The Houston Texans, who had high expectations for the 2008 NFL season after finishing at 8-8 last year, looked after the first one-fourth of the season that they would be the doormat of the AFC South once again, as the went winless at 0-4.

The season began with a blowout loss on the road to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Then came Hurricane Ike, which forced the cancellation of their game against the Baltimore Ravens, followed by another anemic performance in Nashville the next week against the Tennessee Titans.

Then in game three, there appeared to be some light in the tunnel on the road in Jacksonville, but alas a loss in overtime sent the team further down the drain. The following week they entertained the Indianapolis Colts and blew a seventeen point lead late in the game and lost in regulation.

Though it was a loss, the Texans suddenly realized they could play with any team in the league IF they executed on offense and defense. That realization just MAY have been the turning point for a frustrated team.

Since the loss to Indy, Houston has reeled off three straight wins, including Sunday’s 35-6 blowout victory over winless Cincinnati, and appears to be gaining confidence and moving back toward respectability at 3-4 on the season. The three game winning streak is the longest in team history. If they can get the job done on the road Sunday in Minneapolis against the Minnesota Vikings, who are also at 3-4 on the year, they can do the improbable and get back to .500 at the midway point of the season.

Needless to say, a yawner on the winning side was good medicine for a team that has endured a lot in the last two months. Coach Gary Kubiak was ecstatic after seeing his team put together their first complete game of the year.

“Well, we played a complete game. We needed to have a lot of firepower. They were moving the ball in there in the first half and we were in a tough football game. I thought in the third quarter we took control of the game as a football team. Big drives on offense, stops on defense, turnovers. We won the turnover battle for the first time this year. We played with a lot of close at the end of the game. That was a big step in the right direction and a great team effort.”

Kubiak was also asked how he felt about winning three games in a row. “It’s good, and I know it’s good for everybody, and it’s something we talked about a little as a football team, but we also talked about if we can get to where we play this type of football consistently, or as close to consistently as we can, we’re going to have our chances to win games in a row, whether its three, four, five, whatever it is. This league is about playing ball and making plays in the fourth quarter to win games. We took a step in the right direction today, and now we’ve got to go figure out a way to do it on the road.”

Team owner Bob McNair was also excited about the comeback his team has made the last three games. “Well, we didn’t have any turnovers, and I think we had maybe two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and we played a very clean game. When we do that and play for sixty minutes, we’re going to play very good football. And you know, that’s what we’ve been saying, and as a team, we’re learning to do that.”

If Houston hopes to move their winning streak to four, they’ll have to make sure to keep Palestine native and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in check defensively. Based on their emerging confidence, they might just be able to accomplish that task.