The Houston Texans got their doors blown off by the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day, losing by a score of 31 to 2 (no, that's not a typo, they only scored two points, thanks to a second-quarter safety). While the final result of the game leaves Texans fans feeling pessimistic as the team inches closer to the playoffs, losing the game honestly wasn't a bad thing for the Texans.
In fact, it might have actually been a good thing for Houston. Clearly, they're not equipped to stop the Ravens offense (at least not right now) and that's previously who their opponent would have been in the first round of the playoffs. Now that two important games for playoff seedings are in the books, let's check out the playoff seedings.
Where do Texans sit in playoff picture after embarrassing loss to Ravens?
1. Kansas City Chiefs (15-1) - Clinched top seed
2. Buffalo Bills (12-3) - Clinched AFC East
3. Baltimore Ravens (11-5) - Clinched playoff berth
4. Houston Texans (9-7) - Clinched AFC South
5. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-6) - Clinched playoff berth
6. Los Angeles Chargers (9-6)
7. Denver Broncos (9-6)
In the hunt: Indianapolis Colts (7-8), Miami Dolphins (7-8), Cincinnati Bengals (7-8)
The Texans losing (and Ravens winning) paired with the Steelers also losing earlier in the day means that the AFC North has been shaken up a bit. Baltimore is now in first place in that division, meaning that it wouldn't be the Ravens coming into Houston for the wild card round in two weeks, it'd be the Steelers.
The Texans would have a much better chance against the Steelers in the wild card round than they would against the Ravens. We saw how much better the Ravens are than Houston right now but we also witnessed the Steelers looking horrid against the Chiefs in the first game of the day.
Both the Texans and Steelers are train wrecks right now and that bodes better for Houston if its first-round opponent is also starting to spiral out of control. The Texans don't have much to play for in their Week 18 match-up against the Titans so it might be best to let the players rest up and prepare for a suddenly much more winnable game against Pittsburgh in the wild card round.
Of course, the Texans will have to score more than two points if they want any chance of advancing in the playoffs but at least their first-round match-up became less daunting, even with their blowout loss.