Texans Prove 'Expert' Doubters Wrong in Decisive Wild Card Win Over Cleveland
If you asked the pundits around the National Football League, the Cleveland Browns were the smart pick in Saturday's Wild Card matchup against the Houston Texans. According to the NFL Network crew, at least.
On Saturday, it was a clean sweep in favor of the Browns over the Texans according to NFL Network, but at the end of the game at NRG Stadium, it was Houston who was left standing after a 45-14 blowout win sent it to the divisional round next week.
In reality, this is what this Texans team has done all season.
It sort of makes sense for "experts" to have picked the Browns this week considering the beatdown the Texans suffered at Cleveland's hands in Week 16, but that comes without context. Multiple Texans, including quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson, were out for that game, and Houston is clearly a different and better team than it was just three weeks ago.
It's also noteworthy that this isn't the same Texans teams of years past, at least in recent memory. Houston not only won the AFC South this season, but it overcame adversity to get to this point, including having to win Week 18's game over the Indianapolis Colts to even earn a postseason berth.
I've written this almost every week this season, but the job that head coach DeMeco Ryans and his young roster talent have been able to do in Houston this season is nothing short of remarkable, and now, they officially have a playoff win under their belt.
That is the hallmark of when a team is "back," in a sense: winning a playoff game. The Texans are ahead of schedule in their rebuild, without a doubt, and regardless of what next week's playoff matchup holds, the future is bright in Houston.
More importantly, perhaps, is that the present is also bright as this playoff run continues for at least another week.
