(SportsRadio 610) - The Texans have an NFL-worst 1-11-1 record, including an eight-game losing streak, going into Sunday's game against the Chiefs at NRG Stadium.
Kansas City is 10-3 and tied with Buffalo for the best record in the AFC. The Bills own the head-to-head tiebreaker because of their victory at Kansas City earlier in the season.
Here are some weekly observations on the Texans.
PIERCE COULD BE DONE FOR THE SEASON
There's a good chance fans won't see rookie running back Dameon Pierce for the rest of the season. The sprained ankle he suffered against the Cowboys could take two or three weeks for him to be able to play again. At that point, why use him even though he has 220 carries for 939 yards (4.3 average) and four touchdowns? Lovie Smith should make the wise decision and shut him down for the rest of the season.
Without Pierce, Smith and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton are more likely to stick with their quarterback rotation of Davis Mills and Jeff Driskel.
Driskel is the team's best runner as long as Pierce is out, which, of course, is a sad state of affairs. General manager Nick Caserio should have done a better job of finding better backup running backs.
Without the ankle injury, Pierce would be on a pace for 288 carries for 1,227 yards.
Obviously, Pierce wants to play. He's a competitor, but he has to be a realist. If he recovers and plays, he runs the risk of aggravating the injury and possibly having surgery.
By shutting him down, he'll enter the offseason healthy with only 220 carries and be ready to go next season when he'll have more talent around him, including a new quarterback.
LIFE WITHOUT PIERCE IS DESTITUTE
The Texans will enter the Kansas City game with Rex Burkhead and Dare Ogunbowale at running back. They've combined for 34 carries, 107 yards, a 3.1-yard average, one touchdown and a long run of 9 yards.
Both finished the Dallas game with negative yards. Burkhead (26 for 89) and Ogunbowale (8 for 27) will have to share the load. Eno Benjamin was waived this week after carrying three times for 1 yard in his brief career with the Texans.
The Texans will have two players active for Sunday's game who have a touchdown rushing – Ogunbowale and Davis Mills with one each.
Even with Pierce, they're one of the two-worst offenses in the red zone. They score touchdowns on 42.9 percent of their trips inside the 20. Only New England (38.9) is worse. The Texans also are one of the two-worst teams on third down, converting 28.3 percent to Denver's 28.1.
HAMILTON SHOULD STICK WITH QB ROTATION
Using the Davis Mills-Jeff Driskel quarterback rotation worked well enough against the Cowboys for Pep Hamilton to keep it for the Chiefs. That combination kept the Cowboys off balance, and even though the Chiefs will be prepared for it, it would be foolish to abandon at this late point of the season. The Texans have nothing to lose other than more games.
The 23-point output against the Cowboys was the most by the Texans since they scored 24 in a 10-point loss to the Chargers back on Oct. 2, another reason they should stick with the rotation. They now average 16.2 points a game, ranking 30th. Denver (14.9 points) and Indianapolis (16) average fewer points than the Texans. Even though a 327-yard performance would embarrass a team like Kansas City, it was the Texans' fifth-highest production of the season.
A FEW THINGS THE TEXANS DO WELL
After giving up 10 sacks in two games, the Texans have allowed none against Cleveland and Dallas, despite going against two of the NFL's premier pass rushers – Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil is having an outstanding season as a pass blocker. Now, if he could just eliminate those false starts.
The Texans have allowed 11 touchdown passes, fewest in the league. That could change Sunday because they're going against Patrick Mahomes, who could light up the secondary.
The defense has played well inside the Texans' 20. They're seventh in red zone defense, allowing opponents to score touchdowns at a 52.3-percent rate.
By the way, the Chiefs are last in red zone defense (68.2 percent).
GETTING CLOSER TO FIRST OVERALL PICK
Even if the Texans had been able to pull off the biggest upset of the season by shocking Dallas, they would still have been in line for the first overall pick in the draft.
Their 27-23 loss they could have won left them with a 1 ½-game advantage for the first pick. It's almost a foregone conclusion Nick Caserio will make the first pick.
Everyone knows the Texans are desperate for a quarterback. The top-three prospects at this early point in the evaluation process are C.J. Stroud (Ohio State), Bryce Young (Alabama) and Will Levis (Kentucky).
None is rated as high as defensive tackle Jalen Carter (Georgia) and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. (Alabama).
Because this is a deep and talented draft, it's a good year for teams with multiple first-round picks like the Texans, who need help at so many positions they almost can't go wrong in the first round. Having Cleveland's first-round pick for the second of three consecutive years should work out well for Caserio.
For what it's worth, the Browns are 5-8, and their remaining schedule features Baltimore and New Orleans at home and Washington and Pittsburgh on the road.
The Texans, of course, would like to see them lose out and finish 5-12 so the first-round pick acquired in the Deshaun Watson trade will be even higher.
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on Sports Radio 610 and Monday and Thursday on Texans Radio. He write three times a week and does three Houtopia Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com. He also can be read four times a week on GallerySports.com.
