise history. Of the Texans' 10 wins, 9 of them were decided by at least 6 points.

Offseason

2011 draft board

2011 Houston Texans draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 11 J. J. Watt *  Defensive end Wisconsin
2 42 Brooks Reed  Defensive end Arizona
2 60 Brandon Harris  Cornerback Miami (FL) from New England
4 127 Rashad Carmichael  Cornerback Virginia Tech from Chicago via Washington
5 144 Shiloh Keo  Safety Idaho from Washington
5 152 T. J. Yates  Quarterback North Carolina from Indianapolis via Washington
7 214 Derek Newton  Offensive tackle Arkansas State
7 254 Cheta Ozougwu  Defensive end Rice Supplemental compensatory selection
      Made roster    †   Pro Football Hall of Fame    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

Staff

Houston Texans 2011 staff
Front office
  • Chairman/CEO – Bob McNair
  • Vice chairman – Philip Burguières
  • Vice chairman – D. Cal McNair
  • President – Jamey Rootes
  • Executive vice president/general manager – Rick Smith
  • Vice president of football administration – Chris Olsen
  • Director of pro personnel – Brian Gardner
  • Associate director of pro personnel – Bobby Grier
  • Director of college scouting – Mike Maccagnan

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Head strength and conditioning – Cedric Smith
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Matt Schiotz

Final roster

2011 Houston Texans final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

 Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

 Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

 Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
 53 active, 12 inactive, 8 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 15 New York Jets W 20–16 1–0 Reliant Stadium Recap
2 August 20 New Orleans Saints W 27–14 2–0 Reliant Stadium Recap
3 August 27 at San Francisco 49ers W 30–7 3–0 Candlestick Park Recap
4 September 1 at Minnesota Vikings L 0–28 3–1 Mall of America Field Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 11 Indianapolis Colts W 34–7 1–0 Reliant Stadium Recap
2 September 18 at Miami Dolphins W 23–13 2–0 Sun Life Stadium Recap
3 September 25 at New Orleans Saints L 33–40 2–1 Mercedes-Benz Superdome Recap
4 October 2 Pittsburgh Steelers W 17–10 3–1 Reliant Stadium Recap
5 October 9 Oakland Raiders L 20–25 3–2 Reliant Stadium Recap
6 October 16 at Baltimore Ravens L 14–29 3–3 M&T Bank Stadium Recap
7 October 23 at Tennessee Titans W 41–7 4–3 LP Field Recap
8 October 30 Jacksonville Jaguars W 24–14 5–3 Reliant Stadium Recap
9 November 6 Cleveland Browns W 30–12 6–3 Reliant Stadium Recap
10 November 13 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 37–9 7–3 Raymond James Stadium Recap
11 Bye
12 November 27 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 20–13 8–3 EverBank Field Recap
13 December 4 Atlanta Falcons W 17–10 9–3 Reliant Stadium Recap
14 December 11 at Cincinnati Bengals W 20–19 10–3 Paul Brown Stadium Recap
15 December 18 Carolina Panthers L 13–28 10–4 Reliant Stadium Recap
16 December 22 at Indianapolis Colts L 16–19 10–5 Lucas Oil Stadium Recap
17 January 1 Tennessee Titans L 22–23 10–6 Reliant Stadium Recap

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week One: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Colts 0 0 077
Texans 17 17 0034

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

The Texans began their season at home against the AFC South division foes, Colts. With the win, the Texans started the season out at 1–0.

Week 2: at Miami Dolphins

Week Two: Houston Texans at Miami Dolphins – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 6 10 0723
Dolphins 3 0 7313

at Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida

  • Date: September 18
  • Game time: 4:15 p.m. EDT/3:15 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C) (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 51,032
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
Game information

The Texans went on the road to face the Dolphins. With the win, the Texans improved to 2–0.

Week 3: at New Orleans Saints

Week Three: Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 10 6 31433
Saints 0 10 72340

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

  • Date: September 25
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
  • Game attendance: 73,002
  • Referee: Tony Corrente
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

With the loss, the Texans fell to 2–1.

Week 4: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Week Four: Pittsburgh Steelers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Steelers 0 0 7310
Texans 7 3 0717

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 2
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,585
  • Referee: Clete Blakeman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

With the win, the Texans improved to 3–1.

Week 5: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Five: Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Raiders 3 9 31025
Texans 7 7 3320

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 9
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,420
  • Referee: Pete Morelli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
Game information

The day before the game Al Davis passed away at the age of 82 due to heart failure.[2][3] Davis served as the Raiders' head coach from 1963 to 1965, part owner and general manager from 1966 to 1971, then became the team's principal owner in 1972, still serving as general manager. Additionally, Davis served as commissioner of the AFL in 1966. With the loss, the Texans fell to 3–2 and they lost both their second game and first home game against the Raiders.

Week 6: at Baltimore Ravens

Week Six: Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 7 7014
Ravens 7 3 61329

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

  • Date: October 16
  • Game time: 4:05 p.m. EDT/3:05 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 71,154
  • Referee: Gene Steratore
  • TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel and Dan Dierdorf
Game information

With the loss, the Texans fell to 3–3.

Week 7: at Tennessee Titans

Week Seven: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 3 17 71441
Titans 0 0 707

at LP Field, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: October 23
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C) (Sunny)
  • Game attendance: 69,143
  • Referee: Terry McAulay
  • TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information

With the win, the Texans improved to 4–3.

Week 8: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Battle Red Day
Week Eight: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 7 0714
Texans 7 0 71024

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 30
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), sunny (roof open)
  • Game attendance: 71,412
  • Referee: Scott Green
  • TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information

With the win, the Texans improved to 5–3.

Week 9: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Nine: Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Browns 3 0 3612
Texans 14 10 3330

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: November 6
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,511
  • Referee: Alberto Riveron
  • TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts
Game information

With the win, the Texans improved to 6–3.

Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Ten: Houston Texans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 9 7 14737
Buccaneers 0 3 069

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: November 13
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C) (Partly Cloudy)
  • Game attendance: 56,037
  • Referee: John Parry
  • TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information

With the win, the Texans went on their bye week 7–3. However, Matt Schaub was lost for the season due to a Lisfranc injury on his right foot.

Week 12: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Twelve: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 7 13 0020
Jaguars 7 3 0313

at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: November 27
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 75 °F (24 °C) (10% chance of rain)
  • Game attendance: 62,004
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Solomon Wilcots
Game information

With the win, not only did the Texans improved to 8–3, but swept the Jaguars for the 1st time since 2006. With Matt Schaub suffering a lisfranc injury against Tampa Bay, Matt Leinart started at quarterback for the Texans. Leinart would go down against the Jaguars with a collarbone injury, with T. J. Yates stepping in at quarterback. Leinart finished the game going 10-of-13 for 57 yards with a touchdown.

Week 13: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week Thirteen: Atlanta Falcons at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 3 7010
Texans 3 7 0717

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Due to injuries to Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart, quarterback T. J. Yates made his first NFL start. With the win, the Texans improved to 9–3, securing the first winning season in franchise history.

Week 14: at Cincinnati Bengals

Week Fourteen: Houston Texans at Cincinnati Bengals – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 3 0 71020
Bengals 6 10 3019

at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio

  • Date: December 11
  • Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: 34 °F (1 °C) (Clear)
  • Game attendance: 41,202
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV announcers (CBS): Marv Albert and Rich Gannon
Game information

With the last-second win, the Texans improved to 10–3 and clinched the franchise's first playoff berth and AFC South division title.

Week 15: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Fifteen: Carolina Panthers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Panthers 7 14 0728
Texans 0 0 6713

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: December 18
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,540
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • TV announcers (Fox): Ron Pitts, Charles Davis and Drea Avent
Game information

With the loss, the Texans' seven-game winning streak was snapped, falling to 10–4. Houston also lost to the Panthers for the first time in franchise history.

Week 16: at Indianapolis Colts

Week Sixteen: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 10 0 3316
Colts 3 3 31019

at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana

Game information

With the loss, the Texans fell to 10–5.

Week 17: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week Seventeen: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Titans 0 13 3723
Texans 7 3 3922

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: January 1
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 71,512
  • Referee: Ron Winter
  • TV announcers (CBS): Bill Macatee & Steve Tasker
Game information
Jake Delhomme and the Texans line up against the Titans

T. J. Yates left the game after the Texans' first offensive drive with a bruised left shoulder. He was replaced by Jake Delhomme for the rest of the game. Houston scored a touchdown with 0:14 left to trail 22–23. To avoid overtime and further injuries, head coach Gary Kubiak decided to try a two-point conversion. Tight end Joel Dreessen was flagged for a false start, moving the Texans back 5 yards. The attempt would ultimately fail as backup center Thomas Austin snapped the ball over Delhomme. Neil Rackers would attempt an onside kick, but it was recovered by Lavelle Hawkins for the Titans, securing a win for Tennessee. With the loss, the Texans would end their season at 10–6 and the AFC's #3 seed.

Standings

Division

AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Houston Texans 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 381 278 L3
Tennessee Titans 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 325 317 W2
Jacksonville Jaguars 5 11 0 .313 3–3 4–8 243 329 W1
Indianapolis Colts 2 14 0 .125 2–4 2–10 243 430 L1

Conference

AFC[4]
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division winners
1 New England Patriots East 13 3 0 .813 5–1 10–2 .449 .423 W8
2[lower-alpha 1] Baltimore Ravens North 12 4 0 .750 6–0 9–3 .477 .484 W2
3 Houston Texans South 10 6 0 .625 4–2 8–4 .453 .413 L3
4[lower-alpha 2] Denver Broncos West 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 .520 .445 L3
Wild cards
5[lower-alpha 1] Pittsburgh Steelers North 12 4 0 .750 4–2 9–3 .492 .411 W2
6[lower-alpha 3] Cincinnati Bengals North 9 7 0 .563 2–4 6–6 .492 .326 L1
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[lower-alpha 3] Tennessee Titans South 9 7 0 .563 3–3 7–5 .461 .396 W2
8[lower-alpha 4] New York Jets East 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 .500 .395 L3
9[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5] San Diego Chargers West 8 8 0 .500 3–3 7–5 .516 .430 W1
10[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 5] Oakland Raiders West 8 8 0 .500 3–3 6–6 .504 .438 L1
11 Kansas City Chiefs West 7 9 0 .438 3–3 4–8 .512 .464 W1
12[lower-alpha 6] Miami Dolphins East 6 10 0 .375 3–3 5–7 .504 .417 W1
13[lower-alpha 6] Buffalo Bills East 6 10 0 .375 1–5 4–8 .520 .510 L1
14 Jacksonville Jaguars South 5 11 0 .313 3–3 4–8 .500 .363 W1
15 Cleveland Browns North 4 12 0 .250 0–6 3–9 .531 .313 L6
16 Indianapolis Colts South 2 14 0 .125 2–4 2–10 .539 .594 L1
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 7]
  1. 1 2 Baltimore clinched the AFC North title based on a head-to-head sweep over Pittsburgh.
  2. 1 2 3 Denver clinched the AFC West title instead of San Diego or Oakland based on record versus common opponents (5–5 to San Diego's and Oakland's 4–6).
  3. 1 2 Cincinnati clinched the AFC 6 seed instead of Tennessee based on a head-to-head victory.
  4. 1 2 New York Jets finished ahead of San Diego based on head-to-head victory.
  5. 1 2 San Diego finished ahead of Oakland in the AFC West based on better conference record (7–5 to 6–6).
  6. 1 2 Miami finished in third place in the AFC East based on a head-to-head sweep over Buffalo.
  7. ↑ 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.

Postseason

Schedule

Round Date Opponent (seed) Result Record Venue Recap
Wild Card January 7, 2012 Cincinnati Bengals (6) W 31–10 1–0 Reliant Stadium Recap
Divisional January 15, 2012 at Baltimore Ravens (2) L 13–20 1–1 M&T Bank Stadium Recap

Game summaries

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (6) Cincinnati Bengals

AFC Wild Card Playoffs: (6) Cincinnati Bengals at (3) Houston Texans – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Bengals 7 3 0010
Texans 7 10 7731

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Making their NFL postseason debut as the AFC's #3 seed, the Texans began their playoff run at home in the AFC Wild Card Round against the #6 Cincinnati Bengals, in a rematch of their Week 14 contest. Not only was this the Texans' first postseason game, it was the franchise's first game ever broadcast nationally on NBC, they were also the last NFL team to finally play on NBC, since their 2002 inception.

Houston trailed in the first quarter with Bengals running back Cedric Benson getting a 1-yard touchdown run, yet the Texans answered with an 8-yard touchdown run from running back Arian Foster. Cincinnati struck back in the second quarter with kicker Mike Nugent getting a 37-yard field goal, but Houston took the lead with a 39-yard field goal from kicker Neil Rackers, followed by rookie defensive end J.J. Watt returning an interception 29 yards for a touchdown. From there, the Texans took control with rookie quarterback T.J. Yates finding wide receiver Andre Johnson on a 40-yard touchdown in the third quarter, followed by a 42-yard touchdown run by Foster in the fourth quarter.

With the win, the Texans improved their overall record to 11–6.

AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (2) Baltimore Ravens

AFC Divisional Playoffs: (3) Houston Texans at (2) Baltimore Ravens – Game summary
Period 1 2 34Total
Texans 3 10 0013
Ravens 17 0 0320

at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland

Game information

With the loss, the Texans finished the season with an overall record of 11–7.

Statistics

Team

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense3,506219.118th
Rushing offense2,448153.02nd
Total offense[5]5,954372.113th
Passing defense3,035189.73rd
Rushing defense1,53696.04th
Total defense[6]4,571285.72nd

Individual

Category Player Total
Offense
Passing yardsMatt Schaub2,479
Passing touchdownsMatt Schaub15
Rushing yardsArian Foster1,224
Rushing touchdownsArian Foster10
Receiving yardsOwen Daniels677
Receiving touchdownsJoel Dreessen6
Defense
Tackles (Solo)Brian Cushing76
SacksConnor Barwin11.5
InterceptionsJason Allen
Johnathan Joseph		4

Source:[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Texans hire Phillips as defensive coordinator". January 2011.
  2. ↑ "Raiders owner Al Davis dead at 82". ESPN. Associated Press. October 9, 2011. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  3. ↑ "Al Davis died of heart failure". ESPN. Associated Press. October 28, 2011. Archived from the original on December 30, 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
  4. ↑ "2011 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  5. ↑ "2011 NFL Team Total Offense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  6. ↑ "2011 NFL Team Total Defense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
  7. ↑ "2011 Texans Statistics". Houston Texans. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
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