QB Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

HT: 6-5, WT: 237, Born: 6-25-1981, College: Virginia, Drafted: Round 3

2013 Projections

Average draft position

Current as of May 6th. [Full ADP list]

Overall: D Hopkins (152), M Bush (153), Matt Schaub (154), K Hunter (155), J Franklin (156)
Position: P Rivers (143-QB19), J Cutler (150-QB20), Matt Schaub (154 - QB21), R Tannehill (174-QB22), S Bradford (176-QB23)
Click here for a comparison of these players.

Outlook

Matt Schaub is coming off a 12-4 season in which he led the Texans to the AFC South Division title and a wild card win against the Bengals. He has passed for over 4,000 yards in three of the last four years and quite possibly could have gone 4-for-4 if not for an injury that ended his 2011 season in week 10. Schaub is a nine year veteran in the league and has been the starting quarterback for the Texans each of the last six years. He routinely reaches mid 20's in touchdown passes and aside from 2011, he hasn't missed a game since 2009. This year the team has added a very capable rookie wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, who is projected to be an outstanding compliment to perennial All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson. The combination of two solid receivers, plus the consistent effort from tight end Owen Daniels could propel Matt Schaub back into the conversation of being a Top 10-12 fantasy quarterback.

2013 Schedule

2012 Game Summaries

Week 1 - Schaub continues to be one of the more underrated quarterbacks in the NFL. After missing the end of last season to injury, Schaub had an excellent day against a Miami defense that looked slow and out of sync. He completed 20 of 31 passes for a meager 266 yards but was lethal in his efficiency. Schaub was able to find plenty of time in the pocket which in turn gave him plenty of time to look for seams in the defense. His best throw came on a pass to Lester Jean in the first half that looked to be a sideline touchdown before being overruled upon review. On the play, Schaub put the ball only where Jean could catch it with accuracy and the perfect touch. Schaub also showed his veteran savvy by allowing the play to develop downfield on more than one occasion, including a 29 yard completion to Owen Daniels to the left side of the field that saw the quarterback drop the ball between four defenders to his wide open tight end. Schaub also had two great throws to the right side in leading Andre Johnson down field for a touchdown and a big gain. Schaub showed no ill affects from last season's injuries and was able to move around in the pocket with ease.

Week 2 - Schaub had another cooly efficient game under center as the Texans quarterback. Schaub was content to complete short, safe passes to Arian Foster and Owen Daniels instead of taking needless chances downfield to Andre Johnson. Schaub completed 8 passes between 10 and 18 yards to go with a number of screen passes and quick hitches as the Texans moved the ball efficiently against the Jaguars defense. Despite having a low yard-per-attempt on the day, Schaub appeared in complete control of the offense throughout and had very little trouble moving the ball. He was not sacked and did not turn the ball over as the Texans used a power rushing game that totaled over 200 yards on the ground to overpower Jacksonville. Schaub's contribution served to keep the rushing lanes open, which he did very well.

Week 3 - Schaub and the Houston Texans offense could not have had a worse start on Sunday as Schaub was hit for a safety on their first offensive play. However, the following three drives were anything but disappointing. Starting on the 20, Schaub opened the 2nd drive with what has become a staple of the Texan offense, a play-action boot with Schaub finding Kevin Walter for 18 yards. Three plays later, facing a 1st and 20, Schaub again went again to the play action, giving Andre Johnson plenty of time to fake a deep out before turning back up field. Safety Mike Adams jumped the underneath Owen Daniels underneath route leaving Tracy Porter, who appeared to be expecting over the top help from Adams, well behind Johnson. The ball was perfectly thrown by Schaub and Johnson walked into the end zone untouched. The Texans’ 3rd drive was easily their most impressive drive, converting four 3rd downs and driving 99 yards (after another false start) for the TD. Schaub completed passes to four different receivers, including all three TEs with the last being a swing pass to Arian Foster for a three-yard TD on a swing pass. Schaub looked very comfortable in the pocket, especially on his 3rd and 11 conversion to Keshawn Martin for 18 yards, who was Schaub’s third option on the play. The following drive looked very similar to the first; with a play-action fake giving Schaub plenty of time on the 52-yard TD pass to Walter. Walter sold the outside route to Porter and Schaub again dropped a perfect pass in the middle of the field, allowing Walter to run underneath the bomb and easily walk into the end zone. After his first four drives Schaub was 8/10, for 177 yards and 3 TDs, completing passes to seven different receivers. Clearly Denver planned to make life less comfortable in the 2nd half, but even back-to-back roughing the passer penalties, including one by Joe Mays which not only violently removed Schaub’s helmet, but also reportedly took a part of his ear, didn’t slow Schaub down. On the first penalty, Schaub again threw a pass up to a streaking Johnson and if it weren’t for a tremendous play by Champ Bailey, the perfectly thrown ball would have been another TD for the duo. The Texans’ final TD drive saw rookie Lestar Jean turn a relatively short gain into a 46-yard completion, again setting Houston up deep in Bronco territory. Two plays later Schaub found Owen Daniels for a 14-yard TD pass. Schaub did throw one INT, but it took a spectacular play from LB Wesley Woodyard for the blemish. Trying to drive late in the 2nd quarter for at least a FG try, Woodyard essentially made a one-handed grab on the Daniels intended pass.

Week 4 - Once again, Matt Schaub showed poise and complete command of the offense in leading the Texans to their fourth straight victory to start the season. Despite an average passing line of a 71% completion percentage and 7.2 yards per attempt, Schaub did an excellent job protecting the ball and was not sacked once despite the Texans keeping eight defenders near the line of scrimmage most of the game. Schaub's best pass came on a touchdown to James Casey. Schaub correctly identified the oncoming rush from the right side and placed great touch on a pass to his tight end who was running outside to the left. Interestingly, Schaub continues to target Andre Johnson only when the situation seems to warrant a big play. Otherwise, Schaub is content to spread the ball around to players like Casey and Owen Daniels in the middle of the field. For the season Schaub has a 105.3 quarterback rating and only one interception to go with seven touchdowns.

Week 5 - Schaub’s success is predicated upon play action. During his team’s first drive, Schaub was 2-for-2 on play action passes, delivering both passes to Owen Daniels. Schaub’s second completion to Daniels was a thing of beauty. Schaub drew the linebackers up by making a great play fake to Arian Foster. Schaub rolled out to the left and threw a beautiful pass to Owen Daniels for a 34-yard touchdown. During this drive, Schaub completed four of his five pass attempts for 67 yards while picking up three critical third downs. The Texans had a lot of success running the ball, so Schaub made the most of his play action opportunities. For the entire game, Schaub completed 7-of-8 play action passes for 109 yards.

The Jets’ secondary, namely Antonio Cromartie, did a great job of limiting Andre Johnson. Cromartie blanketed Johnson for the majority of the game, forcing Schaub to check down to his running backs and tight ends. During his third drive, Schaub tried to force the ball to Johnson on a deep crossing route, but Cromartie undercut the route and intercepted the pass. The Jet offense turned this miscue into seven points.

Week 6 - Matt Schaub was on the receiving end of a desperate Green Bay effort, and his stats showed. Schaub saw much pressure from the GB front early, being sacked once along with numerous pressures and hits in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Schaub was able to get slightly more comfortable and find his usual targets more consistently into the second quarter, but that would prove to be a mirage. Schaub’s first interception was the result of a miscommunication with his wide receiver Keyshawn Martin. Schaub’s night ended early as a result of a dominating Green Bay performance.

Week 7 - As has been his habit this season, Schaub was poised and in control against the Ravens during the Texans impressive victory over Baltimore in week 7. Schaub completed nearly two-thirds of his passes for two touchdowns and – more importantly – zero touchdowns in guiding the Texans to their most impressive win of the season. His throws were crisp and Schaub showed excellent judgement in deciding when to try for a large gain and when to take a safe underneath throw. While Schaub focused the bulk of his passes on reliable targets Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels, he also spread the ball around to James Casey and Garrett Graham in a successful attempt to keep the Ravens front seven at bay. Schaub was sacked twice although he appeared to be very effective audible at the line to inside runs when an outside rush looked imminent. His best throw came on a 25 yard touchdown pass to Kevin Walter down the middle of the field. On the play, Schaub stood tall as the pass rush came and found his offside receiver streaking down the middle of the field between two safeties. His pass was on target and hit Walter on the run, enabling the score. Schaub took advantage all game of getting Andre Johnson the ball on short passes wherein the receiver was on the run and could gain yardage after the catch. While none of the completions resulted in huge gains, they did help keep the safeties off the line of scrimmage allowing for Adrian Foster, Justin Forsett, and Ben Tate to combine for 177 rushing yards. Schaub is showing increased confidence every week not just as a passer but in controlling the tempo of the offense and leading the team to an offensive style that is well-balanced.

Week 9 - Fresh off their bye, Matt Schaub and the offense took some time to get the passing game going. After back-to-back drives resulting in rather quick punts to kick the game off (going a shaky two for five, with a couple bad incompletions to open targets), Schaub found his groove on the third drive. The best play fake with boot action team in the league, Schaub opened the drive with a boot. Throwing back across the field away from the boot, Schaub easily connected with a wide-open Kevin Walter for 18 yards. The very next play, Andre Johnson easily won to the inside on a slant for seven yards. Two plays later, after Buffalo had just been gouged by the run game, Schaub again booted left off play action. Owen Daniels, sliding with the protection easily lost the coverage in the play fake and slipped down the sideline uncovered. Schaub again threw to the play fake side, hitting Daniels for a 39-yard TD pass. The following drive, Schaub again found success with the passing game. With CB Aaron Williams finally able to stick with Johnson, Schaub simply threw back shoulder to his favorite target as Johnson killed the route, gave Williams a little push and picked up 13 yards. Following another big run, Schaub again used the play fake, finding an uncovered James Casey running uncovered up the seam for 25 yards. Schaub’s best throw would come on the first drive in the 2nd half. After Johnson easily shook Williams again, Schaub perfectly touched a pass over the top to Johnson for 34 yards. Schaub put just the right amount of air underneath the throw, allowing the WR to catch the soft pass in stride and nearly score, just getting tackled at the Bills’ four-yard line. It was Schaub again two drives later who would lead the Texans on their final scoring drive of the game. Using the boot action again, Schaub rolled left, looking for Johnson deep down the middle of the field. Seeing solid coverage there, Schaub dumped it to an uncovered Walter in the flat for 10 yards. Two plays later, facing a 2nd and long, Schaub threw a 12-yard strike to Daniels across the middle. Tired of Johnson getting behind the coverage, the Bills’ DBs (namely Stephon Gilmore) was well off Johnson and Schaub beat the coverage easily with a 14-yard toss to Johnson on the hitch. Schaub and Johnson again connected four plays later, using the quick slant for 18 yards to the Buffalo nine. Johnson again beat the coverage inside and Schaub threw a dart. Never one to ignore the open receiver, Schaub hit backup TE Garrett Graham on consecutive throws. Graham slipped off the line on the first for five yards on an out for the first catch before Schaub’s feet helped buy time to find the TE again. Trying to hit Daniels on the inside, Schaub had to break the pocket before finding Graham for the six-yard TD pass. Just as he has done all season, Schaub was efficient and there to make a play when the Texans needed him to. The game script never called for an all out air assault, but Schaub made sure to get the offense going when it stalled. Schaub did not throw any INTs, nor was he even close to throwing any and handled the Bills’ pressure (the majority coming from Mario Williams) without turning the ball over.

Week 10 - Weather conditions made throwing the ball extremely difficult and it showed in the final numbers that Matt Schaub posted. His only TD pass came late in the second quarter, where he rolled out to his right and threw a perfect little pass to Arian Foster as he scraped along the goal line. Foster made a diving catch despite being well defended by Lance Briggs. Schaub’s longest pass was just a 23 yard crossing route to Kevin Walter in the third quarter, but that was caused more by the CB slipping as Walter made his break rather than any specific thing that Schaub or Walter did correctly. Most of Schaubs passes were short dump off and curl routes because throwing the ball deep down the field against the Bears was nearly impossible. His two interceptions came on back to back throws late in the first quarter and early in the second. The first was a short pass to the right, intended for Kelvin Martin and Tim Jennings just jumped the route perfectly and made the pick. On the next series, after a couple running plays to end the quarter, Schaub ran a play action pass and threw it deep down the sideline again. It was unclear who he was targeting but Tim Jennings again jumped in and picked it off. He nearly returned it for a TD, but was tagged on the foot after running into Lance Briggs and falling down. After that, Schaub basically went completely conservative, throwing short passes and check downs to avoid any possible turnover. On the TD pass, he rolled to his right and as Foster broke to the sideline along the goal line, Schaub lofted it perfectly where Foster was able to dive and make the catch, despite being blanketed by Lance Briggs. In the second half, Schaub completed just five passes, including the 23 yard catch and run to Walter. He wasn’t good in this game, but given the field conditions, it was about as good as he could have been expected to do. Having Arian Foster to hand the ball to didn’t hurt.

Week 11 - Schaub had a sensational game against the Jaguars. He threw for career highs in yards and touchdowns and had little trouble hitting his receivers all over the field. Schaub was masterful in leading the offense, connecting on a pair of late touchdowns to Garrett Graham to force overtime before completing a screen to Andre Johnson for the winning score. Schaub's best pass came on the game tying touchdown to Graham. On the play, Graham lined up tight to the right side and then slipped to the back left of the end zone. Schaub faked the handoff and slid to the right side of the pocket before throwing across his body to his wide open tight end. Schaub had a lot of success on deep crosses and showed excellent touch on screen passes to both sides of the field. Even with the normally reliable running game struggling to make big gains, Schaub was excellent at audibling at the line of scrimmage and continuing drives against the Jaguars feeble offense. His yardage total was the second highest in league history and his five touchdowns were the high mark for the season in the NFL. It can not be over stated how in-control of the offense Schaub currently is. His only poor game in a month came in sloppy conditions against the stout Chicago defense. Otherwise, he has been able to complete passes without many turnovers all over the field for the last half of the season.

Week 12 - Once again, Schaub looked completely in control of the Texans offense against the Lions on Thanksgiving. He was not as accurate as last week but still managed to pick up huge chunks of yardage on long passes most of the day. He threw a number of deep balls to Andre Johnson on go patterns and deep crosses that resulted in big gains. His best pass came on a rollout to the right when he found Johnson in stride 20 yards downfield. He had a nine yard touchdown pass to Owen Daniels as well. On that play, Schaub took the snap and quickly threw the ball to Daniels who was running a short in route right to the goalline. However, the game was not without its problems for the quarterback. In regulation, Schaub under-threw a wide open Owen Daniels on a go route to the left side. Lions defensive end Kyle Van De Bosch dropped a sure interception inside the Houston ten yard line when Schaub didn't put enough air under a screen pass in overtime. Later, Schaub had an interception in overtime to Chris Houston on an ill-advised throw right to the defender. However, the Lions were not able to move the ball and score giving the Texans another chance. Upon getting the ball back, Schaub completed a 23 yard pass to Andre Johnson on a deep slant. The play moved the Texans in to field goal range and helped them win the game. Schaub continues to be the unsung hero of the Houston offense. He is steady in the pocket and does not give up easy sacks. With Andre Johnson appearing to be back to good health, Schaub continues to be one of the more reliable quarterbacks in the game.

Week 13 - Once again, Matt Schaub was in complete control of the Texans' offense against the Titans. He avoided being sacked all day and smartly completed short passes both in the flat and across the middle rather than force the ball deep where the Titans' defenders were waiting. His best pass came on a play action touchdown throw to James Casey. Casey lined up as an H-back and slipped out of the backfield to the right side uncovered for an easy score. On the play, Schaub did an excellent job not looking Casey's way until just as he was about to throw it, making sure that Casey remained uncovered for the catch. Schaub completed just under two-thirds of his throws and was stellar in reading the defense and spreading the ball around to receivers that were single-covered. His longest pass on the day came on a 54 yard touchdown strike to Lester Jean. On the play, Schaub lofted the ball high to Jean who was streaking down the left side. The Titans' defender tried to make a play on the ball but could not reach it, thus allowing Jean to catch it in stride and score his first career touchdown.

Week 14 - Despite his best efforts, Matt Schaub simply could not get the offense going against the Patriots. His long passes were well-defended and his short passes rarely resulted in many yards after the catch. His best pass came on a crossing pattern to James Casey. On the play, Schaub stepped up in the pocket to buy time for Casey to get downfield. Schaub threw a nice long pass to his streaking fullback for a large gain. Otherwise, Schaub completed five passes of more than 19 yards but was only able to convert four of fifteen third or fourth down conversions. Schaub was intercepted once by Devin McCourty as well.

Week 15 - Schaub returned to form against the Colts after a difficult game last Monday against the Patriots. He completed nearly 70% of his passes and showed excellent discipline in not throwing the ball in to tight coverage. While Schaub did absorb 3 sacks, he made a number of timely throws on and passed for 13 first downs as the Texans controlled the clock and the flow of the game. Schaub's best throw came on a touchdown pass to Andre Johnson. On the play, Johnson lined up split to the right and ran a quick slant. Schaub correctly identified where the pass-rush would come from and fired a quick pass ahead of Johnson between two defenders. Johnson did the rest, side-stepping a tackler and coasting across the goalline for a touchdown. Schaub did underthrow Johnson on the game's first drive, turning a sure touchdown in to “only” a 52 yard gain. Schaub continues to play well within the offensive scheme and returned to making good decisions after last week's failures.

Week 16 - As has been the case for the last few weeks, Matt Schaub has had difficulty moving the Texan offense with any consistency.  His primary problem seems to be accuracy outside of the hash marks.  Early in the year these throws were an excellent way to open the middle of the field for Andre Johnson on go routes while also loaning the run defense for Arian Foster.  Schaub is now under throwing close receivers and overthrowing deep receivers to the outside.  As a result, the defense can keep a safety between the hashes, limiting the effectiveness of Johnson and Foster.  Schaub made a number of good throws to Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels but was unable to get either of them the ball on the run.  Missing in the Texans passing game in recent weeks are the deep balls outside of the hash marks that open up running lanes for Foster and Tate.  His best throw came on a rollout to the left where Schaub evaded the pass rush, stepped up, and hit Garrett Graham for a solid gain.

Week 17 - Schaub let his team down in their most important game of the season. He had two terrible interceptions, one underthrown when James Casey was wide open downfield in the first half, and another on the Texans last possession of the game when he tried an ill-advised deep ball to a well-covered Andre Johnson. The Texans tried to lean on the run and short passing game early, but they played from behind for almost the whole game, and Schaub had to take the offense on his shoulders. The Colts got pressure at key moments that Schaub couldn't escape, and Andre Johnson did drop a potential touchdown. Against a weak pass defense, Schaub couldn't muster a touchdown pass, and that was too much for the Texans to overcome.

Week 18 - A long time coming, Schaub finally got his first playoff start and while it was far from spectacular, he did enough through the air to compliment the running game in the Texans’ victory over Cincinnati on Saturday. After opening with a quick three and out, Schaub and the Texans took over deep in their own territory. As he did with considerable frequency, Schaub looked to his TE to get the offense going, hitting Owen Daniels over the middle for 17 yards. After three successful runs, Schaub went play action but was forced to check down to Arian Foster underneath for an eight-yard gain. Two plays later, Schaub went back to Daniels, but the TE sat down in the coverage while Schaub expected him to continue the route resulting in an incompletion on 3rd down. The following drive, Schaub opened again with a short toss to Daniels for six yards before hitting WR Kevin Walter on a shallow crosser on 3rd down to pick up a 1st down. Schaub went back to play action and this time was able to find Andre Johnson down the field for an easy 19-yard completion. After sneaking for a 1st down, Schaub was forced to check down on 3rd down to on a short dump to Walter to bring on the FG team. After opening the next drive with a short swing to Foster, Schaub made a costly mistake on 3rd down. Having already ran a considerable amount of short angle routes outside, Schuab and the Texans went back to the well. Coming out of the backfield, James Casey went straight to the marker/sideline. Schaub’s throw was well behind Casey (and late), missing in the worst way possible and Leon Hall was able to snatch the poor throw out of the air and maintain his balance before returning the INT for a TD. Despite the INT, Schaub and the Texan offense responded well. After another failed screen kicked off the next drive, losing four yards; Schaub hit TE Garrett Graham on a crosser for 19 yards. Two plays later Schaub hit Daniels over the middle again for seven yards before going back to him on the same play two plays later for another seven-yard gain. Schaub dropped back to throw the next play on 3rd and goal, but missed a very open Johnson just inside the end zone. Johnson was open, but the throw was a bit too wide and the WR was unable to make the TD catch. Schaub and the offense got one more drive before halftime and nearly marched down the field for another score. After connecting with Daniels for eight yards, Schaub hit Johnson on a dig for 11 yards. Three plays later Schaub was hit as he threw to Daniels, resulting in a wobbly throw, but Daniels was able to make an incredible adjustment for a 19-yard gain. The drive fizzled as Schaub’s throw on 4th down sailed and Daniels couldn’t maintain control as he was hit. With a short field on their first drive out of halftime, Schaub and the offense were finally able to find the end zone. After getting some help from a Manny Lawson penalty to extend the drive, Schaub dumped it off to Foster in the flat for an 11-yard gain. The following play Schaub delivered a strike to Johnson down the middle for 22 yards to get the offense to the Bengal five-yard line and ultimately led to a Texans’ TD (their only of the game). After converting on the next drive’s first 3rd down with a 13-yard completion to Foster, Schaub hit Daniels again on a short outside throw to set up another short 3rd down before ultimately having to punt. The offense was given great field position after an INT and Schaub completed consecutive throws to Johnson and Daniels to get the offense inside the Bengal ten, but again were forced to kick a FG as Schaub (reoccurring theme all game) went safe and short to Foster on 3rd down. Schaub was able to complete both his throws the following drive, but the latter to Walter was just short of the marker forcing another punt. With dwindling time and six-point lead, Schaub’s most important completion of the game came on the game’s final drive. Facing a 3rd and two, Schaub went play action and after ample time in the pocket, went short to Graham just beyond the sticks. The throw was high, and exposed the TE to a brutal hit, but Graham was able to maintain control for the 1st down and the resulting victory. Certainly not Schaub’s most impressive game, he was able to do enough to work the offense consistently into scoring position (they’re going to need TDs next weekend). He did have one costly turnover, but was able to quickly move on from the pick-six and promptly regain the lead. Schaub was quick to check down on Saturday, which kept the QB clean (wasn’t sacked once), but also severely limited the big plays (their longest being a 22-yard completion to Johnson). Averaging an abysmal nine yards per completion, the passing offense will have to be more explosive in New England.

Week 19 - Don’t let the numbers fool you; Schaub continued his late season struggles in Sunday’s game against the Patriots. After opening the game with tremendous field position, Schaub missed on consecutive throws to bring on the FG team. After perfectly putting the 2nd down throw on James Casey’s hands (who couldn’t hold on), Schaub badly missed a very open Andre Johnson in the back of the end zone. While the following drive opened with three consecutive completions, all over 10 yards, the offense again sputtered as Schaub missed Johnson on 2nd down before checking down to Owen Daniels for five yards on the crosser. Schaub opened the next drive with a perfect back shoulder throw to Johnson for 14 yards, but missed his next two throws, including what should have been at minimum a 1st down to a slanting Arian Foster who was moments from running away from the LB. Schaub rushed the throw and Foster was unable to adjust quickly enough to catch the low throw. Another drive, two more completions early, including a strike to Johnson across the middle for 16 yards and a swing pass to Foster for 12. However, the drive stalled again with consecutive incompletions on 2nd and 3rd down. Schaub opened the a 3rd consecutive drive with a completion to Johnson, this time picking up 13 before a nice completion to Devier Posey on a deep crosser for 24 yards. After missing Daniels on his next throw, Schaub completed a pass to Posey on a screen but lost two yards on the play. Facing a 3rd and long, Schaub again played it safe as he dumped the ball off to Garrett Graham underneath for a five-yard gain. Through five drives, Schaub and the offense could only score three points (doing so on a very short field). The string of four straight punts was broken finally, but Schaub had nothing to do with it (another strong KO return followed by five straight runs from Foster). Schaub did however get the offense moving just before half, opening with an 11-yard completion to Casey. Schaub went short again the following play, hitting Daniels over the middle for 11 more yards. After an incompletion, Schaub dumped to Daniels again, picking up five yards and getting the Texans into FG range. First drive out of halftime looked boringly similar to the struggles in the 1st half. Trying to work Daniels behind the line of scrimmage off play action, the play was easily snuffed out by New England and went for a loss. The following play Schaub did a nice job avoiding pressure and getting outside the pocket, but curiously threw the ball away just as he had avoided pressure. Working out of his own end zone, Schaub hit Foster on another swing pass and the RB picked up 28 yards. Two plays later, Schaub again did a nice job escaping pressure but bounced the ball off his knee and was forced to take a “sack” as he dove on the loose ball. Schaub responded well, with one of his better throws, zipping a 22-yard completion to Johnson for the 1st down. Schaub went back to the short game, hitting Casey in for five yards before swinging the ball to Foster again for a short gain. Schaub made a critical error on 3rd down, however, as he tried to place the ball over LB Rob Ninkovich but didn’t put enough air underneath the throw. Ninkovich was able to extend and make a great play, intercepting the short pass. The following drive saw the same short passing game and thus, the final result wasn’t much different than the majority of the Texans’ drives. Schaub opened the drive with an eight-yard completion to Graham over the middle before again going short of the sticks with another eight-yard completion to Kevin Walter on the next 3rd down. Facing a 4th and short, Schaub airmailed Posey deep down the field as the Texans turned the ball over on downs and all but sealed their fate. Schaub’s best throw of the night came on the following drive, as he finally was willing (and able) to throw the ball down the field. With Posey essentially locked up in coverage running down the sideline, Schaub did a spectacular job of throwing his WR open. The ball was perfectly placed, and though it appeared Posey couldn’t corral it before sliding out of bounds, the replay official overturned the incompletion resulting in Schaub’s first TD pass of his playoff career. Despite the TD, a massive deficit and a ticking clock; Schaub just couldn’t the offense vertical on the final scoring drive. Throwing the ball ten times, Schaub only completed two passes over ten yards and burned nearly five minutes of game time in the process. By the end of it Schaub did have another TD pass, this time to Foster from two yards out, but it was much too little too late. Schaub’s struggles continued (the inability to vertically attack) and it proved to be too much for the Texans to overcome. Despite scoring 28 points, they only had two scoring drives begin on their side of the 50, with the defense playing well off to prevent the big play on the latter of those drives. Unwilling, or unable, to attack vertically allowed the Patriots defense to condense the field considerably.