It's finally time for some Houston Texans bold predictions! Everyone had to fight tooth and nail to determine who got the honor of writing about the Texans. This is a team that could win anywhere from zero games all the way up to four or five if things go well.
Their franchise quarterback, Deshaun Watson, is in the midst of some awful legal controversies and he also hates the team he's on. It really couldn't be a worse situation all around. The franchise defensive end, J.J. Watt, was traded just one year after the franchise wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins, was traded. This team is an absolute mess and it's hard to see anything going right for them. Let's predict!
Bold prediction #1: The Texans tie or fall below the franchise record for least wins in a season
The Texans have finished with two wins twice in franchise history but never worse than that. This season seems like one of those two win seasons, even with the 17th game added. When you look up and down the roster, it's hard to find a positive.
The offensive line is alright with Laremy Tunsil and Marcus Cannon likely to handle the tackle spots. Tunsil was the big move the Texans made to fortify the line amidst their winning window just a few seasons ago. He's been pretty good and consistent, but not worth the hefty price the team had to pay to get him.
Cannon will likely push 2019 first round pick Tytus Howard to the guard position where he may be better suited. Cannon is coming over from the New England Patriots and has been consistently solid for a while now. Max Scharping and Justin Britt look to be the other two starters and you know what to expect from both.
The defense, which will be talked about more later, might actually be the worst unit in the league. They just traded Texans icon J.J. Watt and there really wasn't much to get excited about after him. The rest of the offense after the line is in poor shape. Tyrod Taylor is leading a group of Brandin Cooks and a trio of washed up running backs. Those backs are Phillip Lindsay, Mark Ingram, and David Johnson. None of them are very good but at least they're piling up a lot of them. Rex Burkhead is also a member of that group for some reason.
Bold prediction #2: Tyrod Taylor starts every single game, but not because he's playing well
This one is kind of mean, but the Texans need to get the number one draft pick in the next draft. Maybe they think Davis Mills is the franchise quarterback, but it wouldn't be too wise to throw him into this Texans fire to get accustomed to losing every single week.
Tyrod Taylor was brought in to provide a semblance of stability to this team going through one of the weirdest quarterback situations anyone can remember. Deshaun Watson not only shouldn't play because of everything he's being accused of, but he's also just refusing to play altogether. He's on the team but not providing anything positive. Until Watson is traded, this team can't really move forward because of how uncertain the future is.
Tyrod Taylor is absolutely not the future for the Texans at quarterback and everyone knows it, including the Texans. That's why he's the perfect guy to go out and start every game this year. The more the Texans as a whole can get through this season by losing and not damaging anyone they consider a part of the future, the better.
Taylor hasn't started more than three games in a season since 2017 with the Bills. Since then he's played a year in Cleveland behind Baker Mayfield, and two years as a backup for the Chargers. He'd be a fine backup for a solid team, but this year he's getting the starting job. What's more appealing, a backup for a playoff team or a starter for a team with no hope?
Bold prediction #3: Phillip Lindsay leads the team in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns
The Texans aren't exactly loaded with young talent just waiting to breakout this season. Their first pick in the most recent draft wasn't until the third round and it was backup quarterback Davis Mills. One player the Texans absolutely should give a lot of opportunities to is running back Phillip Lindsay.
Even Lindsay isn't young anymore, but he could have more of a future in Houston than Mark Ingram or David Johnson. Lindsay is 27 and spent the last three years in Denver after going undrafted. The Texans took a flier on Lindsay and if things go well that would mean he's returning to from from his rookie season back in 2018.
In 2018, Lindsay led the Denver backfield with just over 1,000 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry, a mark he hasn't come close to since then. That season looks more like a fluke than anything, but in his second season he got back to 1,000 yards on 4.5 yards per carry. Not the same as 5.4 from his rookie season, but not bad.
Last season just solidified that Lindsay couldn't start of a team trying for the playoffs. He only played 11 games but didn't look great, averaging just 4.3 yards per attempt and only getting to 500 yards for the season. Denver didn't bring him back and now he's the youngest member of the Texans backfield top four.
It's hard to say who the best of the four is, but it's obvious Lindsay is the most promising for the future. He should lead Houston in rushing due to the volume he gets as one of the younger pieces with potential for the Texans to build around.
Prediction #4: The Texans finish in the top half of the league for turnover differential
This didn't happen last season. Houston was -9 in the turnover differential department which was the fifth worst in the league. For this to happen, the Texans defensive scheme will have to improve significantly and a lot of luck will have to be involved.
It's possible because Houston seems to be focusing on turnovers on the defensive side of the ball. That's a simple approach for a defense with lower expectations than if you trotted out the local high school junior varsity team.
All jokes aside, there are some promising players with the ability to take the ball away on any given play including Justin Reid, Desmond King II, and Zach Cunningham. If they can all play up to their potential and a few other players step up then this is possible.
In order for this to happen the offense has to be better than most expect. That seems unlikely, but Tyrod Taylor has always been good at avoiding throwing interceptions. If he can continue that with an alright offensive line and lackluster weapons to throw to then this prediction could come to fruition. In all likelihood the Texans once again finish bottom five, but we're being bold and there's a way this comes true.
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