For the second year in a row, the 10-6 Houston Texans are playoff-bound. On Saturday, Jan. 4, they will host the 10-6 Buffalo Bills in the wild card round.
Recently extended outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus is confident in what the Texans have brewing. He doesn’t see a talent drop-off on any level of the team. If a backup plays, he’s confident.
“We’re talented at every different level from our starters to our backups,” Mercilus said on Sunday. “There’s not really a drop-off anywhere, so if somebody goes down, somebody will be able to replace and make plays out there as well. When we get everything going — offense, defense and special teams — we can be a pretty good team, so we’ve got to be able to make sure all three click.”
The Texans opted to showcase that backup talent on Sunday, when they rested most of their starters and, by the second half, played a roster loosely resembling one of a preseason team. They lost to the starters of the Tennessee Titans 35-14.
Nonetheless, Sunday’s game was not about winning for the Texans. They treated it as a bye week, maintaining health to the starters that matter most. It was also an opportunity for those backup players to get valuable snaps. In case they are needed against Buffalo, they will be a bit more experienced.
Houston will not enter the postseason limping. They avoided major injuries on Sunday and aside from a few players — most notably Will Fuller and Tytus Howard — they will play the Bills at full-strength.
Even better: the Texans should enjoy the re-arrival of defensive end J.J. Watt. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year will hope to provide Houston with a much-needed pass-rush presence alongside Mercilus, outside linebacker Jacob Martin, defensive tackle D.J. Reader and a slew of others.
Bring on Buffalo.