Over at SBNation.com, Ryan Van Biber writes about how he jumped on the Houston Texans bandwagon at the end of season and wonders whether the team's lack of star-power has caused them to be overlooked as the playoffs begin:
What stood out the most about the Texans throughout my fourth quarter conversion was that there was nothing particularly remarkable about this team. They just played good football. The linemen blocked exceptionally well. Linebackers moved easily to where they needed to be. Up and down the roster, play after play, the Texans did the basics with aplomb. The little things matter to this team; that's a big reason why they've been able to play through the kind of injuries that derail most other teams.
Houston hosts Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon, the first game of the playoffs. Few experts give the Texans little chance of getting past a second playoff game. There's also an inherent bias against rookie quarterbacks in the postseason, especially a fifth-round pick like T.J. Yates. Houston's biggest question mark is whether or not they can score enough points to beat some of the league's most prolific offenses.
Nevertheless, the is a precedent for what Houston is doing, using a shut down defense and leaning on an effective running game. The Texans have relied on their command of the little things to get this far, and that approach could put them on a big stage.
In a league that's become increasingly passing-oriented in recent years, a deep playoff run by a Houston Texans team that plays fundamentally sound defense and controls the line of scrimmage would be a vindication of their more old-school approach.
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