Houston left for dead in September now nobody wants them in January

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Houston left for dead in September now nobody wants them in January originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

In a way, it felt almost fitting to see Davis Mills back under center, completing a handful of passes in a 38–30 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. His appearance served as a quiet bookend to what turned into one of the most fulfilling regular seasons in Houston Texans history.

After an abysmal 0–3 start, it was Mills early on and a defense that steadily found its edge that kept the season from slipping away. That stretch didn’t just stabilize Houston. It laid the groundwork for DeMeco Ryans to guide the Texans into his third consecutive postseason appearance, a milestone that would have sounded far-fetched back in September.

Then the wins kept coming.

Nine straight, in fact, building week by week like a hit record climbing the charts, louder and harder to ignore with each passing game. What once felt like survival mode slowly transformed into something far more dangerous: belief.

Now comes January, and with it, the inevitable questions.

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Is there enough of a running game to keep defenses honest when playoff football compresses everything? Can a revamped and often patchwork offensive line continue to protect C.J. Stroud when the blitzes get heavier and the margins thinner? Houston hasn’t allowed a sack in three consecutive games, a stat that feels both encouraging and precarious this time of year.

There’s also the matter of the deep ball. Were Riley Leonard’s recent downfield connections simply a rookie riding a hot hand, or the early signs of something opponents will have to respect? And then there’s the most quietly uncomfortable truth of all: what if the most valuable piece of the Texans offense right now isn’t throwing or catching passes at all?

Ka’imi Fairbairn was flawless against Indianapolis, converting all six of his field-goal attempts. In January, when drives stall and games tighten, that kind of reliability can tilt entire playoff runs.

Whatever doubts linger, the bigger picture is impossible to ignore. This was a team left for dead in late September, written off as another rebuilding project still a year or two away.

Now, they might just be the toast of January.

And perhaps the most telling detail of all? They did it without Joe Mixon carrying the ball even once.

That’s not just momentum. That’s a team that believes it can win any way it has to.