NFL Houston Texans

Houston Texans’ 2014 Midseason Grade

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By @Terri7589

Bob Levey - Getty Images

Bob Levey – Getty Images

After eight weeks of games, the Houston Texans are even at 4-4 and sitting in second place of the AFC South Division. The Texans have had both ups and downs so far this season. In comparison to last season where the Texans were 2-14, the team has already surpassed last years’ win total, which means things are on an uphill climb. There weren’t very many expectations for the Texans’ 2014 season after an abysmal 2013.

The Texans’ 2013 squad lost 14 straight games after taking an early 2-0 lead on the season, and critics feared the same outcome was bound to take place when the Texans started the 2014 season 2-0 and lost their third game of the season to the New York Giants.

The biggest question mark people have for the Texans is their starting quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick, completing 63.4 percent of his touchdown passes, is not a bad quarterback. He is currently ahead of the likes of Colin Kaepernick and Eli Manning on NFL.com’s passing statistics list for 2014.

Fitzpatrick gets a lot of heat because he has a teammate who can seemingly do anything and everything; J.J. Watt. Watt has been phenomenal as a defensive end, and has even played offense with successful results as well. Watt, who signed a $100 million contract during the offseason, is playing like he wants to earn every penny. Watt has seven sacks, three touchdowns and an interception on the season so far. He is not only in the conversation to win his second Defensive Player of the Year award, but many people, including experts and analysts, are pegging him as a potential MVP candidate.

The games the Texans have lost have been very close. The Texans have only had one double-digit loss so far this season, but three out of their four wins have resulted in double-digit losses for the opposing squads. The Texans wins have mostly come from teams that are below .500, but the teams they lost to who were above .500 didn’t beat the Texans by much. Their largest deficit was 13 points to the Giants in Week 3.

There is still much room for improvement, but the Texans sit near the middle of the pack, which is not where most thought they would be entering the season.

Grade: B-

Terri Washington is a Los Angeles Clippers writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow her on Twitter @Terri7589, “Like” her on Facebook or add her to your network on Google.

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