Five reasons the Houston Texans can win Super Bowl 50

By John Buhler | Jan 6, 2016

Jan 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans cornerback Kareem Jackson (25) celebrates with outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus (59) and strong safety Andre Hal (29) and outside linebacker John Simon (51) after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /

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NFL: Jacksonville Jaguars at Houston Texans /

4. Bill O’Brien

While the Arizona Cardinals’ Bruce Arians, the Carolina Panthers’ Ron Rivera, and the Kansas City Chiefs’ Andy Reid are all more likely to win the NFL’s Coach of the Year award, let’s not overlook the remarkable job Bill O’Brien did with the 9-7 Houston Texans in 2015.

O’Brien, in his second year with the Texans, took a team that at one point was arguably the worst in the NFL and turned them into a team that will host an AFC Playoff game — albeit, by default. He lost star running back Arian Foster early in the season and had to have four different starting quarterbacks win games for his team to win the up-in-the-air AFC South in 2015.

The Texans defense since their Monday Night victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 10 has been one of the best in football. Being able to win meaningful games with quarterbacks like Brandon Weeden and T.J. Yates under center isn’t easy for a head coach. O’Brien guided the Texans to a surprising playoff berth that few outside of the Texans organization saw coming.

O’Brien is part of the Bill Belichick coaching tree in New England, and since this is his first postseason as a head coach, he may have a few things in store for the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round that could knock off the hottest team in football at NRG Stadium in Houston. The Texans believe in each other and their strong head coach is a big part of the team’s successful 2015 NFL campaign.

Next: 3. DeAndre Hopkins

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