The Houston Texans are on fire in December with eight wins in their last nine games. DeMeco Ryans' team might quickly become frigid in January.
Houston secured its seventh straight victory Sunday with a 23-21 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, exiting Week 16 with a simple formula to secure a playoff spot: win either at the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 or at home against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18. Sunday's win over the Raiders was a major step to securing a playoff berth. Zoom out and assess Houston's Super Bowl chances, however, and Week 16 actually represented a step in the wrong direction.