Sunday afternoon's game against the Tennessee Titans will be, uh, shall we say, as unique as any other during this 2016 season. The outcome doesn't have any bearing on the Texans seeding in the upcoming playoffs, but there's still plenty to be gained by a win.
The Texans have never finished the season with a 6-0 division record, and that win in Tennessee can give them a season sweep 6-0 in the AFC South.
The Texans have only won double-digit games twice and a win gives them 10, tied for the second best mark in organization history (2011 - 10 wins, 2012 - 12 wins).
That said, the Texans can actually finish as the overall number one defense in the league, win or lose.
A win can give Bill O'Brien his best season as a head coach in the NFL, not that he cares about that much. However, winning 10 games this season without J.J. Watt, Kevin Johnson and others deserves kudos and plaudits.
With that, while the Texans tangle with the Titans, many eyes will be affixed on three other games (NE-MIA, KC-SD, OAK-DEN). Those three contests determine which team will travel to Houston for Wild Card Weekend. At this point, there are three different options: Dolphins, Raiders and Chiefs.
The New England Patriots travel to Miami to play at the same time as the Texans and Titans. If the Patriots win the game, that number reduces to two: Raiders and Chiefs.
But if the Dolphins win, all three options are still available. Here's how it'll shake out regardless:
Patriots win
KC and Oakland win - Kansas City comes to Houston
KC and Denver win - Oakland comes to Houston
San Diego and Oakland win - Kansas City comes to Houston
San Diego and Denver win - Kansas City comes to Houston
Dolphins win
KC and Oakland win - Kansas City comes to Houston
KC and Denver win - Oakland comes to Houston
San Diego and Oakland win - Miami comes to Houston
San Diego and Denver win - Miami comes to Houston
If the favorites all win, New England, Kansas City and Denver will win and Oakland will come to Houston.
The only certainty is that the Texans and Steelers will host two other AFC teams next weekend. How that is reconfigured won't be known until about 7:45 PM CST on Sunday night.
