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Texans Look For Improvement After 1st Win

HOUSTON (AP) ― The Houston Texans finally got their first win, but they weren't exactly sharp in the one-point victory over the Dolphins.

Coach Gary Kubiak and the players know they'll have to improve if they hope to add to their win total this week and beyond.

Houston's eight interceptions are tied with three other teams for most in the NFL and its 10 fumbles are tied for third most in the AFC. The Texans had two interceptions and a pair of fumbles in Sunday's last-second win.

The interceptions put Houston in an early 14-3 hole. Andre Johnson fumbled near the goal line in the third quarter and Eugene Wilson's fumble of an interception led to Miami's last touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Texans face the winless Lions on Sunday.

"We know for a fact, I don't have to tell our guys, we'll have to play better than we did yesterday to beat them," Kubiak said. "We've got to continue to clean up our football and clean up what we're doing to have a chance to continue to be successful."

Though quarterback Matt Schaub's 3-yard touchdown run saved the day for Houston on Sunday, Kubiak knows Schaub will have to limit his errors for the Texans to be successful.

"We haven't protected the ball and they know that," Kubiak said. "If Matt (Schaub) is going to be a 10, 12, 13-year starter in this league, he's going to have to learn from these things and he's going to have to understand that he has to protect the ball better. If he can do these things ... the sky is the limit."

The good news is that when the Texans do protect the ball, the offense has been potent. Houston's 485 total yards on Sunday were a franchise best and its 362.6 yards a game are fifth most in the NFL.

Kubiak said he's been impressed with Schaub's maturity this season, but that he struggled a bit against the Dolphins because they asked him to pass so much early in the game.

"Your team goes as he goes," Kubiak said. "It was a tough situation we put him in from a game plan standpoint. For us to get to where we want to go, he's got to continue to handle those things better and better."

The Texans are also looking for more consistency from first-round draft pick Duane Brown, a left tackle. He was solid a week ago against Indianapolis' Dwight Freeney, but had a tough time dealing with Miami's Joey Porter.

Another bright spot for the Texans has been the development of Mario Williams, which has in turn helped improve the entire defensive line. Houston is still searching for more pressure from players besides Williams, but Kubiak has been encouraged by their progress.

Williams has had two sacks in each of the last two games.

"Mario is special," Kubiak said. "You're watching something special. You're watching a great player grow up and become confident in what he's doing."

While happy with their first win, the Texans still agonize over the mistakes in the two previous losses that cost them wins. Houston's three fourth quarter turnovers allowed the Colts to overcome a 17-point deficit and get the 31-27 win last week. A week before that, they bit on a fake punt that ended in a touchdown in Jacksonville and the Jaguars went on to a 30-27 overtime victory.

"That's always in the back of your mind," linebacker DeMeco Ryans said. "We could definitely be 3-2 because we shot ourselves in the foot so many times."

Still, Ryans thinks this win could get Houston's season turned around.

"I think everybody's demeanor picks up," he said. "We're feeling very confident now that we can get used to winning. You have to get that feeling of getting used to winning in the locker room and just let it carry on week to week."

(© 2008 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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