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]
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
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
Week 1: vs. San Diego Chargers
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Week One: San Diego Chargers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Chargers
3
7
10 7 27
Texans
3
10
7 0 20
at Reliant Stadium , Houston, Texas
Game information
First quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 37-yard field goal, 11:49. Texans 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 3:00.
SD – Nate Kaeding 48-yard field goal, 6:35. Tied 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 48 yards, 5:03.
Second quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 20-yard field goal, 14:07. Texans 6–3. Drive: 13 plays, 71 yards, 7:20.
SD – LaDainian Tomlinson 1-yard run (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:51. Chargers 10–6. Drive: 5 plays, 45 yards, 2:22.
HOU – Domanick Williams 2-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 4:43. Texans 13–10. Drive: 9 plays, 70 yards, 4:58.
Third quarter
SD – Reche Caldwell 36-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 9:12. Chargers 17–13. Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, 1:33.
HOU – Domanick Williams 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 4:36. Texans 20–17. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 4:22.
SD – Nate Kaeding 29-yard field goal, 0:00. Tied 20–20. Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 4:27.
Fourth quarter
SD – Eric Parker 19-yard pass from Drew Brees (Nate Kaeding kick), 8:34. Chargers 27–20. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 5:11.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
SD – Antonio Gates – 8 receptions, 123 yards
HOU – Domanick Williams – 5 receptions, 70 yards
Week 2: at Detroit Lions
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Week Two: Houston Texans at Detroit Lions – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Texans
0
3
7 6 16
Lions
0
7
14 7 28
at Ford Field , Detroit, Michigan
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
DET – Roy Williams 31-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick), 6:38. Lions 14–3. Drive: 7 plays, 79 yards, 5:24.
HOU – Andre Johnson 54-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 2:31. Lions 14–10. Drive: 6 plays, 83 yards, 3:43.
DET – Eddie Drummond 99-yard kickoff return (Jason Hanson kick), 2:16. Lions 21–10.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Corey Bradford 27-yard pass from David Carr (pass failed), 12:20. Lions 21–16. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 7:39.
DET – Roy Williams 14-yard pass from Joey Harrington (Jason Hanson kick), 4:41. Lions 28–16. Drive: 12 plays, 80 yards, 6:43.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
HOU – Domanick Williams – 11 receptions, 95 yards
DET – Roy Williams – 4 receptions, 73 yards, 2 TD
Week 3: at Kansas City Chiefs
edit
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 28-yard field goal, 6:15. Chiefs 7–3. Drive: 9 plays, 88 yards, 5:14.
HOU – Kris Brown 49-yard field goal, 0:10. Chiefs 7–6. 'Drive: 10 plays, 64 yards, 1:37.
Third quarter
KC – Chris Horn 6-yard pass from Trent Green (Lawrence Tynes kick), 11:10. Chiefs 14–6. Drive: 8 plays, 48 yards, 3:13.
HOU – Marcus Coleman 102-yard interception return (Jonathan Wells run), 3:51. Tied 14–14.
Fourth quarter
KC – Jason Dunn 5-yard pass from Trent Green (Lawrence Tynes kick), 10:55. Chiefs 21–14. Drive: 8 plays, 54 yards, 3:40.
HOU – Jabar Gaffney 9-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 5:20. Tied 21–21. Drive: 10 plays, 68 yards, 5:11.
HOU – Kris Brown 49-yard field goal, 0:02. Texans 24–21. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 2:11.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 4: vs. Oakland Raiders
edit
Week Four: Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Raiders
3
14
0 0 17
Texans
3
14
3 10 30
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information
First quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 46-yard field goal, 3:09. Texans 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 4:16.
OAK – Sebastian Janikowski 50-yard field goal, 0:42. Tied 3–3. Drive: 6 plays, 36 yards, 2:17.
Second quarter
HOU – Jamie Sharper 16-yard fumble return (Kris Brown kick), 11:41. Texans 10–3.
OAK – Amos Zereoué 55-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 7:02. Tied 10–10. Drive: 1 play, 55 yards, 0:15.
HOU – Jonathan Wells 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 3:25. Texans 17–10. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:20.
OAK – Amos Zereoué 3-yard run (Sebastian Janikowski kick), 0:47. Tied 17–17. Drive: 9 plays, 61 yards, 2:27.
Third quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 21-yard field goal, 3:03. Texans 20–17. Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 3:21.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Andre Johnson 15-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 14:48. Texans 27–17. Drive: 4 plays, 30 yards, 0:33.
HOU – Kris Brown 44-yard field goal, 3:19. Texans 30–17. Drive: 14 plays, 73 yards, 7:29.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 5: vs. Minnesota Vikings
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Week Five: Minnesota Vikings at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 OT Total
Vikings
0
14
7 7 6 34
Texans
0
0
7 21 0 28
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Date : October 10Game time : 12:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : None (retractable roof closed)Game attendance : 70,718Referee : Ed Hochuli TV : Fox Box score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
Third quarter
MIN – Marcus Robinson 10-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Morten Andersen kick), 11:50. Vikings 21–0. Drive: 3 plays, 49 yards, 0:46.
HOU – Andre Johnson 2-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 6:52. Vikings 21–7. Drive: 9 plays, 94 yards, 4:58.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Domanick Davis 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 11:31. Vikings 21–14. Drive: 6 plays, 58 yards, 3:11.
MIN – Randy Moss 50-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper (Morten Andersen kick), 6:49. Vikings 28–14. Drive: 3 plays, 59 yards, 0:59.
HOU – Derick Armstrong 11-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 3:11. Vikings 28–21. Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 3:38.
HOU – Andre Johnson 22-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 1:53. Tied 28–28. Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 0:28.
Overtime
MIN – Marcus Robinson 50-yard pass from Daunte Culpepper, 7:05. Vikings 34–28. Drive: 6 plays, 81 yards, 2:30.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 6: at Tennessee Titans
edit
Week Six: Houston Texans at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Texans
3
10
0 7 20
Titans
0
10
0 0 10
at The Coliseum , Nashville, Tennessee
Date : October 17Game time : 12:00 p.m. CDTGame weather : Cloudy, 60 °F (16 °C)Game attendance : 68,932Referee : Walt Coleman TV : CBSBox score
Game information
First quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 21-yard field goal, 9:42. Texans 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 5:18.
Second quarter
TEN – Drew Bennett 10-yard pass from Steve McNair (Gary Anderson kick), 12:49. Titans 7–3. Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 2:01.
HOU – Jabar Gaffney 20-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 9:12. Texans 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:37.
TEN – Gary Anderson 40-yard field goal, 6:02. Tied 10–10. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 3:10.
HOU – Kris Brown 50-yard field goal, 2:38. Texans 13–10. Drive: 6 plays, 41 yards, 3:24.
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
HOU – Jonathan Wells 4-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 4:42. Texans 20–10. Drive: 9 plays, 65 yards, 4:43.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
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
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Week Eight: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Jaguars
0
3
0 3 6
Texans
7
3
0 10 20
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Date : October 31Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame attendance : 70,502Referee : Bill LeavyTV : CBSBox score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
JAX – Josh Scobee 44-yard field goal, 6:33. Texans 7–3. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 5:37.
HOU – Kris Brown 38-yard field goal, 0:00. Texans 10–3. Drive: 3 plays, 50 yards, 0:15.
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
HOU – Kris Brown 21-yard field goal, 6:45. Texans 13–3. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 5:27.
JAX – Josh Scobee 36-yard field goal, 3:52. Texans 13–6. Drive: 10 plays, 65 yards, 2:45.
HOU – Demarcus Faggins 43-yard interception return (Kris Brown kick), 0:42. Texans 20–6.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
Week 9: at Denver Broncos
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Week Nine: Houston Texans at Denver Broncos – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Texans
0
7
0 6 13
Broncos
7
17
7 0 31
at Invesco Field at Mile High , Denver, Colorado
Date : November 7Game time : 3:15 p.m. CST/2:15 p.m. MSTGame weather : Sunny, 69 °F (21 °C)Game attendance : 74,292Referee : Jeff TripletteBox score
Week 10: at Indianapolis Colts
edit
Week Ten: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Texans
0
0
7 7 14
Colts
7
14
21 7 49
at RCA Dome , Indianapolis, Indiana
Date : November 14Game time : 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : None (played indoors)Game attendance : 56,511Referee : Bill Carollo Box score
Week 11: vs. Green Bay Packers
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Week Eleven: Green Bay Packers at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Packers
0
3
0 13 16
Texans
0
13
0 0 13
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Week 12: vs. Tennessee Titans
edit
Week Twelve: Tennessee Titans at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Titans
14
7
0 0 21
Texans
3
7
14 7 31
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information
First quarter
TEN – Erron Kinney 12-yard pass from Steve McNair (Gary Anderson kick), 10:13. Titans 7–0. Drive: 8 plays, 77 yards, 4:47.
TEN – Erron Kinney 11-yard pass from Steve McNair (Gary Anderson kick), 5:44. Titans 14–0. Drive: 6 plays, 42 yards, 3:37.
HOU – Kris Brown 29-yard field goal, 0:35. Titans 14–3. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards, 5:09.
Second quarter
TEN – Derrick Mason 4-yard pass from Steve McNair (Gary Anderson kick), 10:38. Titans 21–3. Drive: 3 plays, 40 yards, 1:26.
HOU – Jonathan Wells 7-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 6:46. Titans 21–10. Drive: 7 plays, 62 yards, 3:52.
Third quarter
HOU – Billy Miller 14-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 9:20. Titans 21–17. Drive: 9 plays, 71 yards, 5:40.
HOU – Andre Johnson 11-yard pass from David Carr (Kris Brown kick), 2:35. Texans 24–21. Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 1:58.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Domanick Williams 41-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 1:34. Texans 31–21. Drive: 2 plays, 44 yards, 0:13.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
TEN – Derrick Mason – 8 receptions, 87 yards, TD
HOU – Domanick Williams – 7 receptions, 52 yards
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
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Week Thirteen: Houston Texans at New York Jets – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Texans
0
7
0 0 7
Jets
3
3
7 16 29
at Giants Stadium , East Rutherford, New Jersey
Date : December 5Game time : 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Cloudy, 56 °F (13 °C)Game attendance : 77,875Referee : Tom White Box score
Week 14: vs. Indianapolis Colts
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Week Fourteen: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Colts
14
0
3 6 23
Texans
0
7
7 0 14
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Date : December 12Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame attendance : 70,762Referee : Ed HochuliBox score
With the loss to Indianapolis the Texans were eliminated from playoff contention at 5-8.
Week 15: at Chicago Bears
edit
Week Fifteen: Houston Texans at Chicago Bears – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Texans
0
7
0 17 24
Bears
0
0
2 3 5
at Soldier Field , Chicago, Illinois
Date : December 19Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : Cloudy, 12 °F (−11 °C)Game attendance : 62,122Referee : Bill VinovichBox score
Week 16: at Jacksonville Jaguars
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Week Sixteen: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Texans
7
7
0 7 21
Jaguars
0
0
0 0 0
at Alltel Stadium , Jacksonville, Florida
Date : December 26Game time : 12:00 p.m. CST/1:00 p.m. ESTGame weather : Clear, 40 °F (4 °C)Game attendance : 66,227Referee : Walt ColemanBox score
Week 17: vs. Cleveland Browns
edit
Week Seventeen: Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans – Game summary
Quarter
1
2
3 4 Total
Browns
3
6
7 6 22
Texans
7
0
0 7 14
at Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas
Date : January 2, 2005Game time : 12:00 p.m. CSTGame weather : None (retractable roof closed)Game attendance : 70,724Referee : Gerry Austin Box score
Game information
First quarter
Second quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 22-yard field goal, 11:28. Texans 7–6. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:31.
CLE – Phil Dawson 29-yard field goal, 2:00. Browns 9–7. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:41.
Third quarter
Fourth quarter
CLE – Phil Dawson 45-yard field goal, 14:09. Browns 19–7. Drive: 4 plays, -3 yards, 1:24.
CLE – Phil Dawson 22-yard field goal, 4:01. Browns 22–7. Drive: 9 plays, 49 yards, 4:46.
HOU – Domanick Williams 1-yard run (Kris Brown kick), 1:23. Browns 22–14. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 2:27.
Top passers
Top rushers
Top receivers
CLE – Antonio Bryant – 7 receptions, 87 yards
HOU – Domanick Williams – 5 receptions, 42 yards
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.
#
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]
^ a b Indianapolis clinched the AFC #3 seed instead of San Diego based upon head-to-head victory.
^ 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).
^ a b c Jacksonville and Baltimore finished ahead of Buffalo because they each defeated Buffalo head-to-head.
^ 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).
^ a b Houston finished ahead of Kansas City based upon head-to-head victory.
^ a b Oakland finished ahead of Tennessee based upon head-to-head victory.
^ a b Miami finished ahead of Cleveland based upon head-to-head victory.
^ 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.
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
Source :[ 6]