To win the division, Houston must beat Indianapolis today and Jacksonville must lose to Tennessee. But with Jacksonville outscoring Tennessee 31–7 in the third quarter, Houston decided to take out its most important players, ceding the division to Jacksonville and beginning to prepare for the Wild Card round.
Texans quarterback CJ Stroud exited the game, replaced by backup Davis Mills. And other key Texas players have also been sidelined.
The Texans still have the wild card seeding to play for, and defeating the Colts today would guarantee the Texans the No. 5 seed. But Texans coach Demeco Ryans has apparently decided that keeping his key players healthy is more important than improving their wild-card seed.
And so the Texans have decided to prioritize staying healthy next week rather than winning this week.
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