The Houston Texans won’t be playing for anything more than a second 10-win season under DeMeco Ryans and a 5-1 record in the AFC South next Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.
They’re hosting a playoff game once and nothing else.
Following a 31-2 loss on Christmas Day against the Baltimore Ravens, the Texans (9-7) are locked into the No. 4 seed for the AFC postseason. Even if they finished 10-7, their record wouldn’t surpass either team in the AFC North to catapult up to the No. 3 seed.
It’s not like the Texans didn’t have chances to prove their value as a top-three seed in the conference. They led four times against teams in the middle of the season entering halftime, only to lose over the final 30 minutes.
Now, the Texans will be the lowest seed among division winners regardless of the rematch at Nissan Stadium next week.
Who will stand on the opposing side? Early odds expect it to be the Pittsburgh Steelers. Baltimore would have the better strength of schedule, so a tie would lean in favor of the reigning AFC North champions.
The Los Angeles Chargers, who could clinch a playoff berth with a win in Week 17, can’t jump either the Steelers or Ravens because of head-to-head losses earlier in the season.
The Denver Broncos, who also need a win to make the postseason, can’t jump Los Angeles since they lost both divisional matchups.
It’s simple: the Texans are pulling for a date with Russell Wilson and a pesky Steelers offense they beat in the preseason over a rematch with Baltimore.