December brings the magical time of year when diehard fans root for their teams to lose.
Houston Texans fans have been a part of this trend for the past two seasons — the years their team actually has a draft pick to use and not owe to the Miami Dolphins as part of a left tackle’s ransom.
The 19-14 Christmas Eve victory over the Tennessee Titans was bittersweet: they vanquished the franchise that stuck a dagger in the heart of Clutch City sports fans in 1996, but may have impacted their draft positioning for 2023.
Draft positioning is especially consequential in the fans’ eyes as the Texans may use the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft to take Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. At last, the Texans can get back on the timeline that was interrupted in January 2021 and have a franchise quarterback again.
Texans fans should root for the wins and not draft positioning.
Based on the draft order as of Week 16’s results, here are the five teams behind Houston, and they would be hard pressed to take a quarterback.
Chicago Bears (3-12)
The Bears already have Justin Fields and will be entering year three with the former Ohio State quarterback. If Chicago gets the No. 1 overall pick, they won’t be using it on competition for Fields. If they were smart, they would surround him with weapons, but instead it will probably go towards picking a guard.
Seattle Seahawks (via Denver Broncos) [4-11]
The Broncos sold their souls for Russell Wilson, and now the Seahawks have some draft capital to work with, including their 2023 first-round pick. While the Seahawks would be in position to take a quarterback, history has shown the organization under Pete Carroll is willing to wait until day two — which is how they landed Wilson in the first place.
Arizona Cardinals (4-11)
The Cardinals are stuck with Kyler Murray. They may use their picks to give him some other support.
Indianapolis Colts (4-10-1)
The Colts may spoil things for Houston, as they have mostly done since 2002.
If the Texans are 3-12-1 and the Colts are 4-11-1 heading into Week 18, a win will give Houston the series victory over Indianapolis, which means the Colts would jump Houston in the draft order. This is a likely scenario as the Colts take on the New York Giants in Week 17, who still haven’t clinched a playoff spot.
Indianapolis should be in the market for a quarterback, even if they do give Matt Ryan another year under center.
As long as the Colts are staying away from Young with the No. 1 overall pick, Houston should be fine.
