Seventeen weeks lead up to one: wild card weekend. On Saturday, Jan. 4, the Houston Texans will face the Buffalo Bills in a game that will decide if they have what it takes to be a championship team.
Though the Bills aren’t a regular in the postseason, they are woefully deserving. Entering the playoffs with a 10-6 record, they have a stingy pass offense, a growing young quarterback in Josh Allen, a fiery coach in Sean McDermott and a culture that can be summarized in “we believe.”
“They’re a good team, talented. I know a lot of players over there,” Texans safety Justin Reid said of the Bills on Sunday. “Kevin Johnson who was here is over there. They got a lot of good players.”
The Texans will host the wild card matchup on Saturday. Like the Bills, they sit at a 10-6 record, having played one of the hardest schedules in the NFL. They have an offense capable of scoring in bunches, highlighted by Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins, and a defense that will benefit from the re-arrival of J.J. Watt.
All those trials and tribulations of the past 17 weeks don’t matter anymore. Win or go home.
“At this point, this is when the real season begins,” Reid said. “It’s win or go home and that’s the mentality. We got some guys be able to get some valuable experience today. It’s going to be able to help us in the future.”
Last year, the Texans went home. After winning the AFC South, the Indianapolis Colts came to Houston and handed them a loss. They didn’t reach the playoffs in the year before and, in 2016, left after beating a backup quarterback.
More often than not, the Texans go home. They have never visited the AFC Championship game. Perhaps the 2019 season will be different for Houston.