We need to give the Houston Texans’ horrific choke job the attention it deserves

This type of loss could damage a franchise for years.

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A lot of football stuff happened this weekend – the Ravens were stunned at home by Titans, the Packers held on to beat the Seahawks at a frozen Lambeau and the Niners took care of business at home with no problem.

But let’s forget all about that for now and focus on one gigantic thing that happened that’s easy to forget about because of how quickly it happened – the Houston Texans coughed up a 24-0 lead to the Chiefs in a matter of minutes and suffered the type of loss that could damage a franchise for years to come.

Seriously, that happened Sunday in Kansas City and it should end up costing Bill O’Brien his job as head coach of the team.

Let’s dive into this utter nightmare, shall we?

The Texans took a 14-0 lead just five minutes into the first quarter when they blocked a punt and took it back for six.

They then made it a 21-0 lead late in the first quarter when they scored a TD after recovering a muffed punt at the Chiefs’ 9-yard line.

It was a shocking start that had many thinking we were about to see another huge upset in the AFC just hours after the No. 1 seed was sent home.

Then in the second quarter Houston faced a 4th and 1 from the Kansas City 13 yard and decided to kick a field goal instead of going for the first down and trying to go up 28-0, which would have felt much bigger than the 24-0 lead they took 10:54 left in the half.

But that moment of insecurity on O’Brien’s part proved to the turning point in the game as the Chiefs scored four times (four!) before halftime to become the first team to lead at half (28-24) after trailing by 24 points or more.

It all happened so darned quickly.

And it didn’t stop there.

The Chiefs went on a 51-7 run to win the game 51-31. Arrowhead, which spent the first quarter wondering what was going on, lost its mind. Chiefs offensive lineman Eric Fisher grabbed a fan’s beers after a touchdown and smashed them over his head in excitement. The stadium had to even announce they had ran out of celebratory fireworks after scoring so much.

THEY RAN OUT OF FIREWORKS FROM SCORING SO MUCH.

That’s the type of loss that should lead to the quietest plane ride home ever. That’s the type of loss that should lead to drastic changes for the franchise. You need to rid yourself of that bad juju that blanketed the team in stunning fashion on Sunday.

The Texans were up 24-0 in the second quarter and went to halftime down 28-24! I don’t know how you even come out of the locker room after something like that. but they did, and things only got worse.

O’Brien’s time with the team needs to be over. It’s obvious he’s never going to be the one to take them to the Super Bowl, which is the goal of every team. So why waste any more time? Why allow QB Deshaun Watson to continue to have his career wasted by a franchise that doesn’t have what it takes right now to be a winner?

Sunday was an embarrassment of epic proportions. The Falcons continue to carry 28-3 years after their Super Bowl loss to the Patriots. The Texans should take 24-0 with them for just as long, if not longer.

This is a stink that is going to last for a while, and rightly so. A collapse of that level, on that stage after building such a big league should be mentioned in future playoff collapses by any team in any sport.

The Texans now need to figure out where to go from here.

Because “here” is rock bottom.

NFL Divisional Round Awards

(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)

Here’s my gif-by-gif look back at the good, the bad, and the hilarious from the weekend’s action. It starts with Chris Myers’ hilarious report on Jadeveon Clowney’s awkward groin injury and includes Jimmy Johnson’s emotional reaction to being told he will be going into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Push work aside for a few and check these outs.

Quick hits: Pete Carroll’s questionable decision… Wooing fan at Lambeau… Marshawn’s cool meeting with Rodgers… And more!

– Pete Carroll got crushed for opting to punt the ball – and the Seahawks’ season – away late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Packers.

– Did you hear that “woo-ing” fan while watching the Seahawks-Packers game? You were far from alone.

– Marshawn Lynch and Aaron Rodgers shared a cool moment in the Packers’ locker room after Sunday’s game.

– A Chiefs fan left Sunday’s game after the first quarter because he felt he was the jinx. Maybe he was?

– Tiger Woods’ 10-year-old son Charley already has a sweet golf swing.

(Follow me on Twitter at @anezbitt. It might change your life. Just don’t tell me about your fantasy team.)

7 offseason moves to make the Bengals playoff contenders again

Here’s a blueprint to get the Bengals back to the playoffs.

The Cincinnati Bengals fell well short of getting back to the playoffs to start the Zac Taylor era.

Luckily for all involved, the unintentional tank puts the Bengals in a nice position moving forward in terms of assets. With the right moves, the team could have a bigger turnaround than some might be comfortable projecting.

Here’s a brief eight-step plan to get the Bengals back to the playoffs in the next year or two.

 

Draft Joe Burrow

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow (9) is interviewed after the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Even the most adamant Andy Dalton supporters can probably agree the Dalton era has run its course. Problems around the position or not, he wasn’t a great fit with Zac Taylor.

But now sure is a good time to finally should some gall and make a change for the long-term with Joe Burrow entering the draft. The Heisman Trophy winner just had one of the best college football seasons by a quarterback in history and has everything the NFL wants in a franchise passer. His energy and improv ability alone on the field could help propel what is quietly a talented supporting cast quite far.

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Poll: Is 2020 the year for Tony Boselli to be named a Hall-of-Famer?

Sunday was an emotional day for retired NFL coaches Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson as both were the first two members to be named to the 2020 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame class. The hall’s president David Baker surprised both as the playoffs were going …

Sunday was an emotional day for retired NFL coaches Bill Cowher and Jimmy Johnson as both were the first two members to be named to the 2020 Pro Football Hall-of-Fame class. The hall’s president David Baker surprised both as the playoffs were going on and the nation came away with two priceless moments as a result.

Someone who could share the same fate as both legends is former Jags left tackle Tony Boselli, who was named a finalist for the 2020 class a week ago. Now, both Jags fans and Boselli will have to wait until February 1 to see if he makes the cut.

As most Jags fans are aware, it’s been a long journey for the Jags great who has been named a finalist four consecutive years, but has come up just short of making the cut each time. The reason for that has been because of the longevity of his career (seven years) in comparison to some, but the counter-argument to that has always been his dominance in the late 90s. He was named a five-time Pro Bowler and a three-time First-Team All-Pro while with the Jags. He was also named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 90s.

After years of being let down, many fans are hoping this will be the year the Jags get a representative in the Hall-of-Fame. Despite his career being a little shorter than other Hall-of Famers, it certainly is long due for Boselli who paved lanes for Fred Taylor and protected Mark Brunell’s blindside for many years.

With how special this class has been in the early stages, do you all at home think this will be the year Boselli knocks the wall down? Let us know in the poll below.

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Knicks not trading picks?

Something worth noting on the trade front for the Knicks: two people in touch with members of the organization in the last few days said that New York remains opposed to sending out any future first-round picks in any trades under consideration. This could be posturing from New York during trade season. But if the Knicks are indeed committed to keeping their future first-rounders off limits, that would align with the team’s strategy for the past five seasons.

You talk about comfort level here and …

You talk about comfort level here and you chose to come here in free agency. There may be trade interest in you before the Feb. 6 deadline. What do you want to happen? Rose: I haven’t really thought about it. Me and [agent] B.J. [Armstrong] haven’t talked about it. When we have talked, it was more about All-Star and what appearances I have for adidas. It wasn’t anything else as far as like what teams are calling, this and that. We were pretty straightforward. We talk about how I play.

“I’m not going to be petty, but there’s …

“I’m not going to be petty, but there’s been a lot of things said about what I bring to the locker room” Nets guard Kyrie Irving says he has a great relationship with his teammates