Houston Texans Once Again Following Consecutive Division Titles With Poor Play

After starting up their NFL existence in 2002, it took the Houston Texans practically a decade to finally make the NFL’s postseason. In 2011, when the Houston Texans clinched the AFC South, with T.J. Yates, of all people, under center, the city was jubilant, knowing that we would be heading to the playoffs for the first time.

Little did we know that 2011 division titles would touch off one of the strangest success (and lack thereof) patterns that I can recall in my five decades of watching sports. The Texans would repeat as division champs in 2012, and enter 2013 with high hopes. Instead, in 2013, they would bottom out and finish 2-14, worst in the league.

They’d get their mojo back fairly quickly, though, winning division titles in 2015 and 2016. Unfortunately, 2017 would bring a 4-12 season, whose only redeeming quality was seven games of rookie phenom Deshaun Watson. The Texans would quickly rebound with AFC South titles in 2018 and 2019, but 2020 would bring three horrible things — COVID, Bill O’Brien as a GM, and a 4-12 Texans record.

We all know what’s happened since then. The Texans bottomed out for two more years, stockpiling draft picks and severance payments for fired coaches. Eventually, DeMeco Ryans would get here, and another pair of division titles ensued. Now, we’re in that season following two division crowns, and it’s going the same way it’s gone the previous three times. The Texans are 0-3, and cannot score points. It’s bad.

So, the question is, three games in, how does this compare to the first three times the Texans have chased multiple division crowns with seasonal abominations? Let’s take a look:

2013 SEASON (Final record: 2-14)

First three games (2-1 record)
The Texans started this season with a last second field goal win over the Chargers in San Diego, followed by an overtime win at home against the Titans. In Week 3, they lost to the Ravens, 30-9, with Matt Schaub throwing a pick six for a second consecutive week, a streak that would reach four weeks eventually. So three games in, things seemed okay.

When did the 2013 season go off the rails?
Some would say once the team benched Schaub for Case Keenum in Week 7, but Case actually brought some hope. I’d say the season died in Week 9, when Gary Kubiak passed out from a stroke, on the field, just before halftime of a loss to the Colts.

What was the response from ownership?
Gary Kubiak was fired after a Week 11 debacle in Jacksonville. Matt Schaub was traded to the Raiders after the season. The Bill O’Brien Era was underway, on January 1, 2014.

2017 SEASON (Final record: 4-12)

First three games (1-2 record)
The Texans opened the season with a 29-7 loss to the Jaguars, where the team’s energy level appeared to be zapped from dealing with Hurricane Harvey. Deshaun Watson was named the starting QB in Week 2, and engineered a 13-9 upset of the Bengals, and in Week 3, nearly knocked off the defending champion Patriots as a 13-point underdog in Foxboro. Despite a 1-2 record, excitement was brewing with the Watson Era underway.

When did the 2017 season go off the rails?
Even with a season ending injury to J.J. Watt in Week 5, the energy was still high from Watson’s performance through two months. However, a torn ACL suffered the day after the Astros won their first World Series took all the starch out of the season, and reminded us that Houston can never have nice things for very long.

What was the response from ownership?
Knowing that Watson’s recovery from the torn ACL would be enough to make the team relevant in 2018, the team stood pat with O’Brien, but GM Rick Smith did choose to leave the organization to attend to his wife, who was suffering from cancer.

2020 SEASON (Final record: 4-12)

First three games (0-3 record)
This was the most obvious train wreck of the three teams outlined in this article. The day the schedule came out in May 2020, you knew O’Brien, who’d taken over as GM in addition to head coach at this point, was doomed. The Texans were blown out by the Chiefs and Ravens in the first two games, and lost by seven to the Steelers in Week 3.

When did the 2020 season go off the rails?
One week later, after losing to the Vikings at home, Bill O’Brien was fired, Romeo Crennel was made interim head coach, and Jack Easterby was made interim GM. Just a really dark time in Texans history.

What was the response from ownership?
After firing O’Brien, and rolling with Crennel and Easterby the rest of the season, the Texans hired Nick Caserio as the GM, which has worked out okay, and David Culley became the first of two one-and-done head coaches. Lovie Smith was the other.

All of that led, eventually, to where we are today, with high hopes in 2023 and 2024, under the coaching eye of DeMeco Ryans. However, doubt is creeping into the fan base now on Ryans, and people are really questioning whether or not C.J. Stroud can be a franchise, game changing quarterback. While you might seem surprised, don’t be. Unfortunately, this is just what happens in Houston after two straight division titles. Misery.

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