ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -In only his third year in Houston, Matt Schaub has no way of telling whether the Texans have completely shed their also-ran label.
One thing the quarterback's sure of is that if it hasn't happened yet, then this is the team with the best opportunity to finally put the Texans squarely on the NFL map in their eighth season of existence.
``Hopefully, teams don't look at us that way anymore,'' Schaub said. ``But if they do, then some time very soon, I believe that we'll be a household name as a team and as an organization, and people will recognize us.''
They've been hard to ignore this year with Schaub running a pass-happy, high-octane offense that's suddenly rivaling those of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. Schaub leads the league in yards passing and touchdowns, and he's got a trio of threats to rely upon: receiver Andre Johnson, tight end Owen Daniels and running back Steve Slaton.
The next step is to show the Texans (4-3) can be counted among the AFC's midseason playoff contenders when they travel to play the Buffalo Bills (3-4) on Sunday. With a win, Houston would be off to its best start in franchise history, extend its win streak to three while continuing to build on the momentum of last year's 5-1 finish to a season undone by a dreadful 0-4 start.
``Well, we definitely have not arrived,'' said coach Gary Kubiak, who's coming off consecutive 8-8 finishes. ``We've been a .500 team for the last two years. And that was progress for this organization. But what is this, I think it's the eighth year for this organization if I'm right. We have not had a winning season and we're trying to become a playoff team.''
Ah, yes, the playoffs.
The game at Orchard Park is between two of the NFL's three teams - Detroit being the other - which haven't made the postseason this decade.
Though the Texans can be excused for being relative newcomers, the Bills are a different story. This once-proud franchise that's part of the AFL's 50th anniversary celebration has spent much of this decade in a perennial rebuilding phase. Buffalo has been undone by a spotty draft record, has failed to capture an identity or land a franchise quarterback since Hall of Famer Jim Kelly retired after the 1996 season.
In jeopardy of being surpassed by a one-time expansion franchise, the Bills are in need of a victory, which would allow them to enter their bye week on a three-game winning streak and put aside memories of a 1-4 start.
``To be 4-4 at the bye is going to be huge for us,'' quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick said. ``When we were sitting at 1-4, that was our goal. I think that everyone believed it could happen. And we're one win away from that.''
Preparing to make his second start, Fitzpatrick is being credited as part of the reason for the mini-turnaround since starter Trent Edwards sustained a concussion in a 16-13 overtime win over the Jets two weeks ago.
Fitzpatrick rallied the Bills from a 13-3 deficit against the Jets. Last week, he took advantage of an opportunistic defense, producing four scoring drives set up by takeaways in a 20-9 win at Carolina. Buffalo won despite an offense that generated 167 yards, nine first downs and lost the time-of-possession battle by nearly 10 minutes.
The offense is playing so poorly even receiver Terrell Owens can't make a dent, describing his season totals - 18 catches for 242 yards and a touchdown - as ``pathetic.''
And yet, T.O. still sees potential.
``I can feel the momentum that we have on this team,'' Owens said. ``A lot of people say the wins aren't pretty, but that's the nature of good teams sometimes, finding ways to win.''
Credit the Bills' defense for that. It's a patchwork unit that's played with bend-but-no-break resilience, and could be without a fifth starter against Houston, after tackle Kyle Williams sprained his knee last weekend.
Buffalo has overcome allowing 839 yards in its past two games by forcing 11 turnovers (nine interceptions), which have led directly to 30 of the 36 points the offense has scored.
It's a unit that'll be hard-pressed to contain the Texans, who are averaging nearly 27 points and 395 yards a game since a 24-7 season-opening loss to the Jets. Houston's also no pushover away from home, with a 2-1 road record.
``I don't think many people thought we would be in this position that we're in now,'' said Johnson, who's nursing a chest injury but expects to play.
Yet, Johnson isn't making any guarantees when asked if the Texans have turned the corner.
``Well, if I say, `Yeah,' and we turn around and lose, then you know it's going to be something crazy in the newspaper,'' Johnson said. ``We just have to focus on the game at hand.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
