From Collapse to Contender: How the Texans Rebuilt Themselves After the 2020 Chiefs Meltdown
There are playoff losses - and then there are the kind that leave a scar. For the Houston Texans, no game has cut deeper than what went down on January 12, 2020, at Arrowhead Stadium.
Up 24-0 in the second quarter against a Kansas City Chiefs team led by Patrick Mahomes, the Texans looked poised to shock the football world. Instead, they unraveled in real time, giving up 51 unanswered points in what became one of the most infamous collapses in playoff history.
That game wasn’t just a loss - it was a turning point. And not the good kind.
For Houston, that afternoon marked the beginning of a franchise freefall. It would take three years, multiple head coaches, a front office reset, a blockbuster trade, and a pair of bold draft picks to climb out of the wreckage. But now, with a young core leading the way and momentum on their side, the Texans are finally in position to flip the script - and it just so happens the Chiefs are once again standing in their way.
The Game That Broke the Texans
Let’s rewind for a second. The Texans came into that 2020 Divisional Round matchup as the No. 4 seed, riding high off a thrilling Wild Card win. Deshaun Watson was in his prime, and the team had jumped out to a 24-0 lead thanks to a strong start and a 31-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn that silenced the Arrowhead crowd.
But what followed was a football avalanche. Mahomes and the Chiefs exploded for 51 points while the Texans managed just one more touchdown the rest of the way. It was the largest comeback in Chiefs playoff history - and one of the most devastating meltdowns the league has ever seen.
That loss didn’t just end a season. It exposed the cracks in the Texans' foundation - and the fallout came fast.
The Dominoes That Fell
In the months and years that followed, Houston's front office and coaching staff became a revolving door. The timeline reads like a cautionary tale in how quickly a team can lose its way:
- April 2019: Jack Easterby is hired as Executive VP of Team Development.
- June 2019: GM Brian Gaine is fired.
The Texans are accused of tampering while pursuing Nick Caserio, then with the Patriots.
- January 2020: Bill O’Brien is promoted to GM while still serving as head coach.
- March 2020: In a move that stunned the league, Houston trades All-Pro WR DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals for RB David Johnson and draft picks - a deal that drew widespread criticism.
- October 2020: O’Brien is fired after an 0-4 start.
- January 2021: Nick Caserio is finally brought in as GM. David Culley is hired as head coach.
Around the same time, Watson requests a trade.
- March 2021: Watson’s legal troubles begin, with a string of lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct.
- April 2021: The Texans draft QB Davis Mills in the third round.
- January 2022: Culley is fired after one 4-13 season.
- February 2022: Lovie Smith is promoted to head coach. Pep Hamilton becomes offensive coordinator.
- March 2022: Watson is traded to the Browns in exchange for a haul of picks - including three first-rounders.
- October 2022: Jack Easterby and the team part ways.
- January 2023: Lovie Smith is let go after a 3-13-1 season, punctuated by a Week 18 win that cost Houston the No. 1 overall pick.
- January 2023: DeMeco Ryans, a former Texans linebacker and then-49ers defensive coordinator, is hired as head coach.
He brings in Bobby Slowik as offensive coordinator.
- April 2023: The Texans use the No. 2 and No. 3 overall picks to draft QB C.J.
Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson Jr.
That’s three head coaches in three seasons. A franchise quarterback traded.
A front office reset. And a fanbase that, for a while, had little to cheer for.
A New Era, Built on Youth and Grit
But here’s the thing about rock bottom - it can be a launchpad, too.
Today’s Texans are a far cry from the disjointed squad that spiraled after that 2020 loss. They’ve got a 24-year-old quarterback in C.J.
Stroud who’s playing with poise beyond his years. Will Anderson Jr. is already making a name for himself as a disruptive force on defense.
Derek Stingley Jr., another 24-year-old cornerstone, has emerged as perhaps the best cornerback in franchise history. And DeMeco Ryans has brought a culture shift that’s impossible to ignore - one built on toughness, accountability, and what the team calls a “S.W.A.R.M.” mentality.
They’ve rattled off four straight wins, and now sit with a real shot at the playoffs. And fittingly, the next challenge comes against the very team that sent them spiraling five seasons ago.
Full Circle: Chiefs on Deck
The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t the same team they were in 2020 - but they’re still the measuring stick in the AFC. Beating them would be more than just another win.
It would be symbolic. A statement.
Proof that the Texans are no longer the team that crumbled under pressure, but one that’s learning how to rise in the big moments.
This Sunday, Houston has a chance to do just that. A win would mark their fifth straight, bring them to eight wins on the season, and keep their postseason hopes alive. More than that, it would show the rest of the league that the Texans are no longer rebuilding - they’re arriving.
They didn’t close the door in 2020. But five years later, they’ve got a shot at redemption. And this time, they’re ready.