It’s the middle of June. There’s been a pandemic that has obliterated all offseason workouts. What a perfect time to make predictions about the 2020 NFL season.
Adam Rank from NFL.com released his prediction videos for all 32 NFL teams, and the commentator didn’t have an optimistic outlook for the Houston Texans as they seek to repeat as division champions for the third straight year. Instead of matching a feat not seen since the Indianapolis Colts won five straight AFC South titles from 2003-07, the Texans go 6-10 and finish third in the division.
“A lot of question marks with this Houston team,” Rank said after making his prediction. “They’ve been very good for a long time. You just don’t trade DeAndre Hopkins and try to replace him with Brandin Cooks and Randall Cobb. What are you doing, Houston? You should have kept one of the best receivers in the game. I think that’s going to affect you negatively this season.”
The Texans post a 1-3 mark in the first quarter of the season with their lone win coming in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings at NRG Stadium. A 1-3 record after the first quarter is the most realistic part of Rank’s predictions as Houston does have a tough slate right out of the gate at Kansas City, at home against the Ravens, and on the road at Pittsburgh.
In the second quarter of the year, the Texans go 2-2 with wins against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers. However, they drop their initial encounter with the Tennessee Titans and drop their rematch with the Jaguars.
With a trip to Cleveland, hosting the New England Patriots, spending Thanksgiving in Detroit, and then opening up the Indianapolis Colts series, Rank sees Houston going 1-3 in the third quarter of 2020.
To finish out the season, the Texans beat the Bears, lose to the Colts, beat the Bengals, and then get swept by the Titans.
If the Texans go 6-10, the only explanation could be that quarterback Deshaun Watson was injured for a portion of the year. With Watson under center for a full season, Houston has posted double-digit wins and have gone 4-2 in the division. This record includes the Texans going 2-4 in the AFC South, an outcome that has never happened in the Bill O’Brien era, save for 2017 when they 1-5 because Watson tore his ACL on Nov. 2.
A 6-10 finish would be extremely disappointing to a Texans fan base that feels the window is open with Watson at quarterback. The question is whether or not this would be unacceptable enough for chairman and CEO Cal McNair to finally move on from the O’Brien Way.