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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Jan 3, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals injured quarterback Andy Dalton walks on the field amongst teammates before the game against Baltimore Ravens at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Lindsey-USA TODAY Sports /

2. The AFC is wide open

The Houston Texans are fortunate that in a year they made the AFC Playoffs, the playoff teams were down across the board. While Houston is included in the mess, nobody in the AFC is at full strength or is as daunting as some of the teams in the NFC, making for an easier run to the Super Bowl.

Denver has a mediocre offense that doesn’t know if Peyton Manning is going to start or if Brock Osweiler is under center. New England has no offensive line and many of its weapons on offense are dealing with a myriad of injuries. Cincinnati will have to use backup quarterback A.J. McCarron in the Wild Card round, as starter Andy Dalton isn’t fully healed from breaking his thumb. Kansas City has a minimal offensive approach and haven’t won a playoff game since 1993. Pittsburgh’s defense doesn’t intimidate anybody.

Every team in the AFC has its warts and either a Patriots or a Bengals team at full strength are strong Super Bowl contenders, so who’s to say that either division winner will get to full strength during these AFC Playoffs?

Houston may have to play maybe one elite team en route to the franchise’s first trip to the Super Bowl. They can beat Kansas City at home in the Wild Card round and should they survive either at trip to Denver or Foxboro in the Divisional round, the Texans could have generated enough momentum to contend for a Super Bowl by peaking at the right time.

Two consecutive playoff wins over the Chiefs then over either the Patriots or Broncos and Houston may actually have the poise to shock the world. The Texans weren’t suppose to win the AFC South away from the Super Bowl-contending Indianapolis Colts at the start of the year, but they did. In all the madness that currently exists in the AFC Playoff picture, who’s to say that Houston can’t contend in a wide-open AFC?

Next: 1. The ultimate underdog

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