For the majority of the 2022 campaign, it seemed like the Houston Texans were destined for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
But a late-season hot streak — culminating with a flat-out bonkers ending at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday — prevented Houston from making the first selection this spring.
The Texans’ draft fate came down to a fourth-and-20 from the Colts’ 28-yard line with 55 seconds left in the Week 18 game between AFC South rivals. Quarterback Davis Mills managed to evade Indianapolis’ pass rush and threw up a prayer toward the end zone, which was caught by tight end Jordan Akins to bring the visitors with one.
Instead of playing for overtime or laying down for pick purposes, Houston elected to push all its chips to the middle of the table. The two-point conversion — also caught by Akins — was successful and the Texans kept the Colts at bay on the ensuing drive to secure their second win in their final three games.
The Bears, whose 29-13 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings extended their losing streak to 10 games, are locked into the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft thanks to the Texans’ dramatics. Chicago doesn’t need a quarterback, so you can expect signal-caller-needy teams to be calling Ryan Poles and company sooner rather than later.
