2004 Houston Texans season

2004 Houston Texans season
OwnerBob McNair
General managerCharley Casserly
Head coachDom Capers
Offensive coordinatorChris Palmer
Defensive coordinatorVic Fangio
Home fieldReliant Stadium
Results
Record7–9
Division place3rd AFC South
Playoff finishDid not qualify
Pro BowlersWR Andre Johnson

The 2004 season was the Houston Texans' third in the National Football League, all of which they had spent under head coach Dom Capers. The team finished 7–9, two games better than the previous season, and came third in the AFC South, the first time they had not finished bottom. The Texans also earned their first victory over the Tennessee Titans, the franchise previously known as the Oilers, who had left Houston after the 1996 season.

Quarterback David Carr, who missed four games the previous season, started all 16 games in 2004. Carr finished 2004 as his best season with Houston, finishing 285-of-466 for 3,531 yards with 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Carr's 466 attempts, 3,531 passing yards, and 16 passing touchdowns would all be career highs for him. Additionally, this was the first season Carr finished with more touchdowns than interceptions.[1]

Offseason

NFL draft

Main article: 2004 NFL draft
2004 Houston Texans draft
Round Pick Player Position College Notes
1 10 Dunta Robinson  Cornerback South Carolina
1 27 Jason Babin *  Outside linebacker Western Michigan from Tennessee
4 122 Glenn Earl  Safety Notre Dame from Indianapolis
6 170 Vontez Duff  Defensive back Notre Dame
6 175 Jammal Lord  Running back Nebraska
6 200 Charlie Anderson  Linebacker Mississippi Compensatory selection
7 210 Raheem Orr  Linebacker Rutgers from Jacksonville
7 211 Sloan Thomas  Wide receiver Texas
7 248 B. J. Symons  Quarterback Texas Tech Compensatory selection
      Made roster    *   Made at least one Pro Bowl during career

[2]

Staff

2004 Houston Texans staff

Front office

  • Founder, chairman and chief executive officer – Bob McNair
  • Senior vice president and general manager – Charley Casserly
  • Associate director of pro scouting – Bobby Grier
  • Associate director of pro scouting – Miller McCalmon
  • Coordinator of college scouting – Mike Maccagnan

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

  • Offensive coordinator – Chris Palmer
  • Quarterbacks – Greg Roman
  • Running backs – Chick Harris
  • Wide receivers – Kippy Brown
  • Tight ends – Tony Marciano
  • Offensive line – Joe Pendry
  • Assistant offensive line – Steve Marshall
 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

  • Special teams – Joe Marciano
  • Special teams assistant – Eric Sutulovich

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Dan Riley
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Ray Wright


Roster

2004 Houston Texans roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

Offensive linemen (OL)
  • 60 Brandon Evans G

Defensive linemen (DL)

Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams

Practice squad
  • 97 Jason Davis
DE
  • -- Anthony Dunn DE
  • -- Reese Hicks T
  • -- Allen Suber WR
  • -- Renaldo Works RB

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 12 reserve, 8 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 August 15 Dallas Cowboys W 18–0 1–0 Reliant Stadium Recap
2 August 22 at Pittsburgh Steelers L 3–38 1–1 Heinz Field Recap
3 August 28 at Denver Broncos L 17–31 1–2 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap
4 September 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers L 9–17 1–3 Reliant Stadium Recap

Regular season

Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue Recap
1 September 12 San Diego Chargers L 20–27 0–1 Reliant Stadium Recap
2 September 19 at Detroit Lions L 16–28 0–2 Ford Field Recap
3 September 26 at Kansas City Chiefs W 24–21 1–2 Arrowhead Stadium Recap
4 October 3 Oakland Raiders W 30–17 2–2 Reliant Stadium Recap
5 October 10 Minnesota Vikings L 28–34 (OT) 2–3 Reliant Stadium Recap
6 October 17 at Tennessee Titans W 20–10 3–3 The Coliseum Recap
7 Bye
8 October 31 Jacksonville Jaguars W 20–6 4–3 Reliant Stadium Recap
9 November 7 at Denver Broncos L 13–31 4–4 Invesco Field at Mile High Recap
10 November 14 at Indianapolis Colts L 14–49 4–5 RCA Dome Recap
11 November 21 Green Bay Packers L 13–16 4–6 Reliant Stadium Recap
12 November 28 Tennessee Titans W 31–21 5–6 Reliant Stadium Recap
13 December 5 at New York Jets L 7–29 5–7 Giants Stadium Recap
14 December 12 Indianapolis Colts L 14–23 5–8 Reliant Stadium Recap
15 December 19 at Chicago Bears W 24–5 6–8 Soldier Field Recap
16 December 26 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 21–0 7–8 Alltel Stadium Recap
17 January 2 Cleveland Browns L 14–22 7–9 Reliant Stadium Recap
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers

Week One: San Diego Chargers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Chargers 3 7 10727
Texans 3 10 7020

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 2: at Detroit Lions

Week Two: Houston Texans at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 3 7616
Lions 0 7 14728

at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan

Game information

Week 3: at Kansas City Chiefs

Week Three: Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 6 81024
Chiefs 7 0 7721

at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Game information

Week 4: vs. Oakland Raiders

Week Four: Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Raiders 3 14 0017
Texans 3 14 31030

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

Week 5: vs. Minnesota Vikings

Week Five: Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34OTTotal
Vikings 0 14 77634
Texans 0 0 721028

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 10
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,718
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • TV: Fox
  • Box score
Game information

Week 6: at Tennessee Titans

Week Six: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 3 10 0720
Titans 0 10 0010

at The Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee

  • Date: October 17
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)
  • Game attendance: 68,932
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • TV: CBS
  • Box score
Game information

With the win, the Texans improved to 3–3. This was the Texans' first win over the Tennessee Titans, who previously played in Houston as the Oilers from 1960 to 1996.

Week 8: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Eight: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Jaguars 0 3 036
Texans 7 3 01020

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: October 31
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game attendance: 70,502
  • Referee: Bill Leavy
  • TV: CBS
  • Box score
Game information

Week 9: at Denver Broncos

Week Nine: Houston Texans at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 7 0613
Broncos 7 17 7031

at Invesco Field at Mile High, Denver, Colorado

  • Date: November 7
  • Game time: 3:15 p.m. CST/2:15 p.m. MST
  • Game weather: Sunny, 69 °F (21 °C)
  • Game attendance: 74,292
  • Referee: Jeff Triplette
  • Box score

Week 10: at Indianapolis Colts

Week Ten: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 0 7714
Colts 7 14 21749

at RCA Dome, Indianapolis, Indiana

  • Date: November 14
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: None (played indoors)
  • Game attendance: 56,511
  • Referee: Bill Carollo
  • Box score

Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Eleven: Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 3 01316
Texans 0 13 0013

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans

Week Twelve: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Titans 14 7 0021
Texans 3 7 14731

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

Game information

With the win, the Texans improved to 5–6, snapped their three game losing streak, and swept the Titans for the first time in franchise history.

Week 13: at New York Jets

Week Thirteen: Houston Texans at New York Jets – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 7 007
Jets 3 3 71629

at Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: December 5
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 56 °F (13 °C)
  • Game attendance: 77,875
  • Referee: Tom White
  • Box score

Week 14: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week Fourteen: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 14 0 3623
Texans 0 7 7014

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: December 12
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game attendance: 70,762
  • Referee: Ed Hochuli
  • Box score

With the loss to Indianapolis the Texans were eliminated from playoff contention at 5-8.

Week 15: at Chicago Bears

Week Fifteen: Houston Texans at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 0 7 01724
Bears 0 0 235

at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

  • Date: December 19
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: Cloudy, 12 °F (−11 °C)
  • Game attendance: 62,122
  • Referee: Bill Vinovich
  • Box score

Week 16: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Sixteen: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 7 7 0721
Jaguars 0 0 000

at Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida

  • Date: December 26
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Clear, 40 °F (4 °C)
  • Game attendance: 66,227
  • Referee: Walt Coleman
  • Box score
Game information

Week 17: vs. Cleveland Browns

Week Seventeen: Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Browns 3 6 7622
Texans 7 0 0714

at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas

  • Date: January 2, 2005
  • Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
  • Game weather: None (retractable roof closed)
  • Game attendance: 70,724
  • Referee: Gerry Austin
  • Box score
Game information

Looking to secure their first non-losing season, the 7–8 Texans hosted the 3–12 Browns in the regular season finale of the 2004 season. Despite only committing one turnover, Houston's offense struggled and only gained 238 yards of total offense compared to Cleveland's 364. The Texans scored a touchdown with 1:23 left to trail 14–22 and attempted an onside kick, but it was recovered by the Browns who would run out the clock to win the game.

Standings

Division

AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
(3) Indianapolis Colts 12 4 0 .750 5–1 8–4 522 351 L1
Jacksonville Jaguars 9 7 0 .563 2–4 6–6 261 280 W1
Houston Texans 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 309 339 L1
Tennessee Titans 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 344 439 W1

Conference

AFC[3]
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1 Pittsburgh Steelers North 15 1 0 .938 5–1 11–1 .484 .479 W14
2 New England Patriots East 14 2 0 .875 5–1 10–2 .492 .478 W2
3[a] Indianapolis Colts South 12 4 0 .750 5–1 8–4 .500 .458 L1
4[a] San Diego Chargers West 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 .477 .411 W1
Wild cards
5[b] New York Jets East 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .523 .406 L2
6[b] Denver Broncos West 10 6 0 .625 3–3 7–5 .484 .450 W2
Did not qualify for the postseason
7[c][d] Jacksonville Jaguars South 9 7 0 .563 2–4 6–6 .527 .479 W1
8[c][d] Baltimore Ravens North 9 7 0 .563 3–3 6–6 .551 .472 W1
9[c] Buffalo Bills East 9 7 0 .563 3–3 5–7 .512 .382 L1
10 Cincinnati Bengals North 8 8 0 .500 2–4 4–8 .543 .453 W2
11[e] Houston Texans South 7 9 0 .438 4–2 6–6 .504 .402 L1
12[e] Kansas City Chiefs West 7 9 0 .438 3–3 6–6 .551 .509 L1
13[f] Oakland Raiders West 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 .570 .450 L2
14[f] Tennessee Titans South 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 .512 .463 W1
15[g] Miami Dolphins East 4 12 0 .250 1–5 2–10 .555 .438 L1
16[g] Cleveland Browns North 4 12 0 .250 1–5 3–9 .590 .469 W1
Tiebreakers[h]
  1. ^ a b Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based upon head-to-head victory.
  2. ^ a b New York Jets clinched the AFC #5 seed instead of Denver based upon better record against common opponents (New York Jets were 5–0 to Denver’s 3–2 against San Diego, Cincinnati, Houston, and Miami).
  3. ^ a b c Jacksonville and Baltimore finished ahead of Buffalo because they each defeated Buffalo head-to-head.
  4. ^ a b Jacksonville finished ahead of Baltimore based upon better record against common opponents (Jacksonville were 3–2 against Baltimore’s 2–3 versus Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Kansas City).
  5. ^ a b Houston finished ahead of Kansas City based upon head-to-head victory.
  6. ^ a b Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based upon head-to-head victory.
  7. ^ a b Miami finished ahead of Cleveland based upon head-to-head victory.
  8. ^ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.


Statistics

Team

Category Total yards Yards per game NFL rank
(out of 32)
Passing offense 3,246 202.9 18th
Rushing offense 1,882 117.6 12th
Total offense[4] 5,128 320.5 18th
Passing defense 3,615 225.9 24th
Rushing defense 1,843 115.2 13th
Total defense[5] 5,458 341.1 23rd

Individual

Category Player Total
Offense
Passing yards David Carr 3,531
Passing touchdowns David Carr 16
Rushing yards Domanick Williams 1,188
Rushing touchdowns Domanick Williams 13
Receiving yards Andre Johnson 1,142
Receiving touchdowns Andre Johnson 6
Defense
Tackles (Solo) Jamie Sharper 96
Sacks Kailee Wong 5.5
Interceptions Dunta Robinson 6

Source:[6]

References

  1. ^ "David Carr Career Stats". NFL.com. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  2. ^ "2004 Houston Texans draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  3. ^ "2004 Conference Standings". NFL.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  4. ^ "2004 NFL Team Total Offense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  5. ^ "2004 NFL Team Total Defense Stats". ESPN. Retrieved April 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "2004 Texans Statistics". Houston Texans. Retrieved April 29, 2022.