The Houston Texans’ 51-31 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs is going to echo throughout the offseason much the same way the 30-0 wild-card loss to the AFC West club did in 2016. The worst part was the Texans had a 24-0 lead on the Chiefs, and not only did they squander victory, but they ended up with a 20-point loss.
Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire writes that most coaches don’t survive that type of playoff meltdown.
Houston’s implosion turned out to be a tie for the fourth-biggest unraveling in NFL postseason history, behind the Houston Oilers blowing a 32-point lead to the Buffalo Bills in the wild-card round in 1993, and the Chiefs blowing a 28-point lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the wild-card round in 2014. So yes, Andy Reid has been on both sides of this. And of course, there was the Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. The 2002 New York Giants also lost a 24-point lead in the playoffs — in their case, it led to a 39-38 wild-card loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
Now, it’s up to O’Brien to recover from it, which isn’t always easy — or possible. The Oilers’ loss to the Bills led to the firing of defensive coordinator Jim Eddy, who was replaced by all-time defensive genius Buddy Ryan. The problem was, Ryan was also an all-time underminer, and that became apparent quickly as he divided his defense against the offense and even got in a sideline fight with offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride. By 1997, the roster was decimated, and the Oilers were in Tennessee.
There’s no chance of the Texans relocating, but the closing of a window is still possible. What Farrar doesn’t add is that the Oilers did manage to reach the postseason after bringing in Ryan, securing a first-round bye in the 1993 AFC divisional. However, the Chiefs upset them in the Astrodome. The Oilers started 1-9 in 1994, fired coach Jack Pardee, and promoted Jeff Fisher as interim coach. Then, they were out of town by 1997.
Nonetheless, playoff losses the likes of which the Texans sustained on Sunday generally get the coach swept out. If they don’t, then a ceiling has been established in potential.