5 Factors That Will Fuel the Texans in the Playoffs

Winning in the NFL playoffs is tough. Not only is there no margin for error, but every week is going to feature quality competition. On top of that, teams have to maintain momentum after 16 weeks of regular-season action.

Driving through the postseason takes fuel, and no team knows this quite like the Houston Texans. After starting the regular season 0-3, they've had to remain on the gas pedal the rest of the way here.

How can the AFC South champions keep rolling in the postseason? That's what we're going to examine here. We'll be looking at five factors that can power No. 3 Houston through its wild-card matchup against the No. 6 Indianapolis Colts on Sunday (4:35 p.m. ET) and beyond.

The Reliability of DeAndre Hopkins

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

Few NFL receivers are as dominant or reliable as DeAndre Hopkins. Even when he's covered, Hopkins somehow seems to come down with the ball more often than not, and he's quickly developed chemistry with second-year quarterback Deshaun Watson.

"Just us being on the same page watching film," Watson said Wednesday about the reason behind the pair's success, per John Newby of the Houston Chronicle. "A lot of it is just real instincts. Kind of showing him what I see from watching film throughout the week, and then what he's seeing and put two and two together."

The sixth-year veteran is coming off perhaps the best season of his career—a 115-catch, 1,572-yard, 11-touchdown campaign. He's going to be the focal point of the Texans passing attack throughout the postseason, especially with both Will Fuller and Demaryius Thomas on injured reserve.

Opposing secondaries will need to double-team Hopkins on virtually every play, and that will open things up for other receivers and the running game.

The Escapability of Deshaun Watson

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

Watson's ability to escape pressure is one of the reasons Hopkins is so dangerous. The Clemson product is fast and agile and has the vision and arm talent to attack downfield while on the run. His escapability is something the Texans offense can lean on in the postseason.

It's also important because the team's offensive line has been a bit of an issue thus far. Even though Watson is capable of running away from pressure, he was still sacked 62 times in the regular season.

Opposing defenses will definitely try to attack Watson, but it's going to be easier said than done.

A Premier Run Defense

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Nose tackle Brandon Dunn (92) and defensive end Angelo Blackson (97)

The Texans defense will be tasked with slowing Marlon Mack and Nyheim Hines in the opening round. Sony Michel, Melvin Gordon and Damien Williams are just some of the other running backs Houston could possibly face in the coming weeks—and that's just in the AFC.

Should the Texans make it to the big game, they could face Todd Gurley, Alvin Kamara, Chris Carson or Ezekiel Elliott.

Stopping the run is one way to win in the postseason. Teams that run the ball well and control the tempo on the ground tend to travel well and perform in the sour January weather.

Fortunately, Houston is one of the best teams at stopping the run. The Texans allowed an average of only 82.7 yards per game on the ground, third-fewest in the league. By stopping the run, the Texans can make opposing offenses one-dimensional and give the pass rush more opportunities to make plays.

A Strong Pass Rush

Kelvin Kuo/Associated Press

While the ability to stuff the run is a tremendous asset, the NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Houston is going to face an elite quarterback Sunday in Andrew Luck and will likely face either Tom Brady or Patrick Mahomes if it makes a deep run. Beating these guys just with trickery in the secondary isn't going to work.

"Andrew's a great player," Texans head coach Bill O'Brien said Monday, per John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. "He's a smart guy. He's so focused. You're not going to trick him. Luck has great respect for the game."

The Texans are going to have to beat quarterbacks by getting to them.

Thankfully, the Texans have J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney, who can pressure opposing quarterbacks on every passing play. Despite having a relatively average secondary—it allowed an average of 260.4 passing yards per game, 28th in the NFL—Houston still managed to regularly pressure opposing passers, producing 43 sacks to finish joint-11th in the league. Watt was second in the NFL with 16 sacks, while Clowney managed nine.

The pass rush is what's going to fuel the Houston's chances of shutting down the elite quarterbacks in the 2018 postseason.

That Won't-Quit Attitude

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Defensive back Kareem Jackson (25)

Sometimes, what fuels a team isn't its collective physical ability or its prowess on the field. Sometimes, it's the will to fight—like the Texans had to fight to even get to this point after beginning the regular season with an 0-3 record.

As Joe Osborne of OddsShark pointed out in September, Houston should have been done: "Going way back to 1980, there have been 173 teams to start a season 0-3, with only five of them going on to make the playoffs—a whopping 2.8 percent! If you're a fan of one of the 0-3 teams and that 2.8 percent number is giving you hope, it shouldn't."

The Texans refused to roll over, though, and after months of clawing their way back, they're 11-5 and hosting a playoff game. It there's one team that best knows how to defy the odds this postseason, it's Houston.