There's an old saying, and I'm not certain who to attribute it to, but it goes, there's a first time for everything. However, nobody ever talks about the second time, but for the Houston Texans, it's worth discussing it.
For the second time in franchise history, the Houston Texans have managed to overcome an 0-3 start to the season and still make the Playoffs, making the NFL's youngest franchise the only franchise in league history that can make such a claim. Hell, even in 2023, when the Texans stunned everyone by winning the AFC South in DeMeco Ryans' first year as the team's head coach, they needed to climb out of an 0-2 hole to get there.
Although I won't attempt to speak for what the case was for the 2018 team that also started 0-3 and went on to make the Playoffs, what's clear about this version of the Texans is that a lack of panic and an abundance of resilience have propelled Houston toward a third straight postseason appearance.
"I was never kind of worried, just because we weren't getting blown out by anybody. We just weren't finishing games. And I think things are going to happen on Sundays. Like, we're going to give up points, we're going to turn over the ball. It's just how you respond,' quarterback CJ Stroud said after Saturday's Playoff clinching win over the Chargers. "We're built tough. We're not perfect, we just try to find a way to win each week."
The Texans have won plenty this season after their 0-3 start, winning 11 of their next 13 games, including eight in a row following a loss to the Denver Broncos that dropped Houston to 3-5 on the season. In that loss to the Broncos, CJ Stroud was knocked out of the game with a concussion, forcing backup quarterback Davis Mills into action for the final three quarters of the game against Denver and the next three games as well.
Improbably, even with Stroud out, the Texans remained resilient, and amazingly, now with the postseason just one week away, they may be more dangerous than ever.
“We are hungry. We feel like we never get down on ourselves. I feel like there's always opportunity to get better, always chasing greatness, and I feel that's what we're doing right now," Nico Collins added after Saturday's victory.