I agree. After the three game skid to start the season Watson said, "there is no need to panic, we are going to keep this train rolling" ( or something like that) and he said it in such a calm way like sipping on a cup of cocoa with whip cream, a dash of cinnamon sitting next to a campfire and I was like, you know...that just feels good.
Fans aren't being intellectually honest. The Chiefs' 10 wins have been against the Raiders, Cardinals, Browns, Broncos, Bengals, Jaguars, Broncos, 49ers, Steelers & Chargers. Any win in Mile High, IMO, is impressive, and yes, they own wins v San Diego and Pittsburgh, which occurred way back in weeks 1 and 2. But that's not exactly a murder's row of opponents. The Patriots beat the Chiefs and Bears; but their schedule isn't terribly impressive, either. Before last night, the Chargers' 8 wins were against the Bills, 49ers, Raiders, Browns, Titans, Seahawks, Raiders, Cardinals... not a single good team, other than Seattle, in the bunch. And despite a 9-game stretch significantly easier than the Texans', they could only muster a 6-game win streak. There are 24 (!) teams in the NFL with at least five losses; or, 24 teams on pace to win 9, or fewer, games. *Most* teams are average, or below, which means *most* good teams schedules are going to be populated with average, or below, teams. This is not exclusive to the Texans. Any "yeah, but"ing you want to apply to the Texans should also be fairly applied to the other teams, as well.
I agree with all that and I just posted that stat about the Deshaun's losses earlier today. But like I said, we've learned that regular season wins don't necessarily mean wins in the playoffs. And we have learned that the Texans struggle against the Patriots (2 losses with Deshaun). It isn't quite like the Warriors in the NBA but it is close. Until they can get over that hump, a lot are just going to be cautiously optimistic.
You can't control who you play but you can beat them. Ranking the victories is good but where you'll tell the discrepancy is in the losses. Chief's losses are to 11-1 Rams and 9-3 Patriots. Texans losses are to 9-3 Patriots, 6-6 Titans, and 4-8 Giants. Granted, the Texans' losses were a long time ago but they are still a blemish on their record. If they meet in the playoffs, I think the Texans' pull off the victory. But until then, I have no problem with the Chiefs being ranked higher. They have a better over-all resume including losses not just wins. Again, doesn't really matter. Hopefully it will be settled on the field some time in January.
You are the "yeah, but"ingest of them all. Every. Single. Post. Yeah, but (or, "devil's advocate"...) Who's ranking what, btw? This is about fans falling all over themselves trying to qualify a nine-game win streak. Literally 75% of the league is on pace to win 9, or fewer, games. Stands to reason, 75% of your schedule (12 of 16 games) is probably going to be against mediocre teams. Fans seem to think the Texans are the ONLY team to play an easy schedule. Uh, no. All the good teams have. As just one example, the Chiefs haven't beaten a good team since September 16.
Obviously you're not reading all my posts LOL Even the head coach has said "we haven't done anything yet". I have said just about every post on here that it doesn't matter, it's just fans' opinions and rankings. And my opinion is that they are a top 5 or 6 team in the whole league. The Texans have earned that. No qualifiers needed for nine in a row. But you can still argue that a few teams have had a better regular season. I don't care about how "easy" their schedule is, they don't have any control over that. But they do have control over what they do with the teams they play. The top teams in the AFC (Chiefs, Patriots, Texans) have good wins and bad wins. The Texans are the only team with a loss like the Giants on their record. But enough about regular season. Let's talk about playoffs; I also said I think the Texans will beat the Chiefs if they played head to head. So what exactly am I "Yeah but"ing about?
Yes, you're probably right. That '11 team was something else, and there were actually some good parallels to draw from that team as well. If I remember correctly, they kind of sputtered out of the gate at 3-3....then turned on the after-burners and won 7 in a row (culminating in the division clinching win in Cincy). I still vividly remember that misdirection play at Tampa where Arian went up the sideline completely uncovered for like 75 yards. That was the first time in Texans history where I felt, "Holy ****....this team is badass!" That team checked all the boxes for a Super Bowl contender.....but I would still say I have more faith in this team for one reason and one reason only.....Derrick Deshaun Watson.
SAFETY Justin Reid, Houston Texans – 90.7 overall grade Reid allowed a huge reception to Antonio Callaway in the win over the Browns but made up for it by chasing him down to force a fumble inside the five-yard line. He also tallied two pass breakups, with this performance marking the second time in his rookie season that he has produced a PFF defensive grade of 90.0 or above.
on that fumble, local media and national broadcasters were giving our DBs a hard time for running it out of the endzone. But The ball was recovered at the 1 yard outside the endzone and then went into the endzone. They couldn't have taken a knee, right? (question mark) {insert Ron Burgundy gif}
No, he recovered in the end zone. My issue was that he had a wide open field but hesitated before awkwardly handing the ball to Matthieu, squandering an opportunity for a big return.
Remember when Deshaun Watson said “if you’re doubting us now, don’t hop on the bandwagon later.” I remember, that dude is soo cool and collective, glad this franchise finally has a legit young QB.
That 11 team had a brother super high. They were kicking ash and asking questions later. Dang Matt's injury. This team going into the season didn't have the same hype. Remember the 11 team went 10-6 versus 2-14. None of us had a clue how this season would unfold. But right now I am really excited about our chances.