Texans Enter Playoffs as One of Worst Postseason Teams in Recent Memory

The Houston Texans are set to do more than just play a postseason game for the second straight year despite a quarterback depth chart that swallows all joy it comes in contact with.

They'll also host a playoff game for the second straight year.

Now pause, look at Houston's box score from Week 17—a 24-17 loss to the Matt Cassel-led Tennessee Titans—and ponder an important question: Why do you watch football?

You watch for a lot of reasons. You watch because the strategy is compelling. You watch because there's nothing more beautiful than a tip-toeing sideline catch on a precisely placed ball. You watch to see what creative way the Cleveland Browns can mercifully win a game, and then keep winning by losing a week later.

Most of all, though, you watch to be entertained.

It might not seem like that's your motivation when the television is taking the brunt of late-season anger. But you wouldn't spend Sundays in the fall and winter carving a couch groove if the product wasn't entertaining. Early in the 2016 regular season, the entertainment value fell, which is partly why NFL ratings suffered.

That could happen again during Houston's divisional-round playoff game against the Oakland Raiders. Because without quarterback play that approaches a competent level, the Texans slot in right alongside the worst playoff teams in recent memory.

But hey, at least they'll get to be the answer to a trivia question, as NFL Network's Mike Garafolo noted. That's something!

The Texans' awfulness is rooted in their calamity at quarterback, which may have become worse if the concussion Tom Savage suffered against Tennessee lingers.

Savage was injured on a quarterback sneak early in the second quarter against the Titans. After going into the concussion protocol, he was evaluated and then cleared to return. He even came out to take a kneel down at the end of the half.

He was then evaluated again during halftime, at which point he was diagnosed with a concussion, per the Texans' PR Twitter account, and didn't return:

Savage isn't your typical inexperienced starter, but he shouldn't ever have to be anything resembling an offensive savior. That's the hole Texans head coach Bill O'Brien found himself in once high-profile free-agent acquisition Brock Osweiler cratered.

Osweiler has a completion percentage of 59.0 in 2016, and a passer rating of 72.2. He also sports a woefully low average of 5.8 yards per attempt while throwing 16 interceptions (tied for fourth league-wide).

O'Brien replaced him with Savage because it felt like putting in a Jugs machine would have been more effective. It's too early to draw definitive conclusions about Savage following two measly starts. But after throwing for just 25 yards on eight attempts before his injury Sunday, and an average of only 6.1 yards per throw in Week 16 without a touchdown, he wasn't starting off as the hero Houston needed.

But Savage still represents the unknown. The man who bears a striking resemblance to Nicolas Cage gives those who enjoy entertaining playoff football something special.

Savage offers the gift of hope. No, really.

It's difficult to believe that based on Savage's first start and brief appearance Sunday, but remember something critical about an Osweiler-led offense. Let's first recall how great the Texans' defense was during the 2016 regular season despite numerous injuries, most notably to stud defensive end J.J. Watt.

As the Texans PR account noted, the Texans came into Week 17 with the league's top-ranked defense despite having to use 14 different starting lineups, tied for the fourth-most league-wide:

Soak in how punishing the Texans defense has been during less than ideal circumstances. Including Sunday's loss, they allowed an average of only 20.5 points per game.

But that stifling unit only highlights how pathetic the Texans have been on offense for most of the season under Osweiler. Even with their top-10 finish on defense, the Texans still ended the season with a point differential of minus-49.

They did that by scoring 15 or fewer points in a game six times. That includes a Week 3 shutout loss to New England Patriots, and two other low-scoring affairs when the Texans scored 21 combined points with only one touchdown (Week 16 against the Cincinnati Bengals and Week 7 against the Denver Broncos).

They did it by scoring only 25 touchdowns all season and ranking last league-wide in that category after 15 games. They did it by ending the season with two straight games in which they failed to record a single point in the first half. On Sunday, the Texans left their defense dangling with a new offensive low, putting together two drives that ended in negative yardage.

O'Brien doesn't know who his playoff starter will be, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, and it might not matter. Much like January 2016, when a Brian Hoyer playoff start ended in a 30-0 loss, the Texans are trending toward another playoff embarrassment.

There is one silver lining: O'Brien said running back Lamar Miller should be ready to return from his ankle injury, via Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com. After logging four games with 100-plus rushing yards and finishing with 1,073 yards on the ground overall, his presence can only help. But it likely won't be anywhere close to enough unless the offense presents a legitimate passing threat for more than sporadic stretches.

Add it all up—the defense that isn't responsible for completing passes, the quarterbacks who are but can't, and the offense incapable of scoring with any consistency—and yes, the Texans look like one of the worst playoff teams in recent memory.

The 2014 Carolina Panthers were dreadful, becoming just the second playoff team in league history with a record below .500 at 7-8-1. But at least quarterback Cam Newton provided some excitement and a reason for viewers to keep their eyes open while he built toward his 2015 MVP season.

The 2010 Seattle Seahawks (7-9) were the first to limbo under that low bar. Then they gave the playoffs an instant jolt of energy when running back Marshawn Lynch did his Super Mario Bros. imitation on a 67-yard touchdown run that stood as the game-winner during an upset win over the New Orleans Saints.

We've also cringed while six 8-8 teams have made the playoffs in league history. The most recent was the 2011 Denver Broncos, which became magnetizing television at the height of #TebowTime.

The Texans don't have Watt or an NFL-caliber passing offense, and they've managed to drain the life out of DeAndre Hopkins, their should-be superstar wide receiver.

They'll host a playoff game against the Derek Carr-less Oakland Raiders. Which is lucky, but also excruciating for you, the innocent viewer.

Get your popcorn out for the possibility of Brock Osweiler vs. Connor Cook.