Texans complete turnaround with AFC South title

HOUSTON — They shuffled through four quarterbacks, won one of their first five games and gave up 41 points in the first half to a non-playoff team. A Houston Texans’ season that looked on the brink of catastrophe several times now will continue next weekend when they host a playoff game.

"It’s good to see that perseverance and hard work pays off," Texans owner Bob McNair said. "They didn’t let any outside distractions bother them."

Credit Houston’s improbable turnaround to win the AFC South title to playing in one of the two worst divisions in the league. Credit second-year coach Bill O’Brien’s steadying hand as the team searched for a healthy and capable quarterback. But plenty of credit needs to also fall to defensive end J.J. Watt, the face of a defense that now ranks third in the league in average yards per game.

"The amount of adversity we had to fight through would really put a damper on a lot of people," Watt said.

In Sunday’s 30-6 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Watt has made a strong case to win league Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. Playing his first game in nearly a month without a club cast protecting his broken left hand, Watt collected three sacks, batted down two passes, made eight tackles and was an unrelenting disruptive force.

"Today was a little reminder of what it’s like when I have both hands," Watt said.

Win or lose Sunday, the Texans (9-7) were almost certainly headed to the playoffs. But they left no doubt by drubbing the overmatched Jaguars, earning them the division title.

Quarterback Brian Hoyer returned Sunday after two weeks in concussion protocol. Hoyer is unlikely to dazzle anyone with gaudy statistics, but he is a steadying force after the team’s roller coaster of a season under center.

Hoyer, who won the starting job after training camp, was benched after just one game. Ryan Mallett, who had repeated accountability issues, was released after amassing a 1-3 record as a starter this season.

Hoyer then suffered two concussions, the first coming against the Cincinnati Bengals and the second against the New England Patriots. T.J. Yates stepped in and performed admirably before tearing his anterior cruciate ligament at the Indianapolis Colts. And finally there was Brandon Weeden helping to finish off the Colts and then beat the Tennessee Titans the following week.

Amid all the quarterback shuffling were significant on-field struggles — a 1-4 start that turned into a 2-5 record. Fans were calling for O’Brien’s ouster — immediate ouster — when the Texans faced a 41-0 halftime deficit against the middling Miami Dolphins on Oct. 25.

"The last thing I read was the funeral that we were going to have on Kirby (Drive)," O’Brien said. "Hopefully we put a hold on that funeral. That was when I put the papers down for good because I didn’t want to see myself in a casket, that’s for sure."

Now the Texans can raise their third AFC South banner in NRG Stadium.

Clinching the division didn’t come without a price. Left tackle Duane Brown suffered a right knee injury in the first quarter that was serious enough to prompt the entire Houston team to surround him on the field as he received medical attention. He was helped onto a cart and taken to the locker room.

"Being sidelined any amount of time is devastating for me," Brown said. "This is the most serious injury I have had in my pro career."

It’s a significant loss for Houston. But adversity is nothing new to the AFC South champs, and with Watt playing like the league’s best defensive player, the Texans’ uneven season rolls on.

"Everybody can count us out," linebacker Whitney Mercilus said. "Everybody thought we were out of it, especially when we were 2-5. ... We are the ones who have to keep believing."

Follow Eric Prisbell on Twitter @EricPrisbell.

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