TEXANS With hopes of bye damaged, AFC South becomes priority
HOUSTON — Unlike the rest of us, the Texans can’t afford to grumble about the opportunity they let slip away Sunday when they lost 24-21 to Indianapolis.
Coach Bill O’Brien has to make sure his players have put Sunday’s game behind them and refocused on Saturday’s game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium while fans and media are lamenting the repercussions of losing to the Colts.
After the Indianapolis defeat, cornerback Johnathan Joseph said a loss can be a good thing because a team can learn from it.
“I think I understand what J-Jo’s saying,” O’Brien said Monday. “No one wants to lose. It’s a bottomline business. We’ve lost four games this year by a touchdown or less (by 7, 3, 5 and 3 points). That’s the NFL. These games are very tight.
“If there’s six to eight plays in a game that are critical plays and you don’t make those plays — maybe you didn’t coach them correctly or execute (them) correctly — then you’re probably going to lose the game.
“That’s the fine line we have to flip the script on now. We have to turn the page to the Jets, understand what they do, and make sure we’re coaching and executing at the highest level.”
A victory over Indianapolis would have increased the Texans’ winning streak to 10 games and elevated their record to 10-3, one game behind Kansas City among the division leaders. That would have been good for the AFC’s second seed and put them in position to make a run at a first-round bye.
Instead, the Texans are still third. They are tied with New England (9-4), which lost at Miami. The Patriots own the head-tohead tiebreaker because they defeated the Texans in the season opener.
If the playoffs started this weekend, Kansas City (11-2) and New England would get byes. The Texans would host Baltimore (7-6) in the wild-card round. Pittsburgh (7-5-1), clinging to the AFC North lead despite a three-game losing streak, would entertain the Los Angeles Chargers (10-3) in the other wild-card game.
With three games remaining, the Texans have a two-game lead over Indianapolis and Tennessee, both of whom are 7-6 and play in Nashville on the last day of the season.
The Patriots have a two-game lead over Miami (7-6) in the AFC East.
So pencil in the Texans and Patriots as their division champions.
In the West, the Chiefs have a crucial Thursday home game against the Chargers this week.
The AFC North is an intriguing division. With their three-game swoon, including Sunday’s loss at Oakland, the Steelers are doing everything they can to give away the division title. The problem is the Ravens have been unable to capitalize on Pittsburgh’s misfortune.
Besides the Ravens, the Colts, Titans and Dolphins are the most realistic candidates for the last wild-card spot.
As the contenders jockey for that second wild card behind the Chargers or Chiefs — the team that doesn’t win the AFC West — the Texans should focus on taking care of their business, winning the AFC South and waiting to see what team qualifies to come to NRG Stadium for a first-round playoff game.