Houston Texans: Two things that need to happen to ensure a first-round bye

So, what’s the point of having a first-round bye?

Once the playoffs start, every team is capable of winning the Super Bowl for sure. There have been cases in the past where a team that wins the Wild Card round goes on to win the Super Bowl. Some of these teams include the 2005 Steelers, the 2006 Colts, the 2007 Giants, the 2010 Packers, the 2011 Giants, and the 2012 Ravens

So yes, it has been done before. But I think what’s tough about the Houston Texans case is that they always seem to follow the same narrative. The Texans always have a team that at best makes the wild card spot and wins the game before losing to the Patriots in the second round in Foxborough. Unless things are different this year, we’re heading for that same direction again.

Getting to the playoffs is one thing. But in year’s past, we’ve always shown that we don’t step up and deliver in the playoffs after the Wild Card game. Can we win the Super Bowl if we even make the Wild Card? Of course, we can. It just requires another round of play for us. We need to have our guys as healthy as they can be. That’s why a first-round bye is crucial.

Barring any collapse from the Chiefs at the top, they will for certain have home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But the first-round bye is not out of the question. The obvious thing for us for starters is to win out. But after looking at the schedules of both teams in the Texans and Patriots, I’ve narrowed it down to two big factors.