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Getty Gallery: 6/6
No. 9 Houston Texans
The Texans avoided a potential upset against the Jaguars as Houston looked in control from start to finish. Unfortunately, their slip up against the Eagles in Week 16 ended up costing them a bye. The Texans will host a red-hot Colts team that has been playing as well as any team in the NFL.
Houston is on the other end of the spectrum as the Texans have gone 2-2 over their last four games after having a fast start to the season. Overall, it has still been a great season so far for Houston. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson credited head coach Bill O'Brien for the turnaround.
“Went from 4-12 to 11-5, so that speaks for itself, the success we’ve been having,” Watson told the Houston Chronicle. “I’m still young. We’re still figuring out the relationship … and that takes time. But the great things and success we’ve been (having) is going to continue to grow. Once we get on that same page and we really, really understand each other, the sky’s the limit.”
The Texans and Colts have already faced each other twice. The teams split their matchups, but the Colts won just a few weeks ago proving this is not going to be an easy task for the Texans.
No. 10 Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks needed a late field goal to escape Week 17 with a win over a Cardinals teams that now has the No. 1 draft pick. Seattle has already overachieved preseason expectations, but there are a few reasons to think the Seahawks could make some noise in the playoffs.
The core of the Seahawks is the same as it has been when the team has had the most success under Pete Carroll. The Seahawks have a punishing rushing attack where they can utilize multiple running backs. Seattle also relies on a defense full of young and hungry players who have taken over for the Legion of Boom era.
Chris Carson rushed for a career-high 122 yards against the Cardinals. Carson was able to have a stellar day despite several injuries to the Seahawks offensive line.
“There’s going to be times like that, when the running game is going to take a minute to get going, but we were one big play away from having a big spark, and that’s what happened today,” Carson told The News Tribune. “The offensive line did a great job sticking with it, and we came out with a victory.”
Seattle now faces a Dallas team they beat earlier this season under many different circumstances. The game was at home and safety Earl Thomas had a major impact on the contest. The Seahawks will be without their home crowd and Thomas this time around. The previous game also occurred before the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper. Dallas is a slight favorite in the game, but we expect an extremely close contest.
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