The NFL changed its playoff format for the 2020 season to include an extra playoff team per conference. There will be six teams per conference duking it out during wild-card weekend with the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC earning their conference’s lone first-round byes.
With an expansion of the playoff format, Houston Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair has to keep holding coach Bill O’Brien to a higher standard.
On Jan. 28, McNair issued a statement clarifying O’Brien’s role as the team’s general manager. McNair officially gave O’Brien the title because of the club finishing 10-6, winning the AFC South, and a wild-card playoff win in 2019.
“I was encouraged by the progress that our team made on the field this year which was due in part to our new structure, operating approach and the leaders within our football operations group,” McNair said in the statement. “I am proud that we provided our fans with many thrilling victories at home, including a playoff win, and we delivered another double-digit win season.”
The Texans achieved these results with O’Brien operating as the de facto general manager following the firing of Brian Gaine on June 7. While executive vice president of football administration Chris Olsen was technically the interim general manager, and the GM duties were broken up among a five-man council, O’Brien had the most influence. His decision to trade for left tackle Laremy Tunsil and protect franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson was his crowning transaction during the GM-less 2019 campaign.
“Now it is time for the organization to get back to work toward our pursuit of a world championship for the city of Houston,” McNair said.
If Houston qualifies as the seventh seed in the 2020 playoffs, that is technically a step backward from 2019 because they didn’t win the division. If Houston wins in the wild-card round, technically, that would be a measure of progress because the Texans have not been victorious in a road postseason game in club history. However, true progress would be making it at least to the AFC Championship Game.
If Houston repeats as division champions but falter in the wild-card round, that is a step back as they won a playoff game in 2019. If Houston wins that first-round playoff game, again, true progress is measured by qualifying for the AFC Championship Game.
If the Texans secure home-field advantage, it will be the first time in club history they have done so, and they will be the first Houston NFL team since the 1993 Oilers to get a first-round bye. However, a divisional playoff loss instantly cancels that progress, but a win would give the Texans their first conference title game appearance in team history.
The watermarks for success are laid out for McNair. Just because the NFL has added another playoff team shouldn’t change how he is evaluating the progress of the O’Brien era. The reality is O’Brien is going to have to win a road playoff game as part of demonstrating progress thanks to his wielding general manager powers now. If O’Brien is still stymied in the divisional round, McNair must earnestly reconsider.
[vertical-gallery id=47435]