The Houston Texans were going through the anticipated
difficulties of being a second-year expansion team as they hosted the Carolina
Panthers on November 2, 2003, although there were signs of improvement. Coached
by Dom Capers, they had a star in the making in first-round draft choice WR
Andre Johnson and also received an unexpected boost to the ground game in the
form of fourth-round RB Domanick Davis, who had been expected to be a kick
returner but was outperforming veteran RB Stacey Mack. Still, the team had lost
three straight contests and was at 2-5. Furthermore, they were without the
services of starting QB David Carr for the first time in the franchise’s brief
history. The 2002 first overall draft pick was out due to a sprained right
ankle and 30-year-old backup Tony Banks (pictured above) would be taking his place.
Carolina, coached by John Fox for the second year, was
cruising at 6-1. The conservative offense was guided by QB Jake Delhomme and
benefited from the presence of RB Stephen Davis, acquired after seven years in
Washington. WR Steve Smith was a rising talent and dependable WR Muhsin
Muhammad started across from him. The team’s defense was the key to the team’s
success, however, in particular the solid line.
There were over 70,000 fans present at Reliant Stadium
and they saw the Panthers get the opening kickoff and drive 83 yards in 12
plays. Eight of them were runs by Stephen Davis, who picked up 20 yards, a
fourth-and-one was successfully converted, and Jake Delhomme completed all
three of his passes, the last one to Steve Smith for a 24-yard touchdown. John
Kasay added the extra point.
The Texans had to punt following their first possession
and Carolina moved the ball all the way from its 12 to the Houston 25. While
the Panthers again relied on Stephen Davis carrying the ball for the most part,
Delhomme threw to TE Kris Mangum for 34 yards. However, on the first play of
the second quarter, a Delhomme pass was intercepted by CB Aaron Glenn to snuff
out the threat.
Another Houston punt was followed by a nine-play drive by
the Panthers that featured Stephen Davis compiling 41 yards on the ground, but
the series stalled at the Houston 44 to force a punt. The teams continued to
trade punts until the end of the half, with the visitors holding onto the 7-0
lead.
It was Houston’s turn to put together a long scoring
series to start the third quarter. Domanick Davis ran the ball effectively,
with carries of 23 and 17 yards along the way, and Tony Banks completed three
passes. The third, to TE Billy Miller, picked up 11 yards on a third-and-nine
play and set up a one-yard touchdown carry by Stacey Mack. Kris Brown’s
successful PAT tied the score.
Carolina once again moved the ball effectively on a long
possession of 14 plays that covered 68 yards. Stephen Davis carried six times
and Delhomme had completions of 12 yards to Smith and 20 yards to Muhsin
Muhammad. Another throw to TE Jermaine Wiggins in a third-and-four situation at
the Houston eight gained six yards, but the Panthers couldn’t punch the ball
into the end zone and settled for a 23-yard Kasay field goal. The third quarter
ended with Carolina back in front by 10-7.
Houston started off the final period by driving 67 yards
in nine plays. Banks had two big completions to Andre Johnson, with the second
gaining 35 yards to the Carolina 28 in a third-and-18 situation. Banks finished
the series off by threading a pass through coverage to Miller, who made a
one-handed grab for a 20-yard touchdown. With Brown’s extra point, the Texans
were in front by four.
It was all the home team needed. The Panthers reached the
Houston 46 on the next series and had to punt, set back by a personal foul
penalty on Smith after he kicked DE Jerry Deloach, and the Texans were able to effectively
run out the clock. Banks had key third down passes to WR Jabar Gaffney for 12
yards and 21 yards to Miller. Carolina got the ball back with just one second
remaining and Houston held on for the 14-10 win.
In a game that featured plenty of long, ground-based
possessions by the offenses (each team had the ball seven times), Carolina had
more total yards (367 to 267) and also led in first downs (21 to 14). There was
only one turnover – by the Panthers – and Carolina was penalized seven times,
to four flags thrown on the Texans. The Panthers also recorded the only two
sacks of the game, both by DE Mike Rucker.
Tony Banks had an efficient performance, completing 13 of
19 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. Domanick Davis,
who was lost to a chest injury in the second half, rushed for 74 yards on 12
carries. Andre Johnson had four catches for 64 yards and Billy Miller also had
four receptions, for 58 yards and a TD.
For the Panthers, Stephen Davis (pictured at left) ran the ball 30 times for
153 yards. Jake Delhomme was successful on 13 of 23 throws for 193 yards and a
TD with one interception. Steve Smith caught 5 passes for 88 yards and a score,
although he also had the costly penalty in the fourth quarter.
“I’ve seen Tony Banks play before, and we did not take
Tony Banks lightly,” said Carolina’s Coach Fox. “I thought he had a terrific
second half.”
David Carr was back behind center for the Texans the next
week in a loss to Cincinnati, but further injuries had Banks in action again as
well as third-string QB Dave Ragone. Houston ended up at 5-11 and last in the
AFC South. The Panthers topped the NFC South with an 11-5 record and won the
NFC Championship, but lost a closely-fought Super Bowl to the New England
Patriots.
Tony Banks had been a disappointment when starting for
the Rams, moving on to the Ravens and Redskins, before becoming the backup for
the new Texans in 2002. He saw no action that first year as Carr took every
snap. Appearing in seven games in ’03, and starting three of them, he completed
61 of 102 passes (59.8 %) for 693 yards and five touchdowns with three
interceptions. He was the backup quarterback in Houston for two more seasons
but never again saw as much action.
Domanick Davis (who would later change his last name to
Williams) continued to have a productive rookie year, ending up with 1031
rushing yards on 231 carries (4.3 avg.) and another 351 yards on 47 pass
receptions. Andre Johnson also had an outstanding first season, catching 66
passes for 976 yards (14.8 avg.) and four touchdowns.
Stephen Davis rushed for a career-high 1444 yards on 318
attempts (4.5 avg.) and scoring eight TDs. It was his fourth (and last)
thousand-yard rushing season and resulted in his being selected to the Pro Bowl
for the third time.
