As the Houston Texans prepare to take on the Chicago Bears this weekend a lot will be made on why the Bears did not use their draft pick in the 2017 NFL Draft to take Deshaun Watson. The Houston Texans ended up taking Watson after they made a trade to move up to get the quarterback out of Clemson. Yet, I feel the more important question should be, "How will the Texans finish out the season?"

Houston watched their slim hopes of making the playoffs roll around on the field late in the fourth quarter. Center Nick Martin sent a bad snap to Watson (who was in shotgun formation) from the two-yard line that ended up being recovered by the Indianapolis Colts as they secured a 26-20 win over the Texans. That loss left the Texans with a 4-8 record and all but eliminated them from playoff contention.

Now the Texans go into the final weeks of the 2020 season facing more dilemmas than what they started with after Week 4 when former head coach and general manager Bill O’ Brien was fired. Some of the things that interim head coach Romeo Crennel and the rest of the organization must discuss will weigh heavily on them in the upcoming weeks.

For starters

How long do you play Deshaun Watson? He is clearly the face and future of the Texans team. His competitive nature and outstanding season (3,542 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and six interceptions) will make it very hard to convince him to sit out, but you have to take into account that you must protect your star player at all costs. Even if it’s against himself.

The next blazing question that the Texans must answer is not as easy as you think. Will Houston consider removing the interim tag from Romeo Crennel’s title if Houston goes on a four-game winning streak and finishes the season 8-8? That would mean coach Crennel lead them to an 8-4 record after such a horrendous start to the season.

This week the Texans organization announced that they have put together a five-man committee to advise the organization on potential head coach and general manager candidates at the end of the season. Should Romeo’s name be added if he runs the table?

I could ask these questions to you all day, but I will leave you with this last one. At what point do the Texans remove defensive end J.J. Watt from the defensive lineup? Yes, I do know that you just screamed, “What!” very loudly. But the question has to be asked.

This is only his second double-digit game played in the last five years and although he is still a force to be reckoned with on the field, injuries have hampered him late in his career. With nothing but pride left to play for this season, it may be time for Houston to take Watt’s 2021 season, which will be his 11th with the team, into consideration.