The 2007 Houston Texans season was the franchise's 6th season in the National Football League (NFL) and the 2nd under head coach Gary Kubiak. The Texans improved upon their 6–10 record from the previous, finishing the season at 8–8 for the franchise's first non-losing season.
Offseason
The offseason was dominated by rumors and speculation surrounding the future of David Carr and the Texans. Jake Plummer was a leading candidate to replace Carr until he was traded to Tampa Bay and then retired. The Texans also contacted free agent Jeff Garcia before he signed with Tampa Bay. Finally, on March 21 the Texans struck a deal with Atlanta and traded draft picks for their backup quarterback, Matt Schaub. Carr was cut on March 23 and later signed by the Carolina Panthers.
Another situation of great speculation to fans was that of Domanick Williams. Williams, the Texans all-time leading rusher, had a lingering knee injury that kept him side-lined for the entirety of the 2006 season. The Texans signed Ahman Green during free agency and eventually released Williams on March 23, 2007.
Player additions and subtractions
Additions: RB Ahman Green LB Danny Clark SS Michael Boulware OT Jordan Black DT Jeff Zgonina LB Shawn Barber QB Matt Schaub CB Jamar Fletcher WR André Davis
Subtractions: DE Antwan Peek WR Eric Moulds DE Jason Babin DT Seth Payne OT Zach Wiegert CB Lewis Sanders RB Domanick Williams QB David Carr LB Troy Evans FS Michael Stone LB Kailee Wong
Draft
The Texans swapped their first-round pick in the 2007 NFL draft (8th overall) with the Atlanta Falcons for their first-round pick (10th overall) as part of the Matt Schaub deal. In drafting Okoye, who was 19 at the time of the draft, the Texans took the youngest player in NFL Draft history. Okoye ended up being a "bust"; the pick immediately after was 7x Pro Bowler Patrick Willis, who was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers.
The Texans also traded their second-round selections in 2007 and 2008 as part of the Schaub deal and did not choose again until the third round, when they took Jacoby Jones from Division II Lane College, the highest picked player who did not play in Division I FBS or FCS that year.
Guard Kasey Studdard (6th round) became the second Texas Longhorns player drafted by the Texans (Sloan Thomas was taken in the 7th round in 2004).
Undrafted free agents
+ 2007 undrafted free agents of notePlayerPositionCollegeDelJuan RobinsonDefensive tackleMississippi StateDarius WalkerRunning backNotre Dame
Staff
Roster Houston Texans 2007 final roster Quarterbacks Shane Boyd Sage Rosenfels Matt Schaub
Running backs Jameel Cook FB Ron Dayne Vonta Leach FB Darius Walker
Wide receivers David Anderson André Davis KR Andre Johnson Jacoby Jones PR Kevin Walter
Tight ends Mark Bruener Owen Daniels Joel Dreessen Jeb Putzier Offensive linemen Jordan Black T Mike Brisiel G Rashad Butler T Mike Flanagan C Brandon Frye T Drew Hodgdon G Chester Pitts G Ephraim Salaam T Kasey Studdard G Eric Winston T
Defensive linemen Tim Bulman DT Earl Cochran DE Travis Johnson DT N. D. Kalu DE/DT Anthony Maddox DT Amobi Okoye DT DelJuan Robinson DT Anthony Weaver DE Mario Williams DE Jeff Zgonina DT Linebackers Charlie Anderson OLB Danny Clark OLB Zac Diles MLB Morlon Greenwood OLB DeMeco Ryans MLB
Defensive backs Fred Bennett CB Michael Boulware SS C. C. Brown SS Curome Cox FS Will Demps FS Demarcus Faggins CB Jamar Fletcher CB Von Hutchins CB/FS Dexter Wynn CB/KR/PR
Special teams Kris Brown K Bryan Pittman LS Matt Turk P Reserve lists Jon Abbate LB (IR) Roc Alexander S (IR) Shawn Barber LB (IR) Glenn Earl S (IR) Ahman Green RB (IR) Brandon Harrison S (IR) Scott Jackson C/G (IR) Cedric Killings DT (IR) Jerome Mathis WR/KR (IR) Steve McKinney C (IR) Dunta Robinson CB (IR) Jason Simmons S (IR) Charles Spencer T (PUP) Chris Taylor RB (IR) Fred Weary G (IR) Chris White C (IR)
Practice squad Arliss Beach RB Eduardo Castañeda LB Int'l Kevis Coley LB Greg Eslinger C Derrick Hamilton WR Brandon Mitchell S Derrick Roberson CB Dan Stevenson G Harry Williams WR
rookies in italics 53 active, 16 inactive, 9 practice squad
Preseason Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 Chicago Bears L 19–20 0–1 Reliant Stadium Recap 2 at Arizona Cardinals W 33–20 1–1 University of Phoenix Stadium Recap 3 Dallas Cowboys W 28–16 2–1 Reliant Stadium Recap 4 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 24–31 2–2 Raymond James Stadium Recap
Regular season Schedule Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap 1 September 9 Kansas City Chiefs W 20–3 1–0 Reliant Stadium Recap 2 September 16 at Carolina Panthers W 34–21 2–0 Bank of America Stadium Recap 3 September 23 Indianapolis Colts L 24–30 2–1 Reliant Stadium Recap 4 September 30 at Atlanta Falcons L 16–26 2–2 Georgia Dome Recap 5 October 7 Miami Dolphins W 22–19 3–2 Reliant Stadium Recap 6 October 14 at Jacksonville Jaguars L 17–37 3–3 Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Recap 7 October 21 Tennessee Titans L 36–38 3–4 Reliant Stadium Recap 8 October 28 at San Diego Chargers L 10–35 3–5 Qualcomm Stadium Recap 9 November 4 at Oakland Raiders W 24–17 4–5 McAfee Coliseum Recap 10Bye 11 November 18 New Orleans Saints W 23–10 5–5 Reliant Stadium Recap 12 November 25 at Cleveland Browns L 17–27 5–6 Cleveland Browns Stadium Recap 13 December 2 at Tennessee Titans L 20–28 5–7 LP Field Recap 14 December 9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 28–14 6–7 Reliant Stadium Recap 15 Denver Broncos W 31–13 7–7 Reliant Stadium Recap 16 December 23 at Indianapolis Colts L 15–38 7–8 RCA Dome Recap 17 December 30 Jacksonville Jaguars W 42–28 8–8 Reliant Stadium Recap Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Standings
Game summaries Week 1: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Texans began their 2007 campaign at home against the Kansas City Chiefs. After a scoreless first quarter, Houston came out pounding in the second quarter with kicker Kris Brown getting a 26-yard field goal, while QB Matt Schaub completed a 77-yard touchdown pass to WR Andre Johnson. In the third quarter, DE Mario Williams showed his reason for being last year's #1 overall pick by returning a fumble 38 yards for a touchdown. Afterwards, the Chiefs got their only score of the game with kicker Justin Medlock nailing a 27-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Texans sealed the victory with Brown kicking a 28-yard field goal.
Matt Schaub, in his Texans debut, went 16 of 22 for 225 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
With the win, Houston began their season at 1–0.
Week 2: at Carolina Panthers
Following their home win over the Chiefs, the Texans flew to Bank of America Stadium for their Week 2 match-up against the Carolina Panthers. In the first quarter, Houston trailed early as QB Jake Delhomme hooked up with WR Steve Smith for a 7-yard and a 12-yard TD pass. Houston responded with QB Matt Schaub completing a 31-yard TD pass to WR Andre Johnson. In the second quarter, Schaub and Johnson hooked up with each other again on a 9-yard TD pass. The Texans took the lead prior to halftime with kicker Kris Brown getting a 25-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, Houston increased its lead with RB Ahman Green getting a 13-yard TD run. On the following kickoff, Panthers FB Nick Goings fumbled the ball, causing it to roll into Carolina's end zone, where WR Kevin Walter landed on it for a touchdown, giving a huge momentum swing towards the Texans. In the fourth quarter, Houston put the out the game out of reach with Brown kicking a 33-yard field goal. The Panthers mustered up one last score as Delhomme completed a pass to Smith, who broke off many Texans defenders and ran 74 yards for a touchdown. In the end, Houston held on to win.
With the win, not only did the Texans begin their season at 2–0 for the first time in franchise history, but their 34 points in one game also became a franchise record.
Week 3: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Following an impressive win over the Panthers, the Texans went home for an AFC South duel with the defending Super Bowl champions, the Indianapolis Colts (who Houston won against last time at home). In the first quarter, the Texans delivered the first punch with WR Jerome Mathis returning a kickoff 84 yards for a touchdown. However, the Colts responded with QB Peyton Manning completing a 2-yard TD pass to TE Dallas Clark. In the second quarter, Houston retook the lead with kicker Kris Brown getting a 33-yard field goal. However, Indianapolis went ahead with RB Joseph Addais 4-yard TD run.
In the third quarter, the Colts managed to put the Texans in a huge hole with kicker Adam Vinatieri's 36-yard field goal, Addai's 8-yard TD run, and Vinatieri's 28-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, Houston tried a comeback with RB Samkon Gado's 1-yard TD run. Indianapolis got their final score of the game with Vinatieri kicking a 35-yard field goal. The Texans drew close with QB Matt Schaub's 1-yard TD pass to RB Vonta Leach. However, the Colts managed to hold on to win.
With the loss, Houston fell to 2–1.
Week 4: at Atlanta Falcons
Hoping to rebound from their divisional home loss to the Colts, the Texans flew to the Georgia Dome for an interconference battle with the winless Atlanta Falcons, where QB Matt Schaub fought against his former team.
In the first quarter, Houston trailed early as Falcons kicker Morten Andersen nailed a 28-yard field goal. The Texans managed to take the lead with Schaub completing a 35-yard TD pass to WR André Davis. However, Atlanta regained the lead with QB Joey Harrington completing a 5-yard TD pass to WR Michael Jenkins In the second quarter, Houston's current woes continued with Harrington and Jenkins hooking up with each other again as 7-yard TD pass, along with Andersen kicking a 22-yard field goal. The Texans got their only score of the period with kicker Kris Brown nailing a 42-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, Houston kept closer with a 37-yard field goal, but the Falcons eventually responded with Andersen kicking a 36-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Texans again crept closer with Brown getting a 19-yard field. Yet again, Atlanta replied with Andersen kicking a 46-yard field goal. Afterwards, the Falcons held on to get their first win of the year.
With their second-straight loss, the Texans fell to 2–2.
Week 5: vs. Miami Dolphins
Trying to snap a two-game losing streak, the Texans returned home for a Week 5 duel with the winless Miami Dolphins. In the first quarter, Houston took the early lead with RB Ron Dayne getting a 1-yard TD run. However, the Dolphin answered with kicker Jay Feely getting a 23-yard field goal, along with RB Ronnie Brown getting a 3-yard TD run. In the second quarter, the Texans' recent struggles continued as Miami managed to get 40-yard and a 33-yard field goal from Feely. The Texans ended the half with kicker Kris Brown getting a 54-yard field goal.
In the third quarter, Houston began to retaliate with Brown nailing a 43-yard and a 54-yard field goal. In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins managed to get a 48-yard field goal. The Texans snapped their two-game skid with Brown making field goals from 20 and 57 yards.
With the win, the Texans improved to 3–2.
Week 6: at Jacksonville Jaguars
Coming off their home win over the Dolphins, the Texans flew to Jacksonville Municipal Stadium for a Week 6 AFC South showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the first quarter, Houston struck first with kicker Kris Brown getting a 20-yard field goal for the only score of the period. In the second quarter, the Texans increased its lead with Brown kicking a 35-yard field goal. However, the Jaguars took the lead with QB David Garrard completing a 1-yard TD pass to TE George Wrighster, along with kicker John Carney getting a 37-yard field goal.