Super Mario Party: Texans Tame Broncos In Primetime

For everyone from the suckers who went to the sports bars because they thought the game was only on the NFL Network, to the lucky souls who knew that the game was on Channel 20, the confused folks who mistook the Texans red-on-red uniforms for a horrible laundry error, and to Channel 20 itself (which no doubt got their highest ratings since they ceased to be a UPN affiliate), the Texans thumping of the Broncos was a triumph in whatever context you found it.

Any lingering questions about the wisdom of drafting Mario Williams were swept away as the second-year defensive end recorded 3.5 sacks as the Texans defense carried the day en route to the .500 mark with two weeks to go in the season. The Broncos were largely ineffective on offense all night; one of their touchdowns was disputed after DeMeco Ryans forced a fumble in the endzone, but the TD was upheld after a review.

The Texans have the makings of a genuine quarterback controversy after another stellar start by Sage Rosenfels. Rosenfels threw for one touchdown, ran another in, and had one interception on an unlucky tip and generally didn't make the mistakes that one would expect from a backup quarterback. He's obviously got the chops to make it as a starter; whether or not the Texans see him as a viable alternative to the still quite good (when healthy) Matt Schaub remains to be seen. DGDB&D has an interesting rundown of reasons for and against trading Sage while his trade value is high. Sage is 3-0 as a starter this year, but Schaub may be recovered enough from his shoulder injury to start against the Colts next week. We recommend keeping the hot hand (Sage) in the game; just like Vegas, don't wimp out when you're rolling.

The Texans travel to Indy to face Peyton Manning (the Manning brother who doesn't suck) and the defending champ Colts. When the two teams matched up in Houston in Week 3, the Texans held their own even without Andre Johnson, though they did end up losing by six. With the offense cracking, the defense fortified, and the speed gain by playing indoors on turf in Indiana, the Texans may have the chance to play spoiler against the AFC South's 800 lb. gorilla. If Mario is able to stomp Peyton like a grape a time or two, all the better.