Sep 16, 2007, 20:38 GMT
Charlotte, NC - Matt Schaub threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns on 20-of-28 passing, as Houston toppled Carolina, 34-21.
Andre Johnson caught seven balls for 120 yards and a pair of touchdowns before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with a left knee injury for the Texans (2-0), who ripped off 34 consecutive points and began a season by winning their first two games for the first time in franchise history.
'This is a tremendous team victory,' said Texans head coach Gary Kubiak. 'We've got a group of guys who believe in themselves who are going to play 60 minutes regardless of what's going on, and I think that showed today.'
Ahman Green rushed 15 times for 71 yards and one TD and Kevin Walter added a key special teams touchdown.
Jake Delhomme completed 27-of-41 passes for 307 yards and three scores with an interception for the Panthers (1-1). Steve Smith caught eight balls for 153 yards and three touchdowns but DeShaun Foster was held to 22 yards on nine carries in the loss.
Ahead by three at the break, the Texans picked up where they left off at the start of the second half.
Green's 13-yard run to the end zone ended a 56-yard, five-play drive to begin the third quarter and put the visitors ahead 24-14.
On the ensuing kickoff, Nick Goings had the ball knocked out of his hands by Texans cornerback Demarcus Faggins and it rolled backward into the end zone where Walter fell on it for a touchdown and a 17-point Houston lead.
Will Demps forced Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams to fumble on the first play of the fourth, and Houston had the ball on Carolina's 45. Nine plays later, Kris Brown nailed a 33-yard field goal for a 34-14 contest.
Carolina crept within 34-21 with 4:26 to play in the game, as Smith caught a ball in traffic, fought off three Texans defenders, and broke free for a 74-yard touchdown, but the plucky visitors held on late to post the surprising victory.
'We didn't do enough offensively,' said Delhomme. 'We didn't make enough plays on offense. We had a few to be made here and there but next thing you know, it's 31-14.'
After holding Houston on its first possession, Carolina made the most of its opening drive, going 64 yards in nine plays ending with Smith's seven-yard touchdown catch. On the score, Delhomme's throw hit Faggins in the back of the helmet, caromed upward, and settled into Smith's hands.
On Houston's next drive, Owen Daniels had the ball stripped away and recovered by Carolina's Ken Lucas and returned to the Texans' 13-yard line. Although replays seemed to reveal Daniels' knee was down before the ball came out, the call stood. Two plays later, Delhomme and Smith hooked up again on a 12-yard score to make it 14-0.
The Texans struck right back, though, on the next series as Johnson rumbled 31 yards on a catch-and-run for a 14-7 game.
On their following drive, Schaub hit Daniels on a key fourth-and-four from the Panthers' 36, and a potential drive-killing Lucas interception on the next play was overturned by replay. Johnson then hauled in a nine-yard pass on a third-and-6 for the tying score, to finish off an 80-yard march in 16 plays which bridged the first and second quarters and took 7:39.
Brown's 25-yard field goal then put Houston up by three with 2:17 to play before the break, and Carolina was unable to capitalize on its final drive of the half.
'We didn't make plays,' said a disappointed Panthers head coach John Fox. 'We dropped balls. We fumbled the ball on kickoff for a touchdown. When you turn it over as many times as we did today, you are not going to win.'
Game Notes
Johnson was later diagnosed with a sprained left knee and will be evaluated on Monday...Houston won the only prior meeting in November, 2003...Carolina dropped its fourth consecutive home opener...The Texans have won four straight games dating back to last season...Houston was without starting defensive tackle Travis Johnson due to a foot injury...The Texans host Indianapolis next Sunday and Carolina heads to Atlanta next Sunday.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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