What if we said football was almost here? How excited would you be? Cry-tears-of-joy excited? Yeah, us too.
Below we’ve broken down the Houston Texans and guess what? We analysed every single team in the league to help get you set for the action. Check out our New England Patriots prognostications here, or dip into a little Andrew Luck with the Indianopolis Colts preview. Or just check out all our 2014 NFL previews.
To put it bluntly, the Houston Texans had a season to forget in 2013. The Texans had the worst record in the NFL last season, tying a franchise-worst 2-14 mark which they set back in 2006. With a few key additions in the 2014 NFL Draft plus the hiring of new coach Bill O’Brien, the Texans are raring to bounce back and return to the playoff scene once again.
[sc:Football ]Houston Texans Team Preview for the 2014/2015 NFL Season
Offseason Update (8/7/2014)
The injury bug has once again struck overall top pick Jadeveon Clowney as he suffered an upper right leg injury during one of the training sessions last Sunday. Remember that just last June, Clowney underwent surgery to correct a sports hernia. The time that Clowney has missed so far this season have put him behind the others in terms of learning the playbook but the most crucial part here is that his lack of preparation because of his long stay at the sidelines could lead to him being more susceptible to injuries.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Add to that the fact that Clowney will have to deal with a position change this upcoming season from being a defensive end in college to a standup outside linebacker in the Texans’ 3-4 defensive scheme and it looks like the plate is already full for the 21-year-old. But that is just part of the pressure of being the No. 1 overall pick and the Texans fully expect Clowney to embrace the challenge rather than shirk from it.
Overview
2013 Regular Season Record: 2-14 SU/4-12 ATS
After reaching the AFC conference semifinals in 2011 and 2012, the Houston Texans were poised to take the next step in their dream of reaching the Super Bowl. The Texans, however, went the opposite direction as they finished last season 2-14 SU, the worst record in the NFL.
With the arrival of new head coach Bill O’Brien and their new quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, it will be a brand new era for the Texans this upcoming season as they try to reassert their dominance in the AFC South. They are currently priced at +275 to win back the division and are pegged at +5,000 to win their first-ever Super Bowl title.
Offseason Highlights
After ending the 2013 season on a 14-game losing streak, the Texans’ top brass decided that the team needed to go into a different direction. They sacked head coach Gary Kubiak in early December and replaced him with Bill O’Brien.
O’Brien’s first order of business was to find a quarterback that will bring the Texans back their respectability after incumbent Matt Schaub was traded earlier this year to the Oakland Raiders for a late-round pick. O’Brien has decided to hand the quarterbacking duties to 10-year veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Texans are hopeful that he can lead the club in this transition period.
In case Fitzpatrick struggles, fourth-round draft pick Tom Savage could get his shot at starting sooner rather than later. Savage, who played college football at Rutgers and Arizona before joining Pittsburgh in 2011, posted numbers of 2,958 passing yards with 11 touchdowns last year, and is impressing so far in the team’s offseason activities.
The upside to the Texans’ horrific season was that they could select DE Jadeveon Clowney of South Carolina with the No. 1 pick of this year’s draft. With the departure of Schaub, the Texans could have been tempted to choose a quarterback as their top pick but it was hard to pass up on Clowney who was the only clear-cut, can’t-miss prospect in the draft.
Clowney, who set the single-season record for sacks (13.0) and tackles for loss (23.5) for South Carolina in 2012, will bolster the Houston defense which was fifth-worst in the league in tackles made with 986 and had only 32 sacks last season which was second worst in the whole NFL.
The Texans also will be delighted with the return to health of running back Arian Foster. Foster missed the final eight games of the season after undergoing back surgery. His return will fortify the Texans’ running game which fell to 20th in the league rankings in the rushing yards department last season after being in the top 10 the previous three campaigns.
Key Betting Matchups of 2014 NFL Season
The Texans were disappointing last season posting only a 2-14 record but they have the third easiest schedule this upcoming season which is why their season win totals is still set at over/under 7.5. Two of the toughest games that the Texans will encounter this year however are:
October 20 – @ Pittsburgh Steelers
In this Monday night showdown, the Texans travel to Heinz Field with both teams hoping for a victory that will help them in their quest to regain supremacy in their respective divisions. This game will be an important litmus test for both sides.
December 14 – @ Indianapolis Colts
As the season winds down, the Texans travel to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis to face the reigning AFC South champions. The Texans have not won at Indianapolis in their entire franchise history but with the arrival of Bill O’Brien and his new offensive schemes, the Texans may pull off a surprise and end their 12-match losing streak.
Writer’s Prediction
The Texans will bounce back from their two-win season last year and will go over 7.5 wins with an even 8-8 record. Create a betting account now and see if you can predict where the Texans will end up this season.
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