In this day and age where it seems like every opinion is polarizing and nitpicked to death, I think we can all agree on this — winning is fun. Whether it’s at work, or involving your favorite sports team, or even a board game with a relative, we all love to win. It’s exhilarating!
The Houston Texans, over the last 14 seasons have done more winning than losing. There were certainly some dark times — 2-14 in 2013, losing Deshaun Watson to an ACL tear in 2017, and everything having to so with 2020, 2021, or 2022. Those were brutal times. However, when in between those dark days are eight AFC South championships.
They ain’t Super Bowls, but those were seasons with some enjoyable times, and varying degrees of confidence for something greater heading into the postseason. So let’s do what we do — let’s power rank the eight AFC South championship teams, in terms of sheer talent, and confidence that they might have been able to get past the divisional round of the postseason. Here we go…
8. 2015, 9-7
This was the weakest of all the division champions, the first of Bill O’Brien’s division title teams. This was a team that went into the postseason with Brian Hoyer starting at quarterback, Jadeveon Clowned injured, and J.J. Watt’s groin hanging on by a thread. They lost 30-0 in the wild card round.
7. 2016, 9-7
This was a better version of the Texans the next year, ironically with J.J. Watt out for the season with a back injury. This was the year that Clowney came into his own, and Whitney Mercilus had his best season. They were able to beat a Raiders team skippered by Connor Cook at home before getting thrashed by the Patriots in the second round.
6. 2023, 10-7
Last season’s team was fun, had the best quarterback play of any of the Texans playoff teams, outside of maybe the 2019 Watson-led team. However, inexperience and the complete lack of a running game led to a blowout loss to the Ravens in the divisional round.
5. 2019, 10-6
4. 2018, 11-5
I’ll group the two Deshaun Watson playoff teams together. Both had double digit regular season wins, and both had what many thought was a top five quarterback. Ultimately, though, Bill O’Brien just didn’t have “beyond the divisional round” coaching chops, and the 2019 team losing a 24-0 lead in Kansas City was the beginning of this franchise’s darkest of times.
3. 2024, 9-6 with two weeks to go
Even with the injury to Tank Dell and the uneven (and I’m being very kind to use that as my adjective) offense, this defense can do things at such an elite level that I think they have a better chance of stealing a win on the road in the playoffs than any of the teams above.
2. 2012, 12-4
In the end, the two teams led into the playoffs by Gary Kubiak are the two best versions of the Texans. Unfortunately, the 2012 team, whose 12-4 record is the best in franchise history, lost three of four down the stretch to lose a first round bye, which ultimately did them in.
1. 2011, 10-6
The 2011 version of the Texans is the best in franchise history, held back only by an injury to Schaub which led to rookie T.J. Yates battling valiantly, but in the end, three picks from the rookie QB would end the Texans season in Baltimore, the same place where last season’s rookie QB had his season ended in a blowout.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
