being tied with the chargers is meaningless since they wont win their division. We automatically get seeded above them if we win our division and they dont if i recall. We wanted the Chargers to beat the Steelers since the Steelers are a division leader and therefore could get seeded above us.
If the Texans beat the Colts next week, they will ne guaranteed a better conference record than Tennessee. If Texans lose the rest of their games and Titans and Colts win the rest of their games, conference record will be the tie breaker.
I don't want to **** on anyone's parade, but these wins are not all that breath-taking. We haven't taken on a powerhouse and I really don't think we will fare well against any of the other 4 top teams in the AFC yet. Also, while Watson has been a lot better and consistent, he's not flinging it the same way Mahomes or Goff has, and I guess I'm a bit envious and want him to be the best QB ASAP.
Watson's completion rate is the exact same as both those guys and averages just 1 yard less per throw because fuller is missing. You are mad because BoB doesn't run up the score on teams. Watson also throws much less than those guy by design.
Goff wasn't flinging it yesterday either. Chiefs didn't look breath-taking beating the Raiders by just a touchdown. Watson has shown he can when he needs to (2017 vs Patriots, Chiefs, and Seahawks; 2018 vs Dolphins). He is playing within the offense/gameplan. When he needs to, YulC Something people sometimes forget is that Texans haven't lost any game by more than a score that Deshaun started. They've always been in it.
Chargers are only one game behind KC. We already control our destiny regarding Pittsburgh because they can't reach 13 wins. Besides.. Let's have the better record regardless of seeding. Ball out !!
Why do I have this awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that the Texans will lose out, finish 9-7, again, but will still win the division and it'll be "doesn't matter Brian! Division winners Brian! Playoffs Brian!" all over again.
Some fans will never be satisfied. 9-0 and the "we haven't played a powerhouse team yet" is the only thing they focus on. Lol
It's kinda cute how you think you're the first one to say this. While it turns out the schedule isn't as soft as was originally thought, it's not like a vast majority of us are convinced this is a Super Bowl bound team, yet. They absolutely have to go all out to get a bye. All eyes should be on the Patriots right now and their week 15 game @ Pittsburgh. The Texans have to win out for sure. Hopefully the Steelers can pull one out because I doubt the Pats lose any of their other games (this week @ Miami, Week 16 vs Buffalo and Week 17 vs NYJ) don't bode well for losses. KC does have 3 fairly difficult games left (vs. Ravens, vs. Chargers, @ Seattle) so there's hope they fall off there, too. Texans win out and there's a very real shot at the #1 seed...which is still absolutely crazy to say out loud.
That sucks that you can't enjoy what we're witnessing. The 2017 Astros should have taught all of us something......sometimes, you're just really ****ing good. I'm enjoying every bit of this Texans run, because no matter what @Kendrick Lamar or anyone else says, winning 9 in a row in the NFL is really, really hard. This team is built differently. They have veterans at almost every single position that can help guide the younger players, and teach them how to work. They have Watson who has shown time and time again that he loves the spotlight, and shines when the lights are brightest. They have Honey Badger, Watt, and Clowney to give the defense a serious swagger that's backed up by big plays, big hits, and big performances. I'm not taking a damn thing for granted, because it's been a LONG time (maybe never) since I've felt THIS good about a football team here in Houston. The 11-1 Texans under Kubiak never had this level of swagger and confidence, and I'm drinking the Kool-Aid by the gallon.
The CRAZY thing is, the Texans should be 11-1 right now. Losses to Blaine Gabbert off of a fake punt and the putrid Giants are the only head scratchers this year.
Good teams lose every single week in the NFL. As proof, here are the current win streaks of the top four teams in the AFC: Pats, 2; Steelers, -2; Chiefs, 1; Chargers, 2. The Texans haven't lost in 9 weeks. Watson has a better defense than (especially) Mahomes and Goff; he doesn't *have* to fling it. Are you really going to favor Mahomes because he had to "fling it" to beat the Raiders? But... for the record, if the season ended today, Patrick "Fling It" Mahomes would count victories against teams picking 1st (SF), 2nd (Oak), 4th (Ari), and 6th (Jax) in next year's draft. During the nine-game win streak, the Texans own two victories against top 10 drafting teams (Jacksonville, 6; Buffalo, 7) - but both teams rank 7th and 2nd (respectively) in FO defensive DVOA. In fact, here are the defensive rankings of Houston win streak opponents: 16 (Colts) 13 (Cowboys) 2 (Bills) 7 (Jags) 21 (Dolphins) 3 (Broncos) 18 (Washington) 22 (Titans) 8 (Browns) That's four wins against top 10 defenses. Or, one more than Mahomes has against bottom 10 defenses (3). (The Texans have played against *1* bottom 10 defense *all season.*) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ All this qualifying, "yeah, but" ing bullshit is tiresome. If you can't appreciate a team winning nine straight, maybe this isn't really your favorite team? Or perhaps not a sport you really care about?
I would argue the '11 team, up until the moment Matt Schaub got hurt, was the best, most complete team in franchise history. If Schaub stays healthy, with peak Arian Foster and a lights-out defense... they almost certainly reach the AFC championship game that year (as is, they lost a divisional round playoff game in Baltimore by seven with TJ Yates at QB). And I'd put the 11-1 '12 team ahead of this year's *for now.* They obviously ran into a ditch late in that season - if this team can finish strong - *especially* if they secure a first-round bye - it easily vaults past the '12 team. The '11 team will remain the best "what if..." team. Man, *that* team was sooooooo good.
I would have to agree about the 2011 team had me feeling more excited. Ironically, I think the "disappointments" of the previous playoff teams is keeping us from being "super bowl or bust". We have seen first hand that regular season success doesn't necessarily mean playoff success. We have also learned to never underestimate the Patriots in January.
Defense STILL wins championships....even if some have forgotten that. To date the Belichick Patriots have never won the SB with a scoring defense outside the top 8 and only one time with a scoring defense outside the top 6. Brady gets all of the credit, but those defenses were really what made the difference. The Pats have been the top scoring offense under Belichick 3 times, out of those seasons they made the SB once, and lost it, on the other hand, they've hat the top scoring defense twice and won the SB both times.....but offense is what gets hyped.
I don't even get mad at those that bring up "we haven't beaten anybody" anymore. 1. They might be right and 2. It doesn't matter. This isn't CFP where your opponent's record matters. Chief's losses are to Patriots and Rams, the same team that beat the Texans and the team with the best record in the whole league. I get why people put them above the Texans. It's obvious why the Patriots will be put ahead of the Texans since they beat them head to head. Though that was ages ago. But that's it. Some might argue the Chargers since they have the same record and have win like the Steelers under their belt. At worst, the Texans will be ranked top 6 in the league. It still doesn't mean anything. There's still a lot of games to be played.
I understand the residual scarring, and all - but those past playoff disappointments have no relation to the 2018 Texans. More to the point, I can't fathom why *any* Texan fan would approach a single 60-minute playoff game with Deshaun Watson as their QB and not feel confident. He's 12-6 as a starter and hasn't lost an NFL game by more than a score (8 points). Total point differential in his six losses in -29.
