NFL Playoffs 2016: 5 reasons Indianapolis Colts will win AFC South
By John Buhler
3. Not even Houston likes Houston’s chances
Houston has a problem and it is the quarterback position. Paying free agent Brock Osweiler $72 million before he even met Texans head coach Bill O’Brien was a recipe for disaster for the Texans organization.
The Texans are .500 thanks mostly to strong play in the AFC South (3-0), a soft start to their season, and Romeo Crennel’s defense. One could argue that maybe letting Brian Hoyer go at quarterback was a mistake for the Texans. His 2015 AFC Wild Card wasn’t that bad, right?
With a 3-0 lead in the AFC South and the head-to-head tiebreaker over all of its rivals, how are the Texans going to lose this? Well, they still have to play the Colts and Titans on the road. Houston is a terrible 1-5 on the road this season. With an AFC South title on the line, expect the Colts and Titans to win over Houston in Weeks 14 and 17.
Houston does have two home games against teams they should be favored over in Weeks 15 and 16: Jacksonville and the Cincinnati Bengals. The Texans will beat a lifeless Jaguars team. However, Cincinnati hasn’t quit just yet on the season. The Bengals throttled the Philadelphia Eagles last week and Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis might be coaching for his job.
Overall, Houston may end up with a 4-2 record in division, but feel like a team that will finish 7-9. It doesn’t help that the Texans have lost three straight games and three of four since their Week 9 bye. Houston’s only win since their Week 9 bye: Week 10 on the road against Jacksonville, 24-21. Not even Houston can like its chances to win the AFC South.