Three And Out: Useless Predictions For Texans-Seahawks

If you squint real hard, you can almost find some validity in last week's predictions. Just make sure to ignore that unimportant bit about the final score. I told you predicting is hard. So let's fail to learn from our mistakes and make some more predictions, shall we?

1. Duane Brown misses his second consecutive game, and Matt Schaub continues to struggle. Like, sacked three times, passes for less than 215 yards, and throws an interception struggle. Silver lining? That pick will not be returned for a touchdown, thus ending The Schaub's streak of consecutive games with a pick-six. We can build on this!

2. I expect the Texans to open the game throwing the ball on short, quick routes in an attempt to get Schaub into a rhythm and to try to push the Seahawks back on their heels a little bit. Nevertheless, the name of the game for Houston's offense on Sunday will be Arian Foster and Ben Tate. I look for 30+ carries between the two of them.

Seattle's entire defense is fierce and absurdly fast, but their secondary is positively frightening. Gary Kubiak will pick his poison, and it's not going to be asking Schaub to take apart Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and the rest of Seattle's DBs. The Texans are going to run, run, and then run some more for the bulk of this game. I foresee Foster finding the end zone once from less than five yards out. He and Tate will combine for 119 rushing yards, and they'll feel as though they spent three hours repeatedly running into a brick wall when the game is over.

3. Some fans are so down on the team right now that they're resigned to the Seahawks inevitably obliterating the Texans. I don't see it. Not because I expect the offense to suddenly hit its stride (especially without Duane Brown out, and especially not against the toughest defense in the entire league), but because the Texans' defense is going to rise to the occasion. J.J. Watt, Brian Cushing, and their cohorts know the onus is on them to prop up a struggling offense. They will bring it all afternoon. Russell Wilson is going to make some plays. He's also going to turn it over once on a strip sack that the Texans will recover.

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT: Many people have pointed out how the Texans destroyed the Ravens the week after they were totally demolished by the Packers last year. Could it happen again? Yes, it's conceivable. After all, the Texans are a talented team playing at home. Unfortunately, Seattle's defense is considerably better than what the Ravens trotted out in October of 2012. While I think the Texans' defense is primed to contain Russell Wilson & Co., I just don't see the Texans' offense being able to consistently move the ball on Seattle.

If the Texans are going to win this game, it's going to be because they got up by 10 or more points in the first quarter and then held on to win by three points or less. Based on what we've seen the first three weeks of the regular season, that scenario is far less likely than the alternative (e.g., the Texans' offense looking punchless for a half or more). Seahawks 20, Texans 13.

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