As the Texans do the autopsy on another loss, they will see plenty of missed opportunities. Had they taken advantage of some golden chances against Jacksonville, they might be in the thick of a playoff chase. Instead, they are scrambling to find a way to stop a four-game losing streak that has their fanbase up in arms and their coach in trouble.
Let's face it. This is year four of the Kubiak era and year eight of the franchise. The team is perhaps better than it's ever been, but it's not showing up on the scoreboard and the record is no better after 12 games than it has been the last two seasons.
A particularly disturbing part of the carcass from the most recent loss is the fact that the Texans had the ball inside the 10 three times in the second half and came up with only 10 points and a turnover. That turnover came off the arm of Chris Brown, who threw a pick off a halfback option that will live in infamy.
At one point in the broadcast, I said, "This is the Texans' last stand." I believed they needed to win out to stay in the hunt. And the thing that makes this situation sting more is that every week they seem to get help as teams like Pittsburgh and Baltimore take damaging losses.
All that's left is the chance to somehow win four straight and get the first winning season in team history. If the Texans achieve that, it will certainly make us feel a tad better because of the intoxicating effect of a long winning streak. But right now it's hardly a consolation to be wishing for a victory binge that will require a massive amount of help to bring the prospect of playoffs back into the conversation.
