Despite now being in its 17th season, the Houston Texans remain the youngest franchise in the NFL. As such, it is the one most likely to be setting and breaking new records, but nevertheless, the winning streak the team just completed could have serious implications for the business end of the season.
The Texans have made the playoffs four times in their history, but they have always had to play in the wild card round, where their record currently stands at 3-1. On current form, however, the team has a genuine shot of a first-round bye, which would put them just one win away from another franchise record – the team’s first ever appearance in an AFC championship match.
[divider]
The way it should feel
Defensive end JJ Watt has been with the Texans for all four of those ultimately disappointing playoff campaigns. Each of them had the feel of watching the roulette wheel spin and hoping for the best. Twice, the Texans made it through the wildcard round only to come up against the might of the Patriots, which is surely the football equivalent of calling red and hitting black.
Last year, Watt’s hopes of a big win were literally restricted to spinning the roulette wheel from the comfort of his home on a site like Casimpo Casino. The Texans were having a 4-12 season to forget, and Watt was sidelined for most of it with a broken leg. But what a difference a year makes. “This is what it’s supposed to feel like,” he told the Associated Press. “Honestly, this is how you dream it up.”
[divider]
Timing is everything
It all looked so different a couple of months ago. Despite a strong preseason in which they won three and only lost the fourth by a single point, the Texans lost their first three games of the regular season and another year of mediocrity threatened. Then, staring 0-4 in the face, the team galvanized in overtime to overcome the Colts by a field goal. That was back in September, and from there, things started to click into place.
In week five, they were pushed to the limit again, and it took another step into overtime to beat the Cowboys. Suddenly a steely edge and a sense of belief was appearing. With each subsequent game, the Texans looked stronger and more assured, and they have not put a foot wrong since. The most recent win was against a resurgent Cleveland Browns, a team that is no stranger to record breaking streaks of form. While the Browns had started a winning run of their own, they were no match for a team on the top of its game and backed by an emotional crowd that was mourning the recent loss of Houston’s most famous and well-loved resident.
There is a genuine feeling that this year, the Texans could be building up to something special, and it all comes down to the timing. In past campaigns, there has been the sense of the Texans collapsing across the line in to the playoffs, almost despite themselves, whether it has been through hitting poor form in the final weeks, suffering critical injuries or being their own worst enemies with questionable benchings and internal strife.
This year, however, there is an air of calm professionalism emanating from the NRG Stadium. With the Jets, Eagles and Jaguars to come, there is every chance they can catapult into the playoffs on a hot streak streak. And from that point, who knows what new franchise records could be created?
[divider]
Playoff picture
Going into week 15, the Texans and the Patriots have two-game leads over the rest in their divisions. Over in the AFC West, the 11-2 Chiefs and the 10-3 Chargers should both have done enough to assure a place in the playoffs, and according to the bookmakers, the most likely scenario is that they will be joined by the Ravens and Steelers, who are similarly duking it out for AFC North glory.
The question of which teams will manage byes is a tougher call mathematically, but pragmatically, the Patriots and the Texans have to be in a strong position. The crucial thing here is that it will put the two teams in opposite sides of the draw, meaning that the Texans will not have to face their old playoff adversaries in the divisional playoff game.
Who will they play? Again, it is a large part conjecture, but assuming they finish second seeded in the AFC, they will face the winner of the playoff between the third seed and the sixth. On current form, that is most likely to be Kansas City, and if that does happen, nobody should expect a repeat of 2016. This Texans team looks like an altogether different proposition.
