With expectations at an all-time high for the Texans, the team’s margin of error will be extremely small in 2016.
Prognosis: outlook not so good.
At least, that’s the way things seem for the Houston Texans at the moment.
Few teams in the NFL will enter the 2016 season with as high of expectations as the Texans.
After making splash-moves in signing quarterback Brock Osweiler away from the Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos, as well as game-changing running back Lamar Miller, the team quickly became the trendy pick to win it all.
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Now, it’s not all that ridiculous of a thought for the Texans to take home the Lombardi Trophy come February.
Bill O’Brien’s squad is one of championship-caliber talent, leadership, and depth. Houston sported a great defense in 2015 – allowing the third fewest total yards – led by 3x-Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt.
Besides star wideout DeAndre Hopkins, offensive consistency was hard to come by. Much of that inconsistency stemmed from shoddy quarterback play, though, making it easy to see where the desperation for Osweiler’s services came from.
So with Miller and the $72 million supposed heir to Peyton Manning added to the equation, the Texans are now ready to ride straight into the Super Bowl, right?
Eh, not so fast. We’ve seen this before.
Almost every year, in fact, there are teams that ‘win’ the offseason, only to crumble when it really matters most on the field.
Just last season, Andrew Luck and the upstart Colts snatched up the likes of Andre Johnson, Frank Gore, and Trent Cole in what was seen as a real coup at the time for Indy. The oft-injured Luck and Co. grossly fell apart and missed the playoffs, finishing with an 8-8 mark.
More notably, Vince Young and the ‘Dream Team’ Eagles tanked in 2011 after hauling in a plentiful bounty in free agency. Heck, you can even replace ’11 with ‘15 in that sentence and it’d still apply to some degree.
Every year, we are continuously reminded that there is no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL.
Are the Texans another offseason-victor that look better on paper than they will on the field?
The Texans will find this out very soon.
It’s not as if they were a powerhouse contender in the first place. Houston squeaked into the post-season with a 9-7 record – tied for the worst among playoff teams – and were shutout in the wild-card round 30-0 by the Kansas City Chiefs.
And considering the pretty brutal slate of opponents they’ll have to deal with in the coming season, repeating as AFC South champs will be no easy feat.
Are the Texans another offseason-victor that look better on paper than they will on the field?
Only time will tell.