What happens when you blow a 24-0 lead in the divisional playoffs and lose 51-31 to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium? Touchdown Wire kicks you out of the top-10 of their way too early NFL power rankings.
According to author Doug Farrar, the Houston Texans are the 11th-best team in the NFL with the combine a little under three weeks away. Part of the reason why Farrar has the Texans outside of the top-10 is because of the seeming dysfunction rampant at NRG Park with coach Bill O’Brien consolidating his power as general manager.
Last we heard from Bill O’Brien, the Texans’ head coach was coming off a historic walloping in the divisional round at the hands of the Chiefs, who shook off a 24-0 deficit and went on to break O’Brien’s team in half with seven consecutive touchdown drives in a 51-31 rout. O’Brien’s game mismanagement was somehow rewarded with more power in the organization and the title of general manager, while defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel — whose decision to play man coverage over and over against the Chiefs was highly problematic — was asked to take an advisory role, whatever that means. It’s a weird time for a Texans team with a legitimate Super Bowl window if everything goes well, but it will take a lot to recover from the way the 2019 season ended, especially with O’Brien in charge of so much.
The whole offseason is still wide open for the Texans and the rest of the NFL. Houston may not have blue-chip draft picks to work with, but they do have over $50 million in salary cap space. The Texans will have to figure out which free agents they want to keep, such as cornerback Bradley Roby and defensive tackle D.J. Reader just to name a couple. However, the task of retooling a two-time AFC South champion shouldn’t be daunting.