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Sunday, September 16, 2012

Houston Texans have yet to be tested this season - NFL News

Through two weeks of this young season, the Houston Texans have arrived as advertised.

Facing a soft early schedule, Houston beat up an iffy Miami Dolphins squad in the opener and kept the party going Sunday in a 27-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Houston's defense took control early, holding the Jaguars to just 43 yards in the first half, helping set a dubious franchise record for Jacksonville. Jaguars starter Blaine Gabbert suffered through one of his worst days as pro before leaving with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter. Backup Chad Henne entered the fray with no answers.

This game was blueprint Texans football. Smothering defense and a pounding ground game that saw Arian Foster and Ben Tate combine for 184 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries. Quarterback Matt Schaub was never tested, asked merely to manage the game with a heavy dose of screen passes and short offerings to his tight ends.

Welcome to coach Gary Kubiak's master plan. This isn't a fluke.

People have called this a Super Bowl team, but we're about to find out what the Texans are made of. After taking on the Denver Broncos next week and the Tennessee Titans on Sept. 30, the month of October includes games against the New York Jets, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. That dance card would wreck lesser teams.

So far, so good in Houston, but we haven't seen this team pushed to the brink. If they can manage the rugged teams with the weak, the Texans will be there when January comes calling.

Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.

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