WOW! Unbelievable...

Yesterday we went to the playoff game at Reliant Stadium in Houston. We're season ticket holders and this was the Houston Texans first playoff appearance in team history.  The team's first season was in 2002, so this was a long time in coming and a very big deal!

This season the unofficial team motto has been "next man up" since many of our starters have gone down with injuries...some season ending injuries.  We're on our third quarterback and he's a rookie and a fifth round draft pick.  However, the team rose to the occasion yesterday and beat the Cincinnati  Bengals.  This game had all the excitement that a loyal fan could ask for and more.  How about a defensive lineman scoring a touch down?  The final score was the Houston Texans 31 and the Cincinnati Bengals 10.


I'm still hoarse today from all the cheering and screaming.  Next week they go on to play the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore.  It seems like most of the "experts" do not expect them to win, but the players and fans are hoping they'll be proven wrong.  Win or lose it's been a great season for the Houston Texans and their fans.  I'm hoping they'll be playing again at Reliant Stadium in a couple of weeks.


We enjoyed the game with 71,715 of our closest friends.


We park in The Medical Center and take the train to the stadium.  Then we walk past the old Astrodome to Reliant Stadium.

The stadium was all decked out for the occasion.

If you don't like crowds and lines...don't ever go to a playoff game.  This was where we stood on line to go through security.

It's been ten years since 9/11 and the NFL and the Houston Texans finally have metal detectors so we don't have to be patted down before each game.  When I heard they would have metal detectors this season I thought they'd be the kind you walk through.  No, they have to do this to 71,715 people.  (Note to the NFL and Houston Texans:  Come on...you can afford the walk through kind.)  This is my husband getting the once over.

Finally we got into Bud Plaza which is a fenced in area that has different pre-game activities, but it was kind of crowded so we just got on the line to go through the turnstyle.

It became more and more crowded because the turnstyles weren't supposed to open until 2:00 PM.  I thought it was kind of funny when the band had to push their way through the crowd to get into the stadium.  Everyone was in a good mood, so even though we were kind of squeezed together there were plenty of laughs.

They let us through the turnstyles a little before 2:00 and then we made our way up the escalator.  It really didn't take us too long to get to our seats.

We're in "nose bleed country," but we love our seats and have a very good view of the field.  This is the team coming out of the tunnel and being introduced before the game.  I heard later that on NBC the players all introduced themselves and gave their names and the colleges they attended, except for the offensive line.  They stated their names and the elementary schools they attended.  You can hear those introductions here.  I'm sure there were a lot of excited elementary school students when they heard their schools named.

 During the National Anthem they also had a huge outline of the United States that looked like an American flag.  I was a little late taking the picture and the people holding it were already starting to fold it up.  There was also a color guard with an American flag, but they were just about off the field when I snapped this picture.  (I thought I should wait until the National Anthem was over before I took a picture.)

Although it was really warm outside they had the roof closed so fan noise would help the team.  I always have a radio with ear phones, but I could barely hear the radio with all the noise.

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After the game the place exploded with excitement.  Some of the players went to the middle of the field for some Tebowing.

We left and squeezed on the train for the ride back to our car.

Everyone on the train was happy.  It was definitely a party-like atmosphere. 

It sure would be nice if they beat Baltimore and we get to go to another game at Reliant Stadium this season!