Even though the Houston Texans fell from grace in the AFC, they're still in the playoffs -- and are the AFC South's champion for the second consecutive year.

Unfortunately for the Texans and Texans fans, Houston did not earn a bye week, despite finishing with a 12-4 record. Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to the same record, and since New England defeated Houston, the Patriots are awarded the AFC's No. 2 seed.

Instead, the Texans are the No. 3 seed, and will play host to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday. If the Texans win, they'll travel back to Foxboro, Mass., for a rematch against Bill Belichick's Patriots.

Though it's a longshot, Houston still can host the AFC title game. If the Texans defeat both the Bengals and Patriots, and the winner of the Ravens-Colts game defeats the Denver Broncos, then the Texans would host either the Ravens or Colts for the right to head to New Orleans for the Super Bowl.