Houston Texans have path to playoffs

The two most important people in an NFL organization are the starting quarterback and the head coach. Get those two positions right and everything else seems to fall into place.

The Houston Texans seem to have gotten both of them right with the drafting of C.J. Stroud and the hiring of DeMeco Ryans. Together they might spur the Texans into playoffs far earlier than anybody could have realistically predicted.

The Texans delivered what might have been their best win of the season on Sunday when they went into Cincinnati and beat one of the NFL's best teams on the road, 30-27, to put them at 5-4 in the AFC. It not only has them in the thick of the AFC Wild Card fight, but also just one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South race.

They are not only one of the most rapidly improved teams in the NFL, they also have an incredibly favorable schedule the rest of the way. All of that has put the playoffs firmly within reach.

As of Sunday, the Texans' remaining opponents have only a .437 winning percentage this season, leaving them with the fourth-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL. The schedule includes games against Arizona, Denver and two games against a Tennessee Titans team that will be playing with a rookie quarterback under center. They also have another massive game with Jacksonville and winnable games against the New York Jets and Indianapolis Colts.

This is a stunning turnaround in just one year.

More impressively, Houston is now in a position where it should be set up for years ahead.

A good, young franchise quarterback changes teams. Not only because of the importance of the position, but because when they're on a rookie deal salary cap flexibility allows for support all over the roster. Every dollar not spent on the quarterback's salary is a dollar that can be spent keeping him upright, giving him options at receiver, taking pressure off with a running back or supporting him on the defensive side. 

That's the big picture.

The short-term outlook is that Houston has a winning record going into its 10th game next week and still has everything in front of it this season.

They have a coach that has his team believing in itself.

They have a quarterback who already looks like he has a chance to be a superstar.

It is a winning formula.