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Stadium:
Reliant Stadium
The Houston Texans played their first regular season game at Reliant Stadium on September 8, 2002 against the Dallas Cowboys. Reliant Stadium has a capacity of around 69,000, in three main tiers of seats that enclose the field. A retractable roof was chosen for the stadium because of the late summer heat and because the stadium hosts rodeos, that bring in an annual 2 million people. The roof consists of two sections that meet over the 50 yard line when it is closed. When the roof is open, each section is above the seats in the endzone. Reliant Stadium has many amenities including over 8,200 club seats, 187 luxury suites, club lounges and bars, and a Texans team store. Although it has only been open for several years, Reliant Stadium has already been host to one of the biggest games in football, the 2004 Super Bowl.

Seating Chart:
Reliant Stadium Seating Chart

2011 Schedule:
Sep 11 Indianapolis
Sep 18 @Miami 4:15 pm
Sep 25 @New Orleans 1:00 pm
Oct 2 Pittsburgh 1:00 pm
Oct 9 Oakland 1:00 pm
Oct 16 @Baltimore 4:05 pm
Oct 23 @Tennessee 1:00 pm
Oct 30 Jacksonville 1:00 pm
Nov 6 Cleveland 1:00 pm
Nov 13 @Tampa Bay 1:00 pm
Week 11 BYE
Nov 27 @Jacksonville 1:00 pm
Dec 4 Atlanta 1:00 pm
Dec 11 @Cincinnati 1:00 pm
Dec 18 Carolina 1:00 pm
Dec 22 @Indianapolis 8:20 pm
Jan 1 Tennessee 1:00 pm

Approximate Length of Game:
Three Hours

Video Preview:
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Season Preview:
When Jason Babin finished last season with the highest sack total on the team, he didn't want any attention drawn to it. After all, his five sacks ranked him 67th among the leading pass-rushers in the NFL. The Texans, who switched from the 3-4 to the 4-3 last off-season, finished with just 28 sacks overall, ranking them 27th out of 32 teams. "Last year was kind of tough because we had to go right into the meat and potatoes of the defense," said Babin, who was moved from outside linebacker to defensive end. "We didn't have time to do any of the basics, which I think some of us needed. "Guys like myself and (Antwan) Peek, who hadn't played defensive end in two years, we had little things that we didn't get as much time to work on like foot work, hand work, eyes -- stuff that we're working on now. And it's like, 'Ah, why didn't we work on this last year?'" There is also less confusion this year for the defense as a whole. The coaches enter the season with a better understanding of the talent they have to work with. The players have a better understanding of the schemes. "Everyone actually knows what we're doing," said linebacker DeMeco Ryans. "We really know the whole concept of the defense, whereas last year I don't think everyone really understood. I think we were out there just playing and just trying to make a play." The Texans hope the changes translate to big plays. Last season, they couldn't pressure the quarterback and managed only 11 interceptions, the third-lowest total in the NFL. They finished with 22 takeaways, the fourth-lowest total in the league. Mario Williams, who played through the pain of plantar fasciitis, was the only starting lineman not to land on the injured reserve. He returns healthy and more confident a year after a pressure-filled rookie season, in which he collected just 4 1/2 sacks. When asked if he expected the sack totals to rise this season, Williams laughed awhile before saying, "Yeah, I expect that." Williams is already more relaxed and comfortable than he was at any point last season. He said he is looking forward to the challenge of showing people why he was selected No. 1 in 2006. "I'm glad that Amobi (Okoye) was the first pick this year, so that takes a little pressure off me, but yeah, I'm ready for it," Williams said. The Texans have high hopes for Okoye, who had eight sacks and 15 tackles for loss in his senior season at Louisville. He is the fourth defensive lineman the Texans have selected in the first round of the past four drafts. "If you go back and look at some of the things we did last year stunt-wise and those type of things, where we weren't quite getting there, I look at him and I said, 'This kid would have gotten there many times last year,'" coach Gary Kubiak said of Okoye. The Texans proved during the final three months of last season that its defense had the capabilities of becoming one of the league's best. They finished the season ranked 24th in total yards allowed per game, but from October until December they ranked 10th in that category. Now, the Texans enter with no excuses, just lofty expectations. They are no longer new to the 4-3. Their strongest leader -- Ryans -- is no longer a rookie. And the defensive line has four first-round picks on it -- three of whom are pass rushers (Williams, Babin and Okoye). "I expect our team to be led by our defense, and I expect our defense to go out and dominate some teams," Ryans said. "We've got some big-time guys up front. Those guys have great ability and great potential. They are going to be great pass rushers. I hope to see a lot of sacks out of those guys." Sportsline.com

Official Site:
www.houstontexans.com