Weeden Left Out For Hoyer

In the first half of their wild card game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Texans starting QB Bryan Hoyer was responsible for four turnovers. He threw three picks including one deep in the red zone as well as a lost fumble.

Things didn't go much smoother in the third quarter as the Texans fell behind 27-0. Hoyer struggled with accuracy and decision making, nearly throwing interceptions on a couple of passes.

It appeared backup Brandon Weeden was going in to start the fourth quarter as he was seen warming up on the sidelines, but again O'Brien went with Hoyer. The Texans actually made it down the field but, after a missed throw to the end zone, Bryan Hoyer fumbled on fourth down and had to land on it, effectively giving the ball away for the fifth time.

On the first play of the next drive, Hoyer threw another interception on a poorly thrown pass. Kansas City scored a field goal on the ensuing possession to go up 30-0.

Again, the Texans went with Hoyer but it was probably too late for any quarterback to make a difference. The Chiefs would hold on to win 30-0, pitching the first playoff shut out in ten years, and move on to a playoff match up with either Denver or New England.

So why not make the switch to Weeden? I think most people expected him to start in the third quarter. After Hoyer's third interception in the first half, the hometown Houston fans were booing Hoyer and calling for Weeden to come in and hopefully spark a comeback.

Shortly after being let go by Dallas, Weeden was picked up by Houston and made his impact quickly. Weeden came in after an injury to Hoyer against Indianapolis and led his team to 16-10 victory, going 11 of 18 for 105 yards and a touchdown.

He started the next game and led them to 34-6 win over Tennessee to give Houston a chance to clinch their division with a win over Jacksonville. Against the Titans, Weeden went 15 of 24 for 200 yards, two passing touchdowns and added another on the ground.

Hoyer returned from injury for the season finale in a win over Jacksonville.

Brandon Weeden is in the first year of the two year contract he signed with Houston.