Evaluating the Texans most desirable AFC post-season opponents

The Houston Texans currently hold the 7th seed in the AFC Playoffs. It’s the first time all season the Texans are in poll position to make the playoffs. While Houston’s five-game winning streak is impressive and has captured the attention of news outlets across the league, they are still on the fringe of missing the playoffs in a crowded AFC. The conference has so much parity that 12 teams have a chance to make the playoffs with four weeks left.

With that, I asked the other writers two provide their tw0 cents about which of the current playoff teams they’d most like to face in the first round.

The Texans currently hold the seventh seed in the playoffs and are one game behind Jacksonville for the AFC South title. Regardless of home or away (aka if we are the wild card or win the division), which team would you most want to face in the first round?

Options are Patriots, Broncos, Chargers, Bills, Steelers, and Jags.

Clayton Anderson:

Give me the Steelers first (probably my most non-competitive answer, lol) Besides a 7-6 record, the Steelers currently rank as the 27th ranked total offense with 284.5 yards/game (though they are 15th in scoring with 23.7 pts/game). On defense, they’re even worse. In total yards given up per game, they allow 369.3, which is 28th in the NFL (also rank 19th in points at 23.9/game). They do place 7th best in sacks (36), but the leakage in the defensive unit more than offsets that. Lastly, Aaron Rodgers is now 42 years old and probably doesn’t prefer to be harassed for 60 minutes by a defensive unit that has put most NFL offenses in a blender through 14 weeks of play.

FizzyJoe:

Give me the Glitter Kitties. Lawrence chokes in the playoffs and we outplayed them in both games this season. The other teams are more wild cards in my mind. Jacksonville wouldn’t be an EASY win but it would likely be the EASIEST win.

Mike Bullock:

The Patriots. Very much like the Colts, I think they’re over-performing and have zero clue what happens when their offense enters the Texans’ “Kill Zone”. This version of the Texans has kicked a lot of monkeys off their back, including finally beating Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Now, if the first thing they do in the playoffs is take out the Patriots, the bingo card will only have “AFC Champions” and Super Bowl left to punch. Not to mention, Demeco Ryans vs Mike Vrabel – two former all pro linebackers, coaching teams that are gettin’ after it should make for a great game.

Patrick H.:

This is probably gonna break Joe’s heart but I think I’d want the Steelers. They strike me as the weakest of a weak bunch and what might be the best option for a Texans team with their defense hitting their stride at as close to the right time as they can ask for.

L4Blitzer:

I guess you could start thinking playoff matchups, with Houston at over 80% to make the postseason. However, Houston has to take care of business, especially in their final home games. They can’t afford to go worse than 2-2, but winning at KC tremendously helped the playoff odds. For matchups, if Houston’s defense continues its torrid style of play, outside of playing Denver at Mile High, it may not matter too much who the opponent is, as this defense can travel or enjoy some home-cooking. Even if they have to duel the Broncos at Mile High, it would be fun to see what a healthy CJ Stroud can do for a full game against Denver this time.

Kenneth L:

Like Patrick and Clayton, I want to play the Steelers. Their offense would struggle to put up points against our defense and their pass rush can be stifled by shutting down Watt. Nick Herbig and Alex Highsmith aren’t speed-based pass rushers, which our tackles aren’t as good at stopping than the bull rush type that fits Herbig and Highsmith. An immobile QB is perfect for Houston’s defense to tee off on… especially one who prefers to hold the ball. They do face the red-hot Miami Dolphins (yes, I said that right) in a game that will make or break their playoff chances down the stretch. I do think they will find a way to not make the playoffs and allow Lamar Jackson into the postseason.