With a 20-16 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday night, the Houston Texans punched their ticket to the postseason for the third consecutive season, marking the first time in franchise history that they've made the Playoffs three straight years.
The victory -- Houston's eighth in a row after a disappointing 3-5 start to the season -- was typical Texans football, combining swarming defense and with just enough offense to defeat another one of the hottest teams in the league. But surprisingly, after the win, Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair made a comparison that is typically reserved for the darkest moments of a season, when the walls have caved in and players or coaches begin to lash out in frustration through the media.