Houston Texans Having Underrated, Resurgent Season in 2014

It’s not hard to understand why, but the Houston Texans are one of the least talked about teams in the NFL right now, and it shouldn’t be that way.

The reason the Texans aren’t talked about? That’s up for some debate, but I think the clear answer is they don’t have a glamorous situation at the quarterback position. The Texans picked first overall in this past year’s draft, took Jadeveon Clowney out of South Carolina to pair with J.J. Watt, but that never amounted to anything as injuries plagued the star rookie’s first season in the NFL.

Houston doesn’t lead the league in any category, but their rushing offense has been great even with the departure of backup Ben Tate, ranking fourth in the NFL in yards.

Perhaps the key for Houston has been none other than J.J. Watt, the best defensive player in the NFL right now and arguably the MVP of the NFL. The Texans certainly wouldn’t be where they are without Watt, but they have made some big plays this season and despite some ups and downs and bad luck against the NFC East, they are 8-7, 7-4 vs. AFC opponents, and face their biggest game of the season, a must-win against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Texans will need some help to get into the playoffs, even at 9-7 (assuming they beat Jacksonville), but as a whole, they have had one of the most underrated and exciting comeback seasons in the entire league. Going from worst-to-first seemed impossible given the fact that Houston plays in the same division as Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts, but they have battled through numerous quarterback changes, injuries, and one of the worst pass defenses in the league (yards allowed) to be a potential nine win team. At worst, this team has seen a six-game improvement on their record from last season, and yet, no one is really talking about it.

Everyone loves to talk about J.J. Watt, and for good reason — the guy is an absolute freak of nature. What no one really talks about is the impact that has been made by having a healthy Brian Cushing, as well as a healthy Arian Foster, something the Texans did not have last season.

In case you were wondering, the Texans have had six different players throw a pass this season, including Arian Foster and Shane Lechler, but using four quarterbacks in a season and somehow coming away with a winning record or even a .500 record is incredible. We’re also seeing that happen in Arizona with the Cardinals, but the Texans seem to be on a bit of a different trajectory right now.

No matter what happens for the Texans on Sunday, it’s been an exciting season for their fans. They have the best defensive player in the league, their star running back is playing great and looks phenomenal this year coming off of injury, and DeAndre Hopkins is one of the most improved young playmakers in the NFL.

If Houston doesn’t make the playoffs, they should still be proud of what they’ve accomplished this season and the way things are looking for them going forward.