The Comeback 2

Houston brings back old memories for Oiler fans after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Game 51-31

In 1996, Bud Adams decided that his time was up here in Houston and moved the team to Tennessee. He had been battling the city for a new stadium and when he didn’t get it, he loaded the U-Haul truck and headed to Nashville. In that truck was all the team history that had accumulated over the years since the team became a charter member in the American Football League in the 1960s.

The first-ever AFL Championship victory. Gone. Their great run of success they had in the early ’90s. Gone. All the memories the fans created screaming out, “Love Ya Blue!” Gone Bye-Bye.

One memory Oilers fans were happy to see go was the infamous 1993 AFC Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills in which they blew a 35-3 lead and lost 41-38. I am pretty sure Bud had some help loading that one up as fans around Houston never wanted to be reminded of that game and thought they would never have to talk about it again when the Houston Texans arrived in 2002.

Fans felt a small form of redemption on the first weekend of the 2020 NFL playoffs as the Texans got revenge by defeating the Buffalo Bills in NRG and advancing to the divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs. Although the Texans and not the Oilers had defeated the Bills, some former Oiler fans who still resided in the city took some pleasure in that win and thought they would never have to talk about, “The Comeback” game again.

Well, the fans were halfway right. They would never have to talk about that game ever again because on this past Sunday the Houston Texans decided to follow in the footsteps of the previous regime (Oilers) and be on the wrong side of history by playing in “The Comeback 2.”

Houston (11-7) lost to the Kansas City Chiefs (13-4) in the divisional round of the playoffs by a score of 51-31 in Arrowhead Stadium after blowing a 24-point first half lead. The Texans became the first team in NFL history to build a 20-plus point lead and lose by 20 or more points. Reigning 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes led Kansas City to 41 unanswered points and eliminated Houston in their quest to be AFC champs where they would face the Tennessee Titans.

"I definitely thought we were going to have to score more than 24," said Texans coach Bill O'Brien in a defeated tone after the game. "I think that they're, obviously, a very explosive team and it just didn't work out."

One call coach O’Brien would love to have back was the failed fake punt at the Houston 31-yard line that the Chiefs sniffed out giving Mahomes a short field and setting up a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Travis Kelce to cut the lead to 10 points.

"We had that play ready for a variety of different teams and situations," said the Texans safety Justin Reid, who was stopped short of the first down. "Credit to them, they made the play."

The Chiefs never looked back from that point as they took a 28-24 lead into halftime on their way to the aforementioned 41 unanswered points before the Texans would score a meaningless touchdown in the third quarter.

"The biggest thing I was preaching was, let’s go do something special,” Mahomes said proudly after the game. “Everybody is counting us out. Let's go out there and play by play put it out there.' And play by play, we did what we were supposed to do."

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson ended the game with 388 yards and two touchdowns while running for another in a losing effort.

Houston is 0-4 in the divisional round of the playoffs and this latest loss sends the team into the offseason scratching their heads wondering what went wrong. How can a team with so much talent bounce back from such an embarrassing defeat? Will not having first and second round draft picks for consecutive years hamper team growth? Is Bill O’Brien the right coach to lead this team?

Texans fans will be wondering the same thing as they try to cope with the scar left from an old wound (Bills comeback victory in 1993) while tending to a bigger wound (Chiefs comeback 2020).