The 2013 season could not have gone much worse for the Houston Texans. In 2012 they went all the way to the divisional playoffs, but everything went wrong the following season and nearly lost every game.
They did not even have any joy with their head coach. Gary Kubiak suffered a mini-stroke after 13 games before being sacked upon his recovery, with Wade Phillips coming in for the final three defeats of the season.
From AFC South winners to propping up the table even below the seemingly hapless Jacksonville Jaguars, 2013 was a season to forget for the Texans.
Here, Sport Mole takes a closer look at their season to find out where it went wrong:
Pre-season expectations
Expectations were high, yet seemingly realistic. When a side reaches the divisional playoff one season, the hope if not the expectation is to go a step further the next. Kubiak had kept together much of his team and from an outside perspective a division win and playoff run was not out of the question. Getting to the AFC championship game would have been an achievement, while anything less than winning the division would have been seen as a big disappointment. What transpired was nothing short of an unmitigated disaster.
Highlight of the season
This is not an easy decision, and not because there are too many to choose from! The best part of their season was probably the start, with the Texans opening well with two wins from two. Both included dramatic last-second field goals - the first to beat the San Diego Chargers 31-28 and the second to take the Tennessee Titans to overtime before beating them by six. So far, so good.
Biggest disappointment
Looking back, the decision to go for the late field goal rather than the touchdown against the Titans was a precursor for the season to come. While it worked for Kubiak in that game, his conservative tactics stopped working from that moment on and his team - thanks also to quarterback Matt Schaub - went from winners into serial losers. They were to become the first NFL side to win their opening two games only to lose 14 straight. That is quite a big disappointment.
Player of the season
There were no players in the Texans in 2013 who performed to the level they did the year before. A lot of that was down to poor coordination and a QB who seemingly forgot how to throw, but not down to a lack of effort from some players. JJ Watt had a brilliant 2012, and despite the poor results for the team he was once more the top defensive player. The defensive lineman had the highest number of tackles on the team with 80 combined, which was just one fewer than the previous year.
Unsung hero
Ben Tate definitely deserves the status of hero with some battling performance in a losing season for the Texans. He was thrust into action as the starting running back following Arian Foster's season-ending injury and in the circumstances was as reliable as could be expected. Not only this, but for parts of the season he too was suffering; he broke four ribs yet battled through to continue to play to the limit.
Off-season changes
Despite their miserable season, the Texans still have a lot of experienced and well-paid players on their roster. Deciding which ones to keep for the rebuild and who to let go in order to strengthen key areas will be vital for the Texans this off-season. Antonio Smith and his big salary could be on the way out with other players such as Wade Smith and Tate heading for the free agency. The Texans, with the number one Draft pick owing to their miserable 2013 showing, will surely go straight for one of the top college QBs - Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel - to replace Schaub as starter.
2014 prospects
The 2013 season was surely a freak result for the Texans. With a new head coach and a pre-season behind them to adapt to Phillips's style of play things must improve. Andre Johnson and a fit-again Foster should be able to propel Houston back into the challenge for the AFC South and the playoffs will once again be the aim. It simply cannot get worse than 2013.
Matt Domm
