Mario Williams' War: Texans Preview 12/22

This weekend, there's a movie coming out called Charlie Wilson's War; the eponymous Wilson was a congressman from Lufkin (actual motto: You'll Love Lufkin!) who funneled arms and money to the Afghan rebels fighting against the USSR in the waning years of the Cold War. Wilson took up the fight because the Afghans were underdogs and when they were pissed, they'd hurt the Commies in ways that red-blooded Americans of the time only wished they could. The Texans are underdogs this week against the mighty Colts, and they've got a very large pissed off man who just got snubbed for the Pro Bowl on their side. Evil Empire, meet your mujahideen.

In an unusually well-thought out NFL column this week, ESPN columnist Bill Simmons finally picked up the new conventional wisdom and recognized that Mario was the correct no. 1 pick in the 2006 Draft. He went further by positing that Mario has been playing like a man possessed this year precisely because everyone (draft pundits, sports radio clowns, local columnists named Justice) wanted him to fail and prove them right. This may or may not be the case, but we wouldn't want to be an offensive lineman standing between Mario and a chance to rip Peyton Manning's head off and ship it back to his family with a note on it that says "At least you've still got Eli. HAHAHAHAHA!" A sack tomorrow would bring Williams' streak of consecutive games with a sack to six.

The Texans' offense should remain hot behind Sage Rosenfels and the one-two punch of running backs Darius Walker and Ron Dayne. Any game at the RCA Dome in Indy will be a fast one, and if Sage gets enough pocket time, he and Andre Johnson could have a field day with the Colts' secondary. If the Texans can keep it close, Rosenfels should give them a chance to win: he leads the NFL in QB Rating in the 4th quarter. (Fun Fact: the aforementioned Simmons column ranks the active QBs in the NFL, and the worst in the league is none other than....David Carr! Come on down and receive your trophy and hair gel!)

Of course, no one really expects the Texans to win tomorrow unless the Colts completely mail it in. The Texans are hot, but the Colts are the defending Super Bowl champs. However, between an offense on a hot streak, a Pro Bowl caliber defense, and the chance to ensure the first .500 season in franchise history, the conventional wisdom may need another adjustment.

Texans at Colts
Sunday, December 23rd
RCA Dome (Indianapolis)
12 pm, CBS