Texans tank: How Houston could benefit from a loss against the Colts in Week 18
“Sometimes divorce is a good thing.”
Houston Texans coach Lovie Smith has said this somewhat surprising quote several times over the last year. He mentioned it when the team fired executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby and in remarks following the Texans’ blockbuster offseason trade with the Cleveland Browns. It’s a statement that, at its core, recognizes sometimes change is a very necessary thing.
During his tenure, the Texans sit at 2-13-1 and are reeling off a humiliating loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars that saw the team trail by such a comfortable margin that a team they previously had won nine straight against opted to bench starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence well before the fourth quarter.
In hypothetical odds from @bookies, Lovie Smith is the NFL head coach most likely to be fired this upcoming Monday #WeAreTexans pic.twitter.com/omQYbexCeV
— John Crumpler (Lifelong Colts Fan) (@JohnHCrumpler) January 5, 2023
Houston is an ugly football team that represents what has become an ugly football franchise. The Texans were the laughingstock of the league during their previous two four-win campaigns and have now somehow become even worse. Nothing better highlights the franchise’s irrelevance to the national picture than the national media fawning this week over the potential of the Chicago Bears to take the No. 1 pick.
Divorce is an ugly process that, as Smith has highlighted, ultimately allows two parties to come out the other side in better shape than before. In a very similar manner, Houston is potentially staring a beautiful divorce opportunity in the face on Sunday if they want their chance at leaving the cellar of the NFL.
The Texans should tank during Sunday’s game against Indianapolis.
The loss would secure the first overall selection for the fourth time in franchise history and give general manager Nick Caserio a clear path to a new franchise quarterback. An ugly, embarrassing loss to the Jeff Saturday-led Indianapolis Colts would cement the team’s need to move on from Smith and underscore just how the bad the team has been under his tenure.
It would be a horrific way for Houston to end their season, the ultimate collapse of a team that had huge aspirations for improvement from last season and confirmation of the national narrative that they’re the worst in football. It would be embarrassing for Caserio and chairman and CEO Cal McNair that this is the product they put on the field for 2022.
It would also be the best potential path moving forward for the franchise.
Found this sneak preview of the Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts game on Sunday
It’s going to be a tank fest #WeAreTexans #ForTheShoe pic.twitter.com/fHl1pkZT7F
— John Crumpler (Lifelong Colts Fan) (@JohnHCrumpler) January 4, 2023
Picking first in every round, in addition to all the draft capital acquire from previous trades, would set the Texans up well to run the 2023 NFL draft. Caserio would have his pick between quarterback Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud to find a signal caller that might elevate Houston into eventual Super Bowl contention.
No further losses can take away from the talented young players such as Derek Stingley, Dameon Pierce, Christian Harris, Tytus Howard, and Jalen Pitre. The coaching vacancy will have its perks in one of the country’s biggest football cities and that vacancy only becomes more attractive with Houston’s ability to control their own destiny in the draft.
This is all aside to some other perks such as forcing the rival Colts further away from the quarterback conversation in the draft and potentially encouraging their owner Jim Irsay to re-hire Jeff Saturday.
The rational reason you tank this game if you're the Texans isn't just 1 versus 2, it is also that you force the Colts to have to make a bigger trade up if they really want a quarterback.
Anyway, looking forward to the win Sunday,,,,
— Rivers McCown (@riversmccown) January 5, 2023
It’s not a very palatable proposition at first glance but it’s one that, viewing the whole picture, would seem to be a glaringly obvious choice for the Texans if they ever wish to change their own narrative.
Maybe that decision would look like resting key starters such as Laremy Tunsil, Steven Nelson, and Brandin Cooks. Maybe that decision could revolve around benching Davis Mills and returning to the disastrous Kyle Allen or Jeff Driskel. There’s not a perfect path but there’s an obvious best case scenario for Houston on Sunday.
Sometimes divorce truly is the best things, fans will have to see if the team acknowledges that on Sunday and decides to move on from their middling identity.
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