Coach Bill O’Brien expects to play his full Houston Texans roster against the Tennessee Titans in their season finale on Sunday. Titans coach Mike Vrabel expects the same, so do his players.
“I mean, for sure,” Titans safety Kevin Byard told Titans media on expecting to see Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins on Sunday. “We are definitely going to go into the game preparing for it, regardless if those guys are banged-up or how they feel about the season and stuff like that.”
The Texans currently have the fourth-seed in the AFC playoffs. If the Kansas City Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday, they will stay there. Houston will likely know of the result before they play, as they play at 3:25 pm CT compared to the Chiefs at noon.
If the Chiefs win, Sunday’s bout between the divisional rivals could be meaningless. However, being that the two are rivals, Byard expects the Texans to go at full-power. If Tennessee loses, their playoff chances as an 8-7 will evaporate. One can expect the Texans wanting to control their rival’s destiny.
“I mean, they are our divisional rival, so I anticipate those guys coming in and trying to beat us and try to spoil us not getting into the playoffs,” Byard said. “So we have to go into this game like it is a playoff game and do everything we possibly can.”
If the Chiefs win, the Texans should theoretically use the week to rest their key players. At Week 17 of the NFL season, no player is 100%, even if they are off of the injury report. With the Texans playing a week later in the playoffs, likely against the 10-5 Buffalo Bills, they could use all the rest they can get.
Nonetheless, the coaches of both teams and the players don’t see it in the same light.