No Pro Bowlers for the 2nd time

A rebuilding Texans team mired in a season of historic inefficiencies yielded no Pro Bowlers for just the second time in the team’s history. It’s Houston’s first team-wide snub since 2003, a result that, while unsurprising, again underlines where the franchise is and how far it still yet has to go.

The Texans (3-11) rank last in the NFL in yards per game (265.4), 31st in points per game (14.8) and 30th in average scoring margin (-11.8). Their defense has flexed at times, and FootballOutsiders, whose DVOA ratings compare the success of each play to the league average, ranks the unit 17th in the league. But no defensive player was selected, either.

Punter Cam Johnston had the team’s best chance. In mid-December, Johnston led all AFC punters in balloting for the Pro Bowl with 58,329 vote. But Raiders punter A.J. Cole, who leads the NFL with a 50.6 punting average, surpassed Johnston and secured a spot on the AFC roster.

“I think Cam, that’s not going to affect anything about any of our players,” special teams coordinator Frank Ross said. “We’re going to compete every day regardless of what the outcome is. The ultimate goal is to be the best you can possibly be and hopefully that results in a championship. I think all those things along the way will take care of themselves.”

The Texans were one of six NFL teams that didn’t have players selected to the Pro Bowl. The Jaguars (2-12), Lions (2-11-1), Jets (3-11), Giants (4-10) and Broncos (7-7) were snubbed, although Denver had three players selected as first alternates. The Broncos, a franchise that has won three Super Bowls, has had a Pro Bowler in every season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.