The Houston Texans have trailed by more than 40 points in two different games this season. They’ve benched a starting quarterback, then benched (and released) his replacement. They’re 3-5, and the only teams they’ve beaten have losing records -- and most of the teams they’ve lost to have losing records, too. By any measure, the Texans’ season has been terrible.
And the Texans are waking up this morning in first place in the AFC South.
The Colts’ loss to the Panthers last night dropped Indianapolis to 3-5, meaning the Colts and Texans are currently tied for the division lead. (The Colts currently own the tiebreaker advantage.)
Next week the Colts play the undefeated Broncos while the Texans are off, so there’s a good chance the Colts will drop to 3-6 and lose their share of first place. The Jaguars, at 2-5, play the Jets next week and could move into a tie for first with a win. The Titans, at 1-6, aren’t out of it.
Last year’s NFC South may have been the worst division in NFL history, with the Panthers winning it at 7-8-1. But this year’s AFC South looks even worse. It wouldn’t be at all surprising to see someone win the division at 6-10.
A 6-10 team hosting a playoff game sounds ridiculous. But it might happen in a couple months.