Final stats here. Much more to come on this later, including a detailed PGB, but I will leave you for now with this:

Your Houston Texans have never lost on Monday night. Discuss.

It's still Monday Night Football, and it's still your Houston Texans. Keep those Comments coming, people.

Back in April when the schedule was first released, I reacted in predictably reserved fashion:

Finally...a Monday Night Football game at Reliant! Against a division rival! I think I just pissed my pants a little bit.

Now, seven and a half months later, much has changed. Not my bladder control problems, mind you. The stakes, which we hoped would be substantial, are now negligible. Some fans of our beloved 4-7 team would even argue that accumulating losses, so as to improve draft positioning, would actually be preferable to notching any more wins.

Not me. Not tonight.

It's Monday Night Football, folks. Your Houston Texans are the only football game on television this evening. I'm not naive enough to say that all eyes are going to be on Reliant, because they're not. But every eye that wants to watch some football tonight will be, and that's good enough for me. Additionally, don't underestimate the value of putting on a good show as justification for future prime time slots. Regardless of the record, your Houston Texans need to play well tonight or risk being banished to an immediate future of nothing but Sunday noon starts.

It's been a disappointing season in Houston. We know it, and the organization knows it. Let's forget all of that for one glorious night and make this the first of several Monday night games at Reliant. Soak it in and enjoy it.

As always, leave your pre-game, in-game, and post-game observations, death threats, and tributes to Mario Williams in the Comments below. A second-half open thread will post to the main page at 9 p.m. CST, so move the party there at the appropriate hour. GO TEXANS!

You know the drill, so let's get cracking. Three (3) things that are destined to happen at Reliant tonight when the Jags come running out of the tunnel:

1. Steve Slaton did a whole lot of nothing in his first meeting against Jacksonville. It won't happen again tonight. I'm feeling 108 total yards from Slaton this evening, 35 of which will be via a scamper into the end zone. In the second quarter.

2. Owen Daniels came up big against the Jags earlier this season, and I like him again tonight to the tune of 75 yards and a TD. Bonus passing game prediction: 'Dre will not be a decoy tonight, but he won't break 100 yards. I'm calling 89 yards and a TD for him.

3. Remember what happened the last time Super Mario played in prime time? So do I. Expect a slightly less impressive performance, which is to say two (2) sacks instead of 3.5.

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT: It's Battle Red Night. It's Monday Night Football. It's a struggling Jacksonville squad. Not even the potentially absurd decision to declare that Matt Schaub's healthy enough to be the No. 2 QB yet not healthy enough to be the No. 1 is going to screw this up. Jags 24, Texans 31.

Updating this story, word now is that Matt Schaub's best case scenario tomorrow night is to enter the first Monday Night game in Texans history (and the first Monday night game in Houston in more than fourteen (14) years) as the backup to Sage Rosenfels. According to Kubes, Sage will be under center on Houston's first offensive possession:

"Sage will start," coach Gary Kubiak said after Saturday’s practice. "Matt’s made a lot of progress, and he’s gotten better each day. He took all the reps today with the scout team.

"If we feel good about his practice, then he’ll go into the game as the backup. But if we don’t feel good about it, he won’t suit up."

In my humble opinion, this is a mistake. If Kubes "feel[s] good about [Schaub's] practice," Matt Schaub should start at QB tomorrow night. In other words, The Schaub should be starting tomorrow night unless the team deems him unfit to play. Medical clearance should equal Matt Schaub's return to action.

Consider me more excited/supportive of the apparently distinct possibility that Matt Schaub will take the field on Monday night against the Jags than scared/pessimistic about said possibility.

I'll state at the outset that I'll believe Schaub plays on Monday night when I see it. This could be nothing more than subterfuge, making the Jags prepare for two (2) QBs instead of only Sage. Plus, I recall how there was a time last season when we thought 'Dre was going to return within a few weeks of spraining his knee, only to see him miss seven (7) games instead. What's more, as I'm sure Smithiak knows, your Houston Texans ain't making the playoffs this year. Knowing that, there's something to be said for not rushing your franchise QB back to the field when all that's on the line is pride and/or draft position, the latter of which would likely be adversely impacted by his presence. Given all that, my hopes for Schaub playing in the first Monday Night game in franchise history aren't exactly sky high.

Do I want him to play? Heck yeah I do. Most importantly, Matt Schaub's the best QB on the roster and gives the team the best chance to win. He torched Jacksonville earlier this season. And the fact remains that we still don't know what we've got with him, so the more opportunities he has to definitively answer that question, the better. If this was September, I'd be much more cautious. In December, though? Roll the dice, I say. The season's almost over, and Schaub will have an entire offseason to recuperate in the event disaster strikes. If the trainers clear him to play, get him out there.

The floor is yours, BRB. Do you want to see Schaub under center on Monday night? Or is it not worth the risk?

I was waiting for this. I knew it was coming. Despite what our eyes have screamed at us throughout the 2008 season, it finally happened: Someone (in this case, John McClain) has put forth the argument that Jacques Reeves isn't an utter failure at CB. I appreciate McClain running the numbers, as statistics can generally be counted on to tell the tale. But it's ludicrous to argue that Reeves is a better CB and/or having a better season than Aaron Ross, Asante Samuel, Marcus Trufant, Ike Taylor, Ronde Barber, and the like. A couple of reasons why:

-Your Houston Texans are currently giving up 129.1 rushing yards per game (ranked 23rd in the NFL). When teams are successfully running the ball, they simply don't need to throw as much. Passing is a much riskier proposition than running the ball. Why put it in the air if you don't have to? Thus, any attempt to use the metrics cited by McClain (targets, completions, yards surrendered, touchdowns surrendered) as proof of greatness or mediocrity should be taken with a pint of salt.

-For the majority of the season, the Texans have started Petey Faggins opposite Reeves. This just in: Petey may be the only DB in the league worse than Jacques Reeves. Seems to me that opposing QBs can go to either side with impunity, thus reducing the number of times Reeves would be picked on if he had a serviceable CB opposite him.

-Finally, and most importantly, your eyes don't lie. Throughout the season, we've seen how bad Jacques Reeves is at his job. Again, he can usually stay stride-for-stride with any WR in the NFL. Yet as a general rule, Reeves still refuses to get his hands up and/or turn his head. Typically, it looks as if he has no idea where the ball is. I'll begrudgingly admit that Reeves has gotten better in the past two weeks about getting his hands up, but it's not like he could have ever gotten any worse. Jacques Reeves still has a bullseye on his back.

Am I nuts? Or has McClain made his case? Let it fly in the Comments below.

I admit it. I was kind of snookered by Ahman Green this season. Never really trusted he would stay healthy, of course; last season's constant will-he-play-oh-who-are-we-kidding-of-course-he-won't game was never that far from my mind.

Yet this season, I occasionally found myself impressed by Ahman Green's performance on the field. He couldn't really be counted on to suit up most weeks. When he did grace us with his presence on Sundays, however, Ahman proved to be a capable backup/change-of-pace back from Steve Slaton. He even showed an aptitude for picking up tough first downs in third-and-short and/or goal line situations. I stopped hating him like I did last season.

What's my reward for softening on Ahman Green? This. Well played, Ahman. You got me. Sort of, anyway. In fact, one day, I want to be like you: Earning $11,000,000.00 for the equivalent of far less than one season of work. You're an inspiration to us all, and I hope you enjoyed stealing earning money in Houston the past two (2) years.

What this means in the short-term is likely not positive for your Houston Texans. Slaton's banged up. Ryan Moats is banged up and has not proven to be anything approaching a solution at back-up. Is a Darius Walker return imminent? Who knows? Personally, I'd prefer Ron Dayne, if for nothing else than short yardage situations. Assuming, you know, that he hasn't turned into Gilbert Grape's mother.

Houston's running attack may well be running on fumes when the Jags come to town on Monday night. I'll close with the ultimate silver lining: Smithiak sure got that renegotiated contract right.

A win on the road. Whoda thunk it? The impotence of your Houston Texans on the road has been well chronicled, so no need to delve back into it in this space. It should be noted, however, that the Browns were beyond hospitable yesterday. It's a rarity for any team to turn the ball over five (5) times in a single game. It's even rarer for the Houston Texans to be on the receiving end of that kind of generosity. As is his custom, Sage Rosenfels did his best to swing the turnover margin back in favor of the opposition. Yet even Sage, in all of his nine-picks-in-five-games glory, couldn't overcome the hopelessness of Romeo Crennel's crew. Truly, yesterday was a battle of the titans, if the titans were the professional versions of the Washington and Washington State football teams.

Despite the complete lack of aesthetic value in the contest, there were several items of note to discuss. Without further ado:

1. The Texans' first offensive drive of the game was the sharpest they've looked all season. Fourteen (14) plays. Seventy-nine (79) yards. 8:11 off the clock. And capped off with a beautiful TD pass from Sage to Kevin Walter. Simply amazing. The only negative I found was that the drive's conclusion meant that Houston's defense would have to take the field.

2. For much of the first half, it looked like Kubes and Shanahan were content with implementing their patented 'Dre-As-Decoy strategy. Though I grow apoplectic when this plan is put into motion, I have to admit that Kevin Walter made it tolerable. The return to 'Dre, especially that twenty-two (22) yard catch he made on fourth down to set up Kris Brown's FG right before half, set me at ease (though I still wish Sage would look at 'Dre more in the red zone).

3. More Owen Daniels, please. The guy's a Pro Bowl TE. He should be targeted accordingly.

4. I was on record that Shaun Rogers would eat Chris Myers alive and boy, was I wrong. Myers, with help from Brisiel and/or Pitts, was tremendous. It was easily the best Myers has fared against a mammoth DT, and it's very encouraging.

5. For much of the game, the OL was opening up sizable holes for Slaton and Green. The progress of their run-blocking each week has been one of the few consistently awesome sights of the season.

6. If you're looking for a single stat from the offense that indicates why your Houston Texans won, look no further than the fact that they had the ball for 37:25.

7. Was it just me, or was anyone else disappointed that Kubes didn't order a shot or two at the end zone on that second possession of the game when the Texans had first and ten at the CLE 12? It reeked of settling for a FG and/or not trusting your QB. Certainly, the latter is totally understandable considering Sage's habit of making Christmas come early for opposing defenses. I'd still like to see a more aggressive mindset that early in the game. You're only up a TD; don't start playing not to lose before half, for crying out loud.

8. The stats indicate that Jacques Reeves played very well yesterday. And yes, he actually did make a nice play (with his hands!) in knocking away what could have been a TD pass to Braylon Edwards. And yes, he did show some nice awareness picking off a deflected ball. And yes, he did force a fumble. If he can replicate that effort in every game for the rest of the season, I will consider backing off my assertion that he is one of the, if not the, worst CB(s) in the NFL. Not until then.

9. On Braylon Edwards...wow. The crew over at Dawgs By Nature tried to prepare me for it, but I had to see it to believe it. I honestly cannot recall the last time I saw such a set of stone hands on a wide receiver. Edwards should have had at least ten (10) catches for 150 yards yesterday.

10. Excellent INT by Fred Bennett. Here's hoping it's the spark he needs to return to his 2007 form.

11. Anthony Weaver had an interception. Not saying that Brady Quinn should give up football or anything, but he'd be nuts not to question it.

12. I can say without any reservation that Anthony Weaver played the best game of his Texans career yesterday. That shouldn't make me sad, but it does.

13. Although Super Mario didn't pick up a sack against the Browns, he did do two (2) things I have never seen on a football field. First, he actually picked up Jamal Lewis and body slammed him. Second, he nearly sacked Derek Anderson over and/or through Joe Thomas. Seriously...after pushing his way into the pocket, Mario Williams almost got a sack with a stud LT in between him and the QB. Unreal.

14. You know who's going to start being labeled a bust pretty darn soon? Amobi Okoye. And unlike when we rushed to Super Mario's defense, there's not very much evidence available to defend against that assertion.

15. Something to look forward to in 2009? A starting LB corps of Xavier Adibi, DeMeco Ryans, and Zac Diles. That troika could be very, very nasty.

16. As Solis texted me during the game, we had an Antwaun Molden sighting! I don't recall much of what he did at CB, and that's probably a good thing; means he didn't get torched. He also was vital on special teams...

17. ....by recovering Jacoby Jones' fumble. I fear that we're never going to able to completely trust Jacoby with the ball.

18. Dunta Robinson started his first game in over a year yesterday, and the Houston Texans won on the road. His last start, you ask? Why, it also occurred the last time the Texans won on the road, more than a year ago! Coincidence? I think not.

19. It had to come to an end sometime, Kris Brown. Don't beat yourself up too much. But feel free to toss a haymaker or two Bryan Pittman's way. He's back to snapping like it's October 2007, albeit keeping things fresh by snapping low instead of high this time around.

20. There's nothing Richard Smith can do to save his job, right? Holding a team to six (6) points on the road is nowhere near enough, correct? Even if the defense pitches shutouts the rest of the season, Richard Smith has to be a goner, huh? I need reassurance.

21. A non-Texan related note: What was Romeo Crennel trying to accomplish by pulling Quinn in favor of Anderson? Is he begging to get canned? How can you do that to the young QB you just installed a week or two ago?

22. Fake Game Balls: Offense--Kevin Walter; Defense--Anthony Weaver (I'm as surprised as you are); Special Teams--Kris Brown.

No football this Sunday, baby, because MNF comes to Houston! I'm pretty sure watching two 4-7 "stalwarts" tangle with nearly nothing on the line was not exactly what ESPN had in mind when they selected this game. No matter. It's Monday Night Football, and I'm psyched. Bring on the Jags!

That seems to be the early word. After the injury-plagued disaster that has defined his time in H-Town, this hardly qualifies as a surprise. It does, however, sting.

Steve Slaton was and continues to be the clear No. 1 on the depth chart, but Ahman Green has been very solid (when he's actually made it onto the field) in spelling Slaton, particularly in short yardage situations. Now, your Houston Texans will have to prepare for the first Monday Night Football game in franchise history with Ryan Moats as Slaton's backup. That's a bit scary.

Rest assured that Ahman will be doing everything he can to avoid missing any time. He's got every reason to heal as fast as possible.