Texans Loss to Ravens Shows Why Matt Schaub Is Only Borderline Elite

When ranking the top quarterbacks in the league, most people, including myself, tend to go more with a “tier system.” There’s the first tier, which is guys like Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Philip Rivers, and then there’s the second tier that includes guys like Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, and Matt Schaub.

Schaub puts up impressive numbers and has turned the Houston Texans into a borderline playoff team, but they always seem to be one play away from winding up in the playoffs.

With Monday night’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, Schaub showed once again why he is only in that second tier and still a long ways away from moving up.

Down 21 points, Schaub led an incredible charge against a very good Ravens defense. With only seconds left in the game, he hit Andre Johnson on the run in the back of the endzone to bring the Texans within two points. On the two-point conversion, Schaub hit Jacoby Jones to tie up the game and send it into overtime.

The Texans started on defense and, in a change of pace for a much-maligned defense, they did their job and forced the Ravens to punt.

After a few plays, Schaub made a huge mistake and tried to force the ball to the sideline. But what he didn’t see was Josh Wilson reading him the whole way. Wilson snagged the errant pass and walked into the endzone, giving the Ravens the win and leaving Texans fans to endure another heart-breaking loss.

While there’s the obvious exception, the guys mentioned in the top tier don’t throw games away like that. Schaub was pressing and was clearly flustered. The pressure got to him and it became evident in his final throw.

Schaub still has time to grow as a quarterback, but that time is shrinking rapidly, especially with his head coach likely getting the boot at the end of the season.