Look ahead: Division title in sight
Bill O’Brien would rather see Brown lose to Harvard than look at anything other than Sunday’s game against Indianapolis at NRG Stadium.
But that doesn’t keep the rest of us from doing it, right?
If O’Brien decides to take a peek at what’s going on around the AFC that could affect the Texans in the playoffs, he would find some intriguing possibilities.
The Texans have an NFL-best nine-game winning streak and a three-game lead in the AFC South over Indianapolis and Tennessee.
Try to talk to O’Brien about the Texans having a chance to clinch the division title Sunday, and you better wash your mouth out with soap.
“I think about today,” O’Brien said when asked about the Texans having a chance to secure the division title. “We just had a staff meeting. We’re going to meet at 12:30 with the players. They’re lifting right now. Let’s have a great Monday. That’s what I think about.”
Well, here’s what the rest of us are thinking about as the Texans continue their winning streak. And, to be truthful, probably a lot of their players and coaches are thinking about the same things. They just can’t admit it publicly.
If the Jaguars upset the Titans
on Thursday night in Nashville the way they did the Colts on Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville, a Texans victory over Indianapolis would give them a third AFC South title in O’Brien’s five seasons.
The Texans have four games remaining — at home against the Colts, road games against the New York Jets and Philadelphia, and at home against Jacksonville.
The best development for the Texans would be to win out, finish 13-3 and let the proverbial playoff chips fall where they may.
First, they have to beat the Colts and increase their winning streak to 10 games.
“Every week is a tough opponent, a tough battle,” O’Brien said. This week will be no different. This will be a very challenging game for us.
“I’m glad we’re at home. I think our crowd has been great at home, but other than that, we need to really start grinding on Indianapolis.”
But what about Sunday’s 29-13 victory over Cleveland?
“Winning is great,” O’Brien said. “There’s nothing better than winning, but you have to learn from it. You have to look at the tape, get some things corrected and quickly turn the page to the next opponent. That’s the key.
“Whatever plays you had yesterday that carry over to what this game might be, you have to learn from that, and then you have to really turn your focus to Indianapolis.”
Colts, Colts, Colts.
Fine, but the rest of us are going to look around the AFC and check out the Texans’ competition for a first-round bye and even home-field advantage. The Texans have never attained either one of them.
As it stands today, the road to the Super Bowl for the AFC goes through Kansas City.
The Chiefs (10-2) have the conference’s best record. They have a difficult schedule, and they have to play without running back Kareem Hunt, who was placed on waivers Friday.
Three of the Chiefs’ last four games are against playoff contenders. They host Baltimore (7-5) and the Los Angeles Chargers (9-3). They travel to Seattle (7-5) before finishing at home against Oakland.
The Chiefs could lose a game or two. Like the Texans, they don’t want to finish tied with New England because the Patriots defeated them and own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
The Patriots (9-3) have the same record as the Texans but won the first game of the season. The Texans need for New England to lose a game or two. The Patriots play on the road against Miami and Pittsburgh before hosting Buffalo and the Jets.
Before you give the Patriots home-field advantage, consider this: Tom Brady is 1-4 in his last five games at Miami and 7-9 when visiting the Dolphins. And the Patriots are 3-3 on the road this season, with each defeat being decisive.
When the Patriots play at Heinz Field in two weeks, they’ll face a desperate Pittsburgh team that’s reeling from blowing Sunday night’s home game against the Chargers.
Speaking of the Chargers (9-3), they trail the Chiefs by one game and could still win the AFC West. Kansas City won the first game on the first weekend of the season.
The Chargers host Cincinnati, play at Kansas City and entertain Baltimore before finishing at Denver. The Broncos are red hot with a three-game winning streak, and that last game could be crucial for both teams.
If the playoffs started today, the Chiefs, Patriots, Texans and Steelers (7-4-1) would be division winners. The Chargers and Ravens (7-5) would be the wild cards. Kansas City and New England would earn first-round byes. The Texans would host the Ravens.
When the Texans win the division, their business won’t be done. They’ll be trying to earn a first-round bye and home-field advantage.
Impossible, right? Yep, about as impossible as a nine-game winning streak after an 0-3 start.