The Texans are suddenly playing very good football, and owner Bob McNair said a lot of the credit goes to head coach Bill O’Brien for keeping the team together amid a disastrous start.
“I think he’s doing a fine job,” McNair said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “We had a lot of work to do. I think he’s got everybody pointed in the right direction and on the same page working together. That’s what it takes: offense, defense, special teams all doing well.”
Yesterday’s win over the Saints was their fourth straight, moving them to 6-5 and tied with the Colts for the AFC South lead. While the Colts won the first head-to-head matchup and have a tiebreaker, the two will play again on Dec. 20, possibly with the division title and a playoff spot on the line.
“That’s what you have to do,” McNair said. “Now we got to go out and try to win five. They’re playing well. As I’ve said, if we keep playing with this level of energy and playing the way we are we are competitive with anyone.”
Of course, McNair deserves some credit for stabilizing things. But it’s also worth wondering how things might have turned out if he hadn’t second-guessed himself on his decision to bench quarterback Brian Hoyer for the departed Ryan Mallett after one game, a decision O’Brien has already admitted was wrong.
While there might be a ceiling with Hoyer at the helm, they’ve already seen what it was like to crash through the floor, and have climbed back through it nicely.