Whether they win or lose this week, the Houston Texans have secured the AFC South title and a home wild card game for the playoffs. Regardless, that will not stop head coach Bill O'Brien from playing his starters in the 2019 NFL season finale against the Tennessee Titans.

A Texans win will not have any impact on their playoff seeding if the Kansas City Chiefs take care of business against the Los Angeles Chargers. According to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, O'Brien still does not intend to rest his key players:

Despite likely being the AFC’s No. 4 seed, Texans’ HC Bill O'Brien told reporters on a conference call today that he had no plans to rest players in Sunday’s regular-season finale against the Titans and “we are playing to win”.

There are certainly some risks to O'Brien's decision to play his starters in a potentially meaningless game. Regardless, it is evident that Houston still has plenty to work on before the real test starts in the postseason. Ending the regular season with a win over a formidable opponent like Tennessee would serve as a nice boost going into the playoffs.

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At this point, the prospect of getting bumped up to the No. 3 spot would serve as a bonus. However, it is still safe to assume that their priority is improving a few areas of weakness while they still have the chance.

The Texans should have their work cut out against a Titans team that is playing for their playoff future. Meanwhile, a few other teams on the playoff bubble such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders will certainly appreciate O'Brien's decision to not hold back.