Division Race
 

With 5 games to go, looking at the upcoming schedules for us and the Colts, it looks like they have 2 pivotal games remaining, while we're staring at 3. Both teams have 3 road games, and of course 1 of our 3 are in the black hole of Indy.

Colts:
Sun, Dec 6 @ Steelers
Sun, Dec 13 @ Jaguars
Sun, Dec 20 vs Texans
Sun, Dec 27 @ Dolphins
Sun, Jan 3 vs Titans

Texans:
Sun, Dec 6 @ Bills
Sun, Dec 13 vs Patriots
Sun, Dec 20 @ Colts
Sun, Dec 27 @ Titans
Sun, Jan 3 vs Jaguars

Wk 13
Would be great if Pittsburgh would do us a solid this week, and of course the Texans take care of biz in Buffalo. Both are very doable items. Looks like Pitt is currently a TD favorite in this game.

Wk 14
While upsets can surely happen, I'm guessing the Colts pick up a game on us this week, bringing a division tie back in place. Despite the challenges the Pats O has, they still have Brady and will have Gronk. Hope its a good showing, but not counting on this one.

Wk 15
HUGE game. Luck or Hasselbeck? Who knows. Bradshaw was placed on IR today, so they'll have a newbie backing up Gore. Can't imagine Dre torching us again, so Hilton becomes a priority. If they hadn't flexed the Pats game, I could see this one getting the prime time spot. If all goes well in Week 13, we win/they lose, this will likely decide the division.

Wks 16/17 - Both teams "should" win both. Miami might be pesky, and the Hags might be pesky, but with what will be in line for both squads, they shouldn't be caught napping.

We've got some solid entertainment coming up.

I'm afraid it is the old cliché, you take it one game at a time. At least, that is the way the team should approach it, we fans can do whatever we want. ;)

This upcoming Bills game is the "trappiest", IMO. The Colts game is huge so the hard part will be on OB to try to keep the team's intensity up for the Bills game.....

And obviously, once the Colts and Pats games have been played, they can't let their guard down against the Titans and Jags....

I'd like to see them sweep the whole lot of them but that is not likely so they have to get as many as they can....

Exactly. They can't do it, or shouldn't be doing it, but I sure as hell can!!!

This isn't starting out very well.

:o

Looks like the Steelers are doing their part.

Since the Pats haven't lost 3 in a row in like 15 years, I'm going to assume we fall a game back this week. Hasselbeck looks like crap tonight, so maybe his 40 year old body is realizing that it's 40 years old. Maybe the Hags can sneak up on them and keep us even?

I dunno, Pats look vulnerable because they're banged up. They are just a 3 to 3.5 pt favorite. If the Texan pass rush shows up and keeps Brady uncomfortable, who knows? But, gotta think Belicheck will do his best to stop the bleeding.....

O'Brien & RAC are gonna try as hard this week to get ready to play their x-team as Belcheck trys to get the Pats ready to play down here. I give us a shot - a realistic shot to beat the Pats in NRG. It will be loud there Sunday night.

Go Hags!!!!!!!

Texans are temporarily in first place pending (gulp) tonight's game. Meanwhile, the wild care race is getting away from us - Pittsburgh, Kansas City and the Jets are all on a roll.

But the division? Looks a little better each week. Beating Indy, regardless of how, is going to determine the division.

If you watched the Indy game from Sam's Place and you left and the Texans lose I'm going to blame it on you.

Winning the division is almost certainly the only way in now. Which is fine with me. These guys must know there is no margin for error. And, on the plus side, they control their own fate. Win and you're in, playing at home, no less.

Welp, what happened was expected. A little uglier than expected, but the same result.

With Hoyer in concussion protocol, very likely we have TJ vs. Charlie Whitehurst for the division crown.

Let that sink in a bit.

I'll go with the guy who has a playoff win.

Slight problem. The game is at Leaking Oil Stadium where the Texans have never won in a city where they have never won. I'm betting Luck will be back just like Gronk was.

I wasn't at Sam's but I didn't leave Sam's either. Watched the Bungles with a different Babydoll. :p

Jacksonville is the class of this division right now. Let that sick in...

That's the second week in a row that Indy has lost by a 5 TD margin. And as bad as our division is I don't think we are any worse than the NFC East. We have Jacksonville here in the last game of the season for both teams when the division title and P-O team from the AFC South may be decided if not next week in Indy. Hey it's the last half of December and Texans still in the hunt for play offs.

Yep, woe is the Texans if they can't score on the Colt defense.

I think it's simple, now - they gotta win out. Beat the Colts and finish 9-7 and all will be forgiven.

TJ's not all that but I think I would like to see him get the remaining starts...

Huge W in the quest for the title. With Weedon at the helm no less. Texans now control thier own destiny for the Division Crown.

Weeden is going to need a crash course in this offense. OB has got his work cut out for him to keep these guys up for the next two games. After this nice win, they're in a slippery spot and the Titans and Jags matchups will need to be met with total focus.... The hard part is over. Now, take care of business...

We win, Indy loses = Clinch
We win, Indy ties = Clinch

Then it gets really goofy....


http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans...ing-scenarios/

The NFL has updated its AFC South clinching playoff scenarios involving the Texans.

1) The Texans clinch the division title with a win over the Tennessee Titans combined with a loss by the Indianapolis Colts or a tie against the Miami Dolphins.

2) The Texans clinch if they tie the Titans and the Colts lose, or if they beat the Titans and clinch the strength of victory tiebreaker over the Colts or clinch a tie in strength of victory tiebreaker and clinches strength of schedule over the Colts.

2A) The Texans clinch the strength of victory tiebreaker if the Cincinnati Bengals win, plus if the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets or Carolina Panthers win, or if the Saints, Jets or Panthers win. Or if there are tie or ties in games involving the Bengals, Saints, Jets or Panthers.

2B) The Texans clinch a strength of victory tiebreaker and strength of schedule tiebreaker over the Colts if the Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens all win this weekend.

Welp, Indy won so it gets goofy. 2 of the 3 stars(so far) needing to align happened, with the lone one exception being the Panthers losing to the Falcons. Last possibility for clinching this week is a Bengals win on MNF.

If the Broncos win on MNF, we clinch in week 17 with:
1) We win - Nothing else matters
2) Colts lose - Nothing else matters
3) We both lose, and 7 games go in the Colts favor. All that goofiness is outlined here:
How The Texans Can Clinch The AFC South And Playoffs With Bengals Win ? CBS Houston
http://houston.cbslocal.com/2015/12/...-monday-night/

Hopefully, the Bungles will win, or we win, or both.
;)

Fitzy beats the Patriots.

Keenum beats the Seahawks.

Mallett beats the Steelers (who no one wants to play).

What a day for ex-Texan QB's!

They're just a QB Factory..... :rolleyes:

Seeing one early line for the Texans next Sunday - Texans favored by 5.5 over the Jags.........

It might be prudent to rest some folks during the game but I'd still like to see them go for the W...

Interesting that a line is already out since we don't know who's starting @ QB for the Texans yet ? Apparently Vegas already says Weeden = Hoyer ?

Yep, looks that way. Who's to argue?

It's possible they may consider Hoyer the better of the two but it may be close enough they are not sweating the difference... Just a guess..

Meanwhile, In Colts land....
Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet 12m12 minutes ago
Playoff hopes hanging by a thread, #Colts QB situation is dire if Luck is out: Hasselbeck has a sprained AC joint, Whitehurst pulled a hammy

All of this needs to happen in order for the Colts to jump the Texans for the division crown:

If the Bengals win tonight, it's over and we can rest some players. Stranger things have happened, but I just don't see MIA beating NE at this point, and I don't see BUF beating the NYJ. The others are a little more likely to happen, I suppose.

Not 100%, but Sounds like Texans should win the division then from Popanots list.

And for me , like Weeden better than Hoyer . Jags have been playing better so not a gimme game.

Not according to B'OB.

John McClain ‏@McClain_on_NFL 4m4 minutes ago
Don't expect O'Brien to rest players even if AFC South secured: "The Houston Texans, every time they take the field, need to play to win."

I like trying to win and go in at 9-7 but it would be foolish to play the most important guys four quarters. I would expect them to treat the game like the third preseason game.

My guess, that will be his plan, regardless of coach speak.

Hopefully, we can put a 1st half spanking on them, and sit the core in the 2nd.

BOB is maybe learning from the preseason. He sat many of his starters throughout August and the team stuttered out of the gate.

That said, exposing J.J. Watt to further injury in a meaningless game is far too risky.

What a bunch of slapdicks the Bengals are. And christ how I hate Denver. HGH Forehead, Lickey, they're Bob's favorite team. I can't wait until they get undressed in the playoffs. It pisses me off they're even going to the playoffs.

Wouldn't it be something if Kubiak and Wade ended up the 6th WC spot and come down to Reliant for the Wild Card round.

We should have known that we couldn't count on prime time Bengals.

Sundays 2nd to last home game should have a pretty lively atmosphere. :cool:

I was really hopeful about Cinci winning last nights game after the start they got with backup QB McCarron and their defense playing surprisingly well. I don't know what happened to Cinci in the second half ? Was it Wade going to more zone or the altitude in Denver ?
With still some uncertainty about the Texans clinching the division/PO spot, O'Brien will want to go with his starters full bore for an extended time vs Jacksonville Sunday.
Watt would want to play some anyway to keep his perfect record of starts as a Texan intact but it would be helpful to rest him and other banged up starters including Cushing, Joseph, Newt, and Clowney.

Cincy was like "Houston you are not gonna ride our backs into the playoffs...earn your own damn spot...LOL..."

Just like that we need to get out there and put a whoopin on Jacksonville and EARN our way in...

With that said need to have JJ, DHop, and Clowney, play as little as possible....

But someone else mentioned that we have a tendency to start games slow...we cannot afford to have everyone else resting their way into the playoffs...

They need to get a hot streak going and ride it into the playoffs. That's the only way I see us winning....we are too bad or underpar at too many positions.

Here's a take (video) on all that. The video was posted yesterday so some of the numbers were still up in the air at the time...

Teddy Covers is always interesting to listen to.... don't agree with everything he says in the video but do agree that, assuming the Texans win, it won't be by much and that both teams will probably exceed the 46 pt total.

Hoyer to start Sunday. Clowney to sit with bad foot. Texans promote Corey Moore from the practice squad.