CYPRESS \u2013 There was a time this season when it looked bleak for the Texans: a winless start after three games.<\/p>\n
And the outlook for the team reached a crossroads midway through the season at 3-5 and starting quarterback C.J. Stroud knocked out of the next three games with a serious concussion.<\/p>\n
Days before that loss to the Denver Broncos, Texans ownership emphasized belief in a team that was losing games by narrow margins. Texans principal owner Cal McNair expressed confidence in the culture built by coach DeMeco Ryans and said the team was sticking together and in a good spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw just like one play was a difference in the game and we were coming up on the wrong end of it, but we felt we had a good team and if we could just correct a few mistakes we can slip the script,\u201d Cal McNair said at the Berry Center during the season-opener of LOVB Houston, the professional volleyball team purchased by the Texans organization. \u201cThe coaches rolled up their sleeves. The players have all stuck together. It was a challenging time for them to do that, but they did it and put together. Now, we\u2019re playing maybe some of our best football lately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, the Texans are back in the playoffs for the third year in a row under Ryans\u2019 leadership. They\u2019re riding an NFL-high nine-game winning streak heading into a Monday night AFC wild-card round playoff game on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers.<\/p>\n
They\u2019ve been installed as a 3 1\/2 point favorite as the fifth seed in the AFC playoff bracket against the AFC North champion and fourth-seeded Steelers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going up to make friends,\u201d Cal McNair said. \u201cWe\u2019re going up to win a game, and we\u2019ll see what happens.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Texans have plenty of motivation. They lost in the divisional round the past two seasons to the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs and are 2-2 in the postseason in Ryans\u2019 tenure.<\/p>\n
The Texans, as a franchise, are 0-6 all-time in the AFC divisional round. They\u2019re the lone team in the AFC to not reach the AFC championship game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re hungry,\u201d said Hannah McNair, the Texans\u2019 foundation vice president. \u201cThey want it bad. They\u2019re playing for each other.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The Texans will square off against Steelers team that earned a last-minute win over the Baltimore Ravens. They\u2019re led by coach Mike Tomlin, former NFL Most Valuable Player quarterback Aaron Rodgers and T.J. Watt, the younger brother of J.J. Watt.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a challenge,\u201d Cal McNair said. \u201cIt\u2019s a really good team, really good coach, good ownership, been a consistent winner for a long time. It\u2019s a hard place to play on Monday night. We\u2019re excited for the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A victory Monday night would bring the Texans one step closer to the goal Cal McNair stated throughout the offseason and in an August interview with KPRC 2 when he expressed an ambition to go somewhere the franchise has never gone before.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt means we get to play another game,\u201d Cal McNair said of this wild-card round game. \u201cThat\u2019s what we want to do. We want to keep playing, so it\u2019ll be one at a time.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Steelers haven\u2019t won a playoff game in their past six trips to the postseason.<\/p>\n
They have a lot of experience, though, and are regarded as a dangerous first-round opponent.<\/p>\n
The Texans lost to Rodgers last season at The Meadowlands when he was quarterbacking the New York Jets.<\/p>\n
The Texans, though, have displayed a ton of perseverance. <\/p>\n
They have learned how to win close games, and have overcome adversity.<\/p>\n
Since Stroud returned from the concussion, the Texans have won six games in a row. When he was sidelined, backup quarterback Davis Mills went 3-0 as the starter.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to do that through injuries and whatnot through the season is a testament to really good, high-level coaching and the players have bought into it,\u201d Cal McNair said. \u201cThey\u2019re really playing together. And that\u2019s what you love to see on a team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Texans have adopted a hard-nosed personality, in Ryans\u2019 vision.<\/p>\n
Since they hired Ryans and drafted Stroud second overall and All-Pro defensive end Will Anderson Jr., the franchise has turned things around after years of losing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we drafted C.J. and then Will, they came in and said we\u2019re going to bring some wins and championships and that\u2019s what we\u2019re here to do,\u201c Hannah McNair said. \u201dI think you\u2019re seeing them commit to that and the rest of the team are following that leadership as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
LOVB Houston didn\u2019t win its opener against Salt Lake City, but there was a good, lively crowd. The Texans are optimistic about the team and they continue to support women\u2019s sports, including flag football.<\/p>\n
\u201cHouston is big, but when you look at just the Texans themselves, over half of their fans are females,\u201d Hannah McNair said. \u201cIn my mind that speaks to all of Houston. You have a big demographic of women here and athletes in Houston, and it\u2019s only growing. For all the young female athletes, we want them to look up and see that there is a place to play at a high level here in Houston.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n