HOUSTON -- It was a long, painful walk back to the Houston Texans' bench, the exact place that gritty quarterback Brian Hoyer wanted to avoid.
After enduring years of rejection and obscurity before finally being anointed as an NFL starter, Hoyer got the shocking news from Texans coach Bill O'Brien during the fourth quarter of a season-opening defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 13. He was being replaced by backup Ryan Mallett.
Angry, embarrassed and frustrated at the demotion, Hoyer watched as Mallett sparked the offense during a losing cause. The since-fired Mallett ultimately flamed out after four starts and Hoyer reclaimed the offense. However, the sting of what happened against the Chiefs isn't something Hoyer could forget or easily forgive.
It was another slight for a blue-collar player frequently characterized as a gym rat by his friends. Instead of pouting, though, as Mallett famously did when Hoyer took the job back from him in an October loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Hoyer used the moment to fuel his motivation.
"Obviously, it wasn't fun, but I've always had to deal with adversity, and that was just another moment I had to deal with," Hoyer said Wednesday. "There's a lot of anger and some feelings that you have, but it just pushed me to work harder and be ready for my next opportunity."
Since that setback, Hoyer has helped direct the Texans to an AFC South division title. The Texans get a rematch against Kansas City on Saturday in an AFC wild-card playoff game at NRG Stadium. And Hoyer will be under center after a season in which he completed 60.7 percent of his throws for 2,606 yards, 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 91.4 passer rating. Hoyer did so despite being limited to 11 games and nine starts and dealing with two concussions within the second half of the season.
The quick hook after completing 18 of 34 passes for 236 yards and one touchdown and an interception regarded as wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins' fault and also losing a fumble in a game where he was sacked four times seemed overly hasty.
Midway through the season, O'Brien acknowledged during a team meeting that he'd made a mistake by benching Hoyer against the Chiefs. He urged the players to look inward and contemplate what they could all do better.
"I asked every player in that room to really study their own games and think about what they could do better, and I talked to them about what I was going to do better," O'Brien said. "I talked to them about different decisions I had made and how I was going to try and improve because it started with me.
"As a leader, I think you have to be able to sit there and tell the truth to your players, and that's what we try to do, and then players did a good job of making sure they did what I asked them to do, and they've improved. Now we're in this position, which is a good one."
The relationship between Hoyer and O'Brien dates back to convincing him to sign with the New England Patriots after going undrafted out of Michigan State. O'Brien was Hoyer's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in New England as Hoyer backed up Tom Brady.
Perhaps if they didn't have that kind of background, their rapport would have been irrevocably broken by O'Brien benching Hoyer. Instead, the 30-year-old quarterback and the second-year head coach reached the playoffs together.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Billy," said Hoyer, who signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract with the Texans in March. "Obviously, (being benched) that wasn't the best of our relationship, but here we are right where we wanted to be. When I signed my contract, this is where we wanted to be."
--The vantage point of lining up at free safety definitely agrees with converted Texans cornerback Andre Hal.
Although one of the smallest safeties in the NFL at 5-10, 188 pounds, Hal is a physical tackler and a rangy center fielder who has smoothly adjusted to his new position.
During his first season at safety after replacing Rahim Moore, Hal intercepted four passes to lead the defense. Hal tied former Texans safety Bernard Pollard, who picked off four passes in 2009, for the second-most interceptions in a season by a safety in franchise history.
"I can see everything and go off my instincts," Hal said. "At corner, you're really by yourself all the time. Playing safety, I can see stuff and react. Getting interceptions, that's helping us win."
Reading Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles' eyes Sunday, Hal intercepted him for the third time this season. In 11 starts and 16 games played, Hal recorded a career-high 34 tackles with 10 passes defended.
"I feel pretty good about it," said Hal, a 2014 seventh-round draft pick from Vanderbilt. "I started off kind of slow, didn't really get too much playing time the first couple of games."
Hal figures to have a pivotal role in an AFC wild-card playoff game Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans surrendered six catches for 106 yards and two scores to tight end Travis Kelce during the season opener.
"Dre is just a great teammate, works very, very hard, very coachable," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said. "He's going to ask the right questions. He's going to try to do it the way you're coaching him to do it, just a good guy to be around, good guy to have on the team."
--Lining up in the slot, versatile Texans running back Jonathan Grimes created an instant mismatch Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars' unprepared defense.
Grimes darted into the flat and caught the football in stride from quarterback Brian Hoyer on third-and-9 for a 12-yard touchdown catch, dashing past safety Johnathan Cyprien for his first career receiving touchdown.
Grimes wasn't done scoring. On the Texans' next series, he lined up in the shotgun and scored a three-yard touchdown on a direct snap Wildcat play. The all-purpose threat finished with four runs for 26 yards and four catches for 28 yards on five targets. It marked Grimes' first touchdowns since last season.
"It was definitely good to get in that end zone," Grimes said. "I hadn't scored in about two years."
Grimes contributed a career-high 282 rushing yards and one touchdown this season, averaging five yards per carry. He caught 26 passes for 173 yards. The Texans are getting their speedier backs involved, including rookie running back Akeem Hunt. Grimes and Hunt complement the power of starter Alfred Blue, who rushed for 102 yards.
Hunt caught a 27-yard pass and rushed for 28 yards on three carries. The explosive undrafted rookie from Purdue runs the 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds.
"With the defense not knowing who to guard, it can create a whole lot of mismatches," Hunt said. "It's coming together at the perfect time for us to reach its peak. They're finding ways to get me in space. They actually switched up a defensive back instead of putting a linebacker on me. It's respect."
--Xavier Su'a-Filo has heard it all before. He's been labeled as an injury-prone bust. He's frequently been referenced as the answer to a trivia question as the player the Texans drafted with the 33rd overall pick last year instead of Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr or New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.
Now, Su'a-Filo is the starting left offensive guard for the AFC South champion Texans. After overcoming a lingering calf injury suffered after reporting out of shape, the former second-round draft pick from UCLA has started nine games with his play improving markedly in recent weeks.
"It's awesome," Su'a-Filo said. "Personally, I've felt like I just had so much to prove. Being in the playoffs is very special. To be a part of it, I'm looking forward to it."
SERIES HISTORY: 8th meeting. Chiefs lead series, 4-3. The Texans lost, 27-20, to the Chiefs earlier this season in the opener on Sept. 13 at NRG Stadium.
GAME PLAN
--The Texans will attempt to pressure elusive Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith and bottle up running back Charcandrick West. They have a matchup problem with tight end Travis Kelce from the first game to account for.
Offensively, the Texans will try to get the football in the hands of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to create yards downfield. They're committed to running the football and will incorporate Alfred Blue, Chris Polk, Jonathan Grimes and speedy rookie Akeem Hunt.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
--Texans WR DeAndre Hopkins vs. Chiefs CB Marcus Peters.
Hopkins is a Pro-Bowl selection and one of the most dangerous wide receivers in the game. Peters led the NFL in interceptions and is a precocious rookie with excellent instincts.
--Texans DE J.J. Watt vs. Chiefs RT Jah Reid.
Watt lost his helmet during the first meeting when Reid slapped it off his head, but Watt still recorded the sack. Reid is overmatched against Watt, a dynamic pass rusher who's recovering well from a broken left hand and no longer wears a protective club. Watt is coming off a three-sack performance in the regular-season finale.
NOTES, QUOTES
--The Texans and the Kansas City Chiefs overcame challenging crossroads before engineering dramatic turnarounds along their pathways to the playoffs.
The 9-7 Texans endured a 2-5 start, including their season-opening 27-20 loss to the Chiefs, and a four-man quarterback carousel. The 11-5 Chiefs lost star running back Jamaal Charles for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament, rebounding from a 1-5 start to hit the post-season on an NFL-best 10-game winning streak.
"I think both teams have probably changed a little bit since that first week," Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. "We respect the heck out of them. They're a good football team. We have to prepare like crazy to play against the Texans, well-coached and good players. It looks like both locker rooms stayed strong. That would be the central thing and everybody stuck together."
