Oakland Raiders: Taking A Closer Look At The AFC Playoff Picture

MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 19: A Oakland Raiders fan tailgates prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Estadio Azteca on November 19, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
MEXICO CITY, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 19: A Oakland Raiders fan tailgates prior to the game against the New England Patriots at Estadio Azteca on November 19, 2017 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 19: Tom Savage /

Houston Texans (4-6)

Remaining Schedule: @Baltimore Ravens, @Tennessee Titans, San Francisco 49ers, @Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers, @Indianapolis Colts

Early on in the year, the Texans were one of the surprising and feel-good stories of the NFL. Behind rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson, the Texans were competitive and fun to watch.

But, then Watson went down with a torn ACL – adding yet another talented player to their hefty IR list. In addition to Watson, the Texans have lost J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus, and D’onta Foreman, among others.

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Watson, though the sample size is admittedly small, seems like he very well could be the real deal. He certainly has people in Houston believing.

But, with Watson out, the Texans have had to turn to Tom Savage. And the results have been somewhere south of stellar. Although Savage looked better last week against the Cardinals in a 31-21 win, moving them to 4-6.

But the truth of the matter is that Houston’s season effectively ended when Watson was lost for the season. Perhaps, even before that when Watt went down.

They’ll try to keep it competitive, but it’s clear that Savage is no Watson and Houston doesn’t have anybody else in-house who can run that offense as effectively as he did. (they could have had a potential replacement had they taken a look at Colin Kaepernick, but that’s neither here nor there at this point)

Houston is playing out the string and building for a brighter future. And a high draft pick should help that endeavor.

Predicted Finish: 6-10