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The Captain's Log 2015, Game 16: "Interminable" (Texans v. Jaguars)

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Capt Ron chronicles the Texans' complete domination of the Jacksonville Jaguars and reviews the latest from around the AFC South. Join the conversation at Battle Red Blog.

By Capt Ron
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Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

What a game!  The Texans are seriously peaking at the right time to enter the playoffs ready to do battle.  I'd like to see more accuracy out of Brian Hoyer, but he's still knocking off some rust after missing a few games from his second concussion of the season.  This defense is incredible!  Let's get into the numbers...

Summary of Key Stats

JAGUARS TEXANS
First Downs 11 25
Net Rushing Yards 32 160
Net Passing Yards 183 242
Total Net Yards 215 402
Passing ATT-COMP-TD-INT 17/32-0-2 (Bortles) 25/40-1-1 (Hoyer)
Third Down Efficiency 1/12 (8%) 8/17 (47%)
Touchdowns 0 3
Field Goals (made/attempted) 2 / 2 3 / 4
Extra Points  (made/attempted) 0 / 0 3 / 3
Kicking  (made/attempted) 0 / 0 3 / 3
Two Point Conversions  (made/attempted) 0 / 0 0 / 0
Fumbles / Lost 3 / 2 1 / 0
Turnovers (lost) 4 1
Penalties (QTY / Yards) 7 - 53 9 - 55
Sacks (defense) 2 8
Interceptions (defense) 1 2
Fumbles Recovered (defense) 0 2
Time of Possession 24:23 35:37
Red Zone Efficiency 0/3 (0%) 2/3 (66%)
Goal To Go Efficiency 0/0 (0%) 1/2 (50%)
Points From Turnovers 3 20
FINAL SCORE 6 30

Around the AFC South...

The Colts (8-8)

Indianapolis defeated Tennessee 30-24 to finish the season second-place in the division and miss the playoffs.  Andre Johnson left Houston when he was told he would likely have a reduced role with around 40 receptions.  After signing with the Colts, he finished the year with 41 receptions and no postseason opportunity.

For most of 2015, it has been speculated throughout the media that coach Chuck Pagano would be fired, but the Colts just extended him for another four years.  They also extended the contract of GM Ryan Grigson.

The Colts were the preseason favorites by many so-called experts to appear in the Super Bowl, but Andrew Luck was sidelined for most of the season due to injuries.  Their season ends here.

The Jaguars (5-11)

Blake Bortles was a fantasy football rock star this season, and Jacksonville has a team that seems to be coming together better than their record would suggest.  They could be a contender in another season or two, but not this year.

The Titans (3-13)

Tennessee will have the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.  They are an absolute mess of an organization in need of better ownership and leadership.  Marcus Mariota looks like the real deal, so if they can build around him, there's a chance for them to rise from these ashes.

Sick Bay

"I'm a doctor, not a Hall of Fame statistician."

LB  Jadeveon Clowney - Foot

DE  Jeoffrey Pagan - Illness

WR  Cecil Shorts III - Hamstring

Post-game Update:

OT  Duane Brown - Torn quadriceps: placed on injured reserve

On the rushing play he was injured, Duane Brown pulled from his left tackle position and crossed the formation to the right and blew open the biggest hole I've seen all season in a violent collision.  His right quadriceps was torn and his leg buckled when he tried to stand up, so he was carted away to a standing ovation by fans after the entire Texans' bench met him mid-field.  Brown is the heart and soul of the offensive line, and he is the most tenured Houston Texan.  He'll train hard and come back as strong as ever.  Get well soon!

Movie Quote (name it):

"Think about it: so many years up there - alone, silent - building momentum until it chose to make its mark on Earth... a huge unstoppable force."

Bravo Zulu - J.J. Watt

100px-bravo_flag 100px-zulu_flag

(Bravo Zulu is a naval signal, conveyed by flag hoist or vocal, for "Well Done")

Watt finished the day with 3 sacks, 8 tackles (3 for a loss, 2 for no gain), 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 passes defended.

He led the way for the Houston defense to achieve 8 total sacks on the day and limit the Jaguars to only 32 yards rushing.  The guy is simply unstoppable.  It's literally history in the making.  He joins Reggie White as the only two players in NFL history to have 15+ sacks in three of their first five seasons in the league.

Honorable Mention

The entire defensive unit gets "honorable mention" for their outstanding performance.

How good have they been?  John Harris highlighted a few points in this article on The Mothership:

Over the past three weeks, three AFC South division foes ran for 50 (Indianapolis), 30 (Tenn) and 32 yards (Jacksonville). When Bill O'Brien talked about stopping the run and that being the first thing this defense needs to do, this was why.

No one has talked about him lately, but I will. None of the last three teams have found a way to block Vince Wilfork effectively. I'm not sure that the Jaguars ever truly moved him in the run game. He's been a rarely talked about asset in this defense but that man is instrumental to this team's success stopping the run for certain.

I love watching the dynamic between Brian Cushing and Benardrick McKinney, the team's starting inside linebackers. Early in the second quarter, as soon as the Jaguars came to the line of scrimmage, Cushing got everyone aligned. Then, based on what he saw, he got McKinney's attention and then pointed at the exact spot where the ball was headed. On the snap, both linebackers sprinted to the spot and lo and behold, Cushing was 100% correct. The Jaguars ran a zone play to the McKinney's side and the former Mississippi State star made the tackle for no gain. What's interesting was that the Jaguars lined up with three tight ends to Cushing's side but Cushing pointed the opposite direction and he was dead on.

Whitney Mercilus also gets a special nod for his performance in this game, as he led the team with 3.5 sacks.  He also forced 1 fumble and had 5 tackles (1 for a loss).  His final tally for the regular season is 12 sacks, 2 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, and 52 tackles (9 for a loss).

Movie Quote (a/k/a the hint):

"Vodka martini. Shaken, not stirred."

Liberty Call!

Ben Jones has an endorsement deal with Fuddruckers, and he put it to good use:

I found this hilarious!

Loud and proud on Saturday!

Ship's Galley

Let's go below deck and see what's cooking...

"Armadillo Tails"

A friend of mine brought these over during the holidays when we had a chili cook-off.  They are amazing!  I think it is just what you need for your tailgating festivities on Saturday for the Texans' playoff game.

(Makes 24 servings)

Ingredients

12 jalapeño peppers
8 oz cream cheese
8 slices of cooked bacon- chopped
4 lbs of raw sausage (I recommend "spicy" Jimmy Deans)

Directions

Slice jalapeño into halves length-wise and remove seeds, stems and membranes. Fill the pepper with cream cheese and place bacon on top of cream cheese.

Wrap sausage around the whole pepper. Fry in a skillet with about 2TB oil until outer layer of sausage is browned and cooked through.

On the Horizon...

Your Houston Texans are hosting their third wild card game in five seasons.  This Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (CST), they'll take on the Kansas City Chiefs at NRG Stadium.

GO TEXANS!!

Chiefs vs Texans coverage

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