Why the Houston Texans Should Be Deathly Concerned Heading into NFL Playoffs

The Houston Texans blew an opportunity on Sunday to firmly grasp the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Now, they hold the No. 3 seed and could continue to slip before the playoffs begin.

Houston has weathered a storm that should have been insurmountable. Losing Arian Foster, Andre Johnson, Matt Schaub, Mario Williams and Matt Leinart at different points throughout the season have tested the Texans resolve. All of whom are considered the best players on the team, or at their position. Of which, Williams, Schaub and Leinart are out for the remainder of the season.

Give credit to Gary Kubiak and more importantly Houston's GM Rick Smith for the team they assembled. Houston has survived on their depth at running back and their outstanding defense under the guidance of Wade Phillips.

However, they should be shaking in their boots down in Houston. Yes, they have won their first division title and will be appearing in the playoffs for the first time in the franchise's 10-year history, but there's a storm coming over the horizon that could sink this well built ship.

Houston will definitely play host to somebody because they won their division, but who? They can rest assured they won't face a demonstrative Tom Brady in their first home playoff game. If the Pittsburgh Steelers win tonight, they should avoid facing Big Ben and Co. as well.

Houston could have avoided playing in the wild card round and taken a bye week to rest up. Their defeat on Sunday basically ensures that the highest seed they could manage is the No. 3 seed. Pittsburgh plays the St. Louis Rams at home and the Cleveland Browns on the road. New England hosts the Miami Dolphins and Buffalo Bills to close out their season. All games those two should expect to win.

The likely candidates will be either the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals or San Diego Chargers. I don't see a scenario where the Oakland Raiders or Tennessee Titans sneak into the playoffs.

The Jets and Bengals would be tough outs. Both have adequate, young quarterbacks who are supported by a run game and a solid defense.

The Ravens and Chargers, on the other hand, present nightmares for the Texans. Baltimore beat Houston at M&T Bank Stadium in October by 15 points and that was with Schaub behind center.

San Diego has turned their season around and are currently in an all-out sprint towards the playoffs. Philip Rivers has resurrected his season and is one of the hottest quarterback's in the league over the last three weeks.

Either of the above mentioned teams would present matchup problems and possess a defense that could sink the ship that's being steered by a naive rookie. Houston will go into their first playoff experience missing key parts and with personnel that lacks quality playoff experience.

Playoff time in the NFL is much different than the regular season. The pressure is palpable, the hits are more excruciating and the mistakes are more damning come playoff time. No matter what happens in the final two weeks of the regular season, Houston—you will have a problem.