Each NFL team’s out of nowhere season

15 Nov 1998: Running back Jamal Anderson #32 and wide receiver Terance Mathis #81 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the 49ers 31-19.
15 Nov 1998: Running back Jamal Anderson #32 and wide receiver Terance Mathis #81 of the Atlanta Falcons celebrate during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Falcons defeated the 49ers 31-19. /
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T.J. Yates, Houston Texans
T.J. Yates, Houston Texans. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

Houston Texans: 2011, a season of firsts

The youngest franchise in the NFL, the Houston Texans began play in the league in 2002. It took them several years to find their footing, as the club had a losing record in their first five seasons before finally hitting the 8-8 mark in both 2007 and 2008.

They improved to 9-7 the following year but then dropped right back to a 6-10 club in 2010, which was the fifth season with Gary Kubiak as their head coach.  Entering 2011, there were concerns about the team considering their inability to find sustained success. Then, they suddenly broke through with their first season that ended in double-digit wins. That in itself was impressive, considering they lost their starting quarterback after a Week 10 injury.

A Lisfranc injury sent Matt Schaub to the IR after a 7-3 start, which gave Matt Leinart a chance to start. A former first-round pick of the Arizona Cardinals, Leinart was hoping to redeem himself after a failed stint in the desert, but he too was injured and played in just one game.

Replacing Leinart was a fifth-round pick out of North Carolina by the name of T.J. Yates. The rookie came in and played well enough to win two of his five starts, but the most important thing he did was clinched their first playoff berth with a win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Yates then guided the team to their first playoff win ever, as he again defeated the Bengals in the AFC Wild Card round — that was also the first playoff game hosted by a Houston franchise since the Oilers last played a postseason game there in 1993. It ended up being many firsts, which was unexpected, but fun nonetheless.