The Texans are 4-7 in the game immediately following the bye week through their first eleven seasons, and they are currently on a two game winning streak (after the bye). Now THERE is something we can at least celebrate right?
Aside from pure curiosity and historic interest, there is little to no correlation on how a team will perform each season coming out of a bye week. There are just too many variables for the given roster of Texans players each year. Injuries, individual performance, unit performance, and the opponent's roster and circumstances also change far too much to draw any reasonable projections. Why does that sound so much like that common legal statement for investing opportunities? You know the one...
"Past results do not guarantee future performance."
With that said, let's take a look at how the Texans have performed after each bye week in the franchise's brief history.
SEASON | WEEK | RESULT | SCORE | OPPONENT |
2013 | 9 | TBD | TBD | Colts |
2012 | 9 | W | 9-21 | Bills |
2011 | 12 | W | 20-13 | @ Jaguars |
2010 | 8 | L | 17-30 | @ Colts |
2009 | 11 | L | 20-17 | Titans |
2008 | 3 | L | 12-31 | @ Titans |
2007 | 11 | W | 10-23 | Saints |
2006 | 6 | L | 6-34 | @ Cowboys |
2005 | 4 | L | 10-16 | @ Bengals |
2004 | 8 | W | 6-20 | Jaguars |
2003 | 6 | L | 17-38 | @ Titans |
2002 | 6 | L | 31-24 | Bills |
Houston has faced the Titans three times after the bye and lost all three. Conversely, they have faced the Jaguars twice after the bye and swept them. That's more to celebrate, and we'll take all we can scrap for these days. The Texans have only played the Colts once after the bye; they lost that game on the road in Week Eight of 2010. This next game against Indy will be at Reliant, with the Colts leading the AFC South while the Texans are afflicted with injury losses across the board and led by a young undrafted QB in his second ever NFL start.
The Colts are only two and a half point favorites in this match-up, and "Any Given Sunday" at least gives Texans fans a glimmer of hope that the team can turn things around this season if they can find a way to win this game. This week is also the Battle Red uniform option, always a fan favorite. Case Keenum lit up the sky with his arm in college while wearing red, so perhaps he will be inspired to do the same this Sunday evening.
Will the Texans rise to the occasion in front of a hometown crowd adorned in Battle Red and initiate a march to the playoffs by defeating the Colts? Will University of Houston's hometown hero Case Keenum outplay former Stratford High School hero Andrew Luck?
What say you coming out of this bye week?
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