The NFL thrives on parity. An 8-8 record is average and annually within reach. A 9-7 mark is slightly better but provides no guarantee of making the postseason.

Baltimore won the 2012 Super Bowl after going 10-6 during the regular season. The New York Giants did the same in 2011, following a meandering 9-7 year. Seattle soaked up last season's NFL title despite posting back-to-back 7-9 campaigns in 2010-11.

The Texans surged to 9-7 this season under fiery first-year coach Bill O'Brien. They want more in 2015. But a team that finished an NFL-worst 2-14 a year ago soon could face the reality that reaching nine victories in 2014 - a seven-win improvement in a single season - is much easier than approaching greatness in a parity-driven sport.

From 2009-13, 11 teams went 9-7. Only five made the playoffs the following season, while four ended up 8-8 or worse. The 2010 Texans slid to 6-10 in 2010 after a 9-7 run the year prior.

There is long-term hope for O'Brien's remade team. Pittsburgh and the Ravens finished 9-7 in 2009. Baltimore answered by qualifying for the postseason three consecutive years, peaking with its 2012 Lombardi Trophy. The Steelers made it to the 2010 Super Bowl before falling to Green Bay.

There also is the flip side of parity: good but never great. Atlanta and the New York Jets ended at 9-7 five years ago. The Falcons advanced to the 2012 NFC Championship Game. The Jets collected two consecutive conference title trips. In the past week, both teams fired the coaches who reached the mark the Texans fought so hard to record this year.

More Information Rise and fall Eleven teams finished between 7-9 and 9-7 in 2013. Only four of them improved in 2014: Team 2013 2014 Diff. Dallas 8-8 12-4* &4 Detroit 7-9 11-5* &4 Pittsburgh 8-8 11-5* &3 Baltimore 8-8 10-6* &2 San Diego 9-7* 9-7 -- Miami 8-8 8-8 -- N.Y. Giants 7-9 6-10 -1 St. Louis 7-9 6-10 -1 Chicago 8-8 5-11 -3 N.Y. Jets 8-8 4-12 -4 Tennessee 7-9 2-14 -5 * Made playoffs Quick rebounds Five teams that missed the playoffs last season made the playoffs in 2014: Dallas (12-4), Arizona (11-5), Detroit (11-5), Pittsburgh (11-5) and Baltimore (10-6). Since the 12-team playoff format was adopted by the NFL in 1990, at least four teams have qualified for the playoffs that were not in the postseason the year before. Swing year Eleven teams finished 9-7 from 2009-13. Only five made the playoffs the next season. Here's how they ended up the year after 9-7. 2014 San Diego 9-7 2013 N.Y. Giants 7-9 2012 Cincinnati 10-6* N.Y. Giants 9-7 Tennessee 6-10 2011 San Diego 8-8 2010 Atlanta 13-3* Baltimore 12-4* Pittsburgh 12-4* N.Y. Jets 11-5* Texans 6-10 * – Made playoffs year after going 9-7

Read More

"I got fired for going 9-7, so it's hard to get over the top," said "Monday Night Football" analyst Jon Gruden, who went 95-81 during his 11-year career and won the 2002 Super Bowl coaching Tampa Bay but was fired after back-to-back 9-7 marks with the Buccaneers from 2007-08 and hasn't guided a team since.

Texans' weak link

Since the NFL adopted a 12-team playoff format in 1990, at least four teams each year have qualified for the playoffs that didn't make the postseason the year before. Dallas (12-4), Arizona (11-5), Detroit (11-5), Pittsburgh (11-5) and Baltimore (10-6) were the risers in 2014.

But for every success story - the Cowboys were stuck at 8-8 a year ago - there are annual casualties. Chicago and the Jets fell apart in 2014 after being average last season. San Diego has been stuck at 9-7 two consecutive years and didn't make the playoffs this season.

Under O'Brien, the Texans possess promise and contain key weapons that could allow them to climb higher in 2015. All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt, the NFL's No. 7-ranked scoring defense in 2014, wide receivers Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, and running back Arian Foster provide the team with a foundation O'Brien can build upon.

"O'Brien did a great job," Gruden said. "You go from two wins to nine wins, that's a very good amount of progress, especially considering that they had injuries and questions at the quarterback position. The No. 1 pick in the draft (Jadeveon Clowney) didn't even make his presence felt, and they're in the tournament until Week (17).

"It was a great coaching job by not only Bill O'Brien but the entire staff. Romeo Crennel did a great job with that defense."

Yet the Texans' weakest link could become their biggest liability if they fail to capitalize on 9-7.

Since 2011, 10 teams finished from 7-9 to 9-7 and made the playoffs the following season. The unifying theme for each squad: a big-name QB who was locked in as the starter during the postseason year. Everyone from Dallas' Tony Romo and Detroit's Matthew Stafford to Carolina's Cam Newton, Seattle's Russell Wilson and Denver's Peyton Manning lifted up their teams.

The Texans utilized four quarterbacks in 2014, and their most likely 2015 starter, Ryan Mallett, is a free agent this offseason.

"You've got Andrew Luck in your division," said Gruden, referring to Indianapolis' star quarterback, who led his team to the 2014 AFC South title. "You don't have Andrew Luck, you're going to have a hard time beating Andrew Luck. You've got to get better at that position.

"You've got to hope Jadeveon Clowney can come back and make things easier for J.J. Watt - God knows how many sacks Watt might get if Clowney reaches his potential. But they've got to get that quarterback position solved - short-term, long-term - to be able to take it over the edge."

'Step in right direction'

O'Brien acknowledged the team is unsettled at quarterback. But he added the Texans have the offseason and draft process to determine their 2015 offensive leader.

While the coach was proud of 9-7, he knows the playoffs and an end-of-year trophy are the only results that matter in the NFL.

"The expectation here in Houston will always be … to win," O'Brien said.

Texans players who lived through 2-14 accepted 9-7 in 2014. A seven-win improvement is a bridge to the future. It's up to the team's front office and O'Brien to discover the solution that makes 9-7 about the beginning of the rise rather than another example of the annual parity that drives the NFL.

"I'm proud of the fact that we were able to get this season rolling from the get-go," veteran center Chris Myers said. "Being able to kind of buy in to the system on all phases of the ball and being able to kind of all come together and really come to fruition throughout the second half of the season, that was a big step in the right direction.

"Obviously, it didn't work out how we wanted it to record-wise or playoff-wise. But it's a step in the right direction for next year."