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| (photo credit: playmakeronline.com) |
Last year the Houston Texans were very fortunate that they
play in the AFC South, or else they were would be absolutely no chance for them
to make it to the playoffs. Their many weaknesses were showcased in an
embarrassing 30-0 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card Game.
Houston finished the season with a 9-8 record, and that is mostly because they
could never find consistency at quarterback. Head Coach Bill O’Brien made the
decision to start Brian Hoyer, but multiple injuries would sideline him for
most of the season.
Houston’s quarterback situation was an absolute mess, as
they would end up playing four different quarterbacks (Hoyer, Ryan Mallett,
T.J. Yates, and Brandon Weeden). Those four quarterbacks didn’t really have a
running back either, as Arian Foster tore his Achilles early in the season
against the Miami Dolphins. Alfred Blue wound up becoming the starter, but he
never gave the Texans much to get excited about. Knowing that they had major
holes to fill on offense, the Texans went to work during free agency. General
Manager Rick Smith made sure he got his quarterback, as they reeled in the
biggest fish on the quarterback market.
Houston signed former Denver Broncos
quarterback Brock Osweiler, and they hope that he’ll become the franchise quarterback.
Osweiler started for half of the season while Peyton Manning was nursing a
series of injuries. Osweiler did his job, as he threw for 1,967 yards and 10
touchdowns, while completing 61% of his passes. Houston decided to waive Foster,
so they were searching for a running back. Houston would end up swapping
running backs with Miami, as Foster bolted for South Beach, and former Dolphins
running back Lamar Miller decided to sign with the Texans.
Despite injuries to
the offensive line, Miller still turned in a rock solid season. Miller rushed
for 872 yards and eight touchdowns, which tied a career-high for touchdowns
scored. Even though the Texans didn’t have a reliable quarterback or running back,
Houston had one weapon that kept them afloat. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had
a career season in his third year in the league, as he caught 111 passes for
1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns, which were all career highs for the former
Clemson receiver.
Other than the weak competition in their division, Houston
made the playoffs last year because of their defense. Houston only allowed 19
points per game, and they defense is anchored by J.J. Watt. Watt was the NFL’s
Defensive Player of the Year last season, and that accolade most certainly
belonged to Watt. Watt recorded 57 tackles and 17.5 sacks last year. Behind a
strong defense, and a revamped offense, Houston should be in playoff
contention, but the AFC South improved drastically, so a playoff appearance won’t
come easy for Houston.
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