Handing Out Midseason Awards

I don't want to read too much into the Texans beating a poor Oakland Raiders team. So I won't. The only thing I will really say about that is, it was a must-win game.

As I stated last week, for the Texans to have any chance at the second half of this season, they had to go into the bye week with this win on their shoulders. Now the Texans sit at 4-5, and play the New Orleans Saints in two weeks.

And don't be too quick to praise running back Ron Dayne either. He was the player of the game in my book, rushing for 122 yards and a touchdown. However, the Texans still have one of the worst rushing offenses in the NFL, and were playing against a terrible run defense.

And now that this game is over, let's wrap up the first half of the season a week late, and hand out some awards.

My "I would be a candidate for MVP talk if I wasn't injured" Award goes to wide receiver Andre Johnson. In two games Johnson had 262 yards and three touchdowns, the Texans were 2-0 and we started to compare "Schaub to Johnson" with "Manning to Harrison". Once Johnson was injured, the Texans have gone 2-5 and sit in last place in the AFC South. I'm going to go light myself on fire.

My "How does he have a job in the NFL" Award goes to cornerback Demarcus Faggins. If Faggins had any other profession, he would be camping out in the unemployment line right now. I begin to wonder if he could cover a receiver with two broken legs.

My "He sure was worth the money" Award goes to running back Ahman Green. I don't want to believe that the paycheck is all he cares about, I really don't. But he was injured for 2-3 games and has rushed for a total of 260 yards on the season. Vikings' running back Adrian Peterson has done that in a single game twice this season.

My "Where did this guy come from?" Award goes to receiver Kevin Walter. Walter has 545 receiving yards so far this season, and has been the only bright spot on offense since Johnson went down in Carolina.

So where does that bring the Texans now? Well if they can defeat the Saints, who are on a four-game winning streak as of Sunday, they will sit at 5-5. Then the Texans play the likes of Cleveland, Tennessee, Tampa Bay and Denver. I was about to think that they could handle the second half of the season, but it looks like their hands will be full.

Although, with Matt Schaub and Johnson healthy after the bye week, we really don't know what team is going to come out to play.