Houston Texans running back Arian Foster ran for 152 yards on Monday night, and he could have had more. That's how good Houston's blocking can be when it's clicking. That's how high our expectations are for Foster.
Foster entered Monday night with a 3.7 yards-per-carry average. He hit a number of big plays against the New York Jets, but his explosiveness appears to be just a hair off from previous years. He was a missed tackle or three away from an epic night. Here's what else we learned from the Texans' 23-17 win over the Jets:
» This was Matt Schaub's most uneven game of the year. He had some very nice throws under pressure, but also some poor moments. The passing game was a little out of synch and settled for field goals too often. (J.J. Watt had Schaub and the rest of the team covered.)
» Antonio Cromartie deserves kudos for holding Andre Johnson to one catch for 15 yards. It's alarming to see A.J. struggle with man coverage for an entire game. It was shocking the Texans didn't go to him more on the goal line in single coverage. Then again, Johnson only had one grab in six targets. This is something to watch.
» The Jets want to be a tough team, but they can't run or stop the run. Discuss amongst yourselves.
» Mark Sanchez made a number of nice plays, but he also threw the ball out of bounds when he had Cromartie, lining up as a receiver, open deep for a possible touchdown.
» Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph is hurting and did not look good in this game.
» Tim Tebow was used sparingly. The Jets have no idea how to use him. For some reason, they have Mark Sanchez running quarterback sneaks on third-and-1. The Jets also took Tebow out after a pair of runs that put them on the goal line. That's the one part of the field where Tebow's usage makes sense. The Jets should either commit to Tebow in the red zone or just let Sanchez run the team.
» New York's defense lacks direction on third downs. There isn't a convincing pass rusher here.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
