"When all of the top cogs are healthy, the Texans have a three-headed monster at running back.

If the Texans run the ball in the regular season the way they shredded New Orleans on Saturday when rushing for a team preseason-record 208 yards, quarterback Matt Schaub might be fortunate to throw for 3,000 yards rather than 4,000 for a third consecutive season.

"If that equates to making a run at a championship, whatever it takes," Schaub said. "It's a good situation to have a multitude of backs that can play at a high level. It's a lot of fun to watch them because it takes a lot of pressure off the passing game."

Running behind an offensive line that had an exceptional performance against one of the NFL's best defenses, Arian Foster played for the first time in the preseason, averaging 9.4 yards a carry and scoring two touchdowns.

Foster, who led the league in rushing last season, showed no signs of the hamstring injury that had kept him sidelined since his first carry in practice.

Ben Tate played for the first time since last preseason, averaging 10.6 yards a carry and scoring a touchdown. He'd been out with a hamstring injury.

Now Derrick Ward is back after suffering a concussion in the preseason opener against the Jets. Coming off the bench behind Foster last season, Ward averaged 6.3 yards a carry and scored a touchdown every 12 carries - the best ratio in the league."