No one is laughing at the Houston Texans and head coach/de facto general manager Bill O'Brien now.
The Texans took the New Orleans Saints to the limit in one of the league's most hostile venues nine days after two stunning trades. The Saints required last-second heroics from quarterback Drew Brees and kicker Wil Lutz to secure a 30-28 victory as time expired.
"We came so close," Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson told reporters after the loss, "but we didn't do enough."
Even so, the Texans looked like the AFC South's best team even in a loss with the potential to become something more.