Why 3-0 Doesn’t Matter in Houston
By Javi Perez at September 26, 2012 | 1:54 am | Print
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The Houston Texans are 3-0 following their win over the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The most common thing you heard or read in every story about their victory is that this is the first time that Houston has ever been 3-0 in their history. They’re the only undefeated team in the AFC and, after last year’s success, everybody knows that this isn’t a fluke. But here’s the thing…
Being 3-0 doesn’t matter.
Last year, the Buffalo Bills started 3-0. In 2009, the New York Giants and Denver Broncos started 3-0. The 2008 Broncos, Bills, and Dallas Cowboys all started the season 3-0. You can see where I’m going with this…
None of them made the playoffs.
The only time 3-0 matters is when it’s the postseason record of a Super Bowl champion. And the Texans understand that. For being a pretty young group, they’re a really mature one. We’ve seen it the way they handled themselves at the end of last year and in training camp this year. They’ve got the right attitude because, while they won their division and came really close to getting to the AFC Championship Game, nothing seemed to go right for them on the injury front and they didn’t get the breaks at the end of last season either.
Remember, Houston lost their last three games going into the playoffs last year. Now, that last one doesn’t really count because they rested a lot of their players and went for the win at the end of the game rather then send it to overtime and risk more injuries. But they got manhandled by Cam Newton at home and then lost on the road to an awful Indianapolis Colts team.
Consider this as well: Houston SHOULD be 3-0. They’ve been favored in every game to start the season. The Texans haven’t exceeded expectations in making franchise history with a 3-0 record, they’ve merely done what everyone expected a great team to do. It’ll be a few weeks until Houston will even have the chance to be an underdog. This week they’ve got the Tennessee Titans at home. They hit the road the following week, but to play the New York Jets. When they play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football, it’s at home, so they’ll still be the favorite. The only way the Packers are favored in Houston is if the Texans get upset beforehand. Same for the following week when the Baltimore Ravens travel to Reliant Stadium. Anything less than 3-0 would’ve been a disappointment because this team is supposed to play in the AFC Championship Game and compete to get to the Super Bowl.
3-0 isn’t history. It’s trivia. 3-0 in the postseason? THAT would be historical and it’s the only history that this team is interested in.
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