Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

There’s no doubt that the first year of the Bill O’Brien era has rational fans excited for the future. The 9-7 record exceeded most expectations without a top-tier quarterback, a roster full of holes, and many of the same players that were on the 2-14 team from 2013.

The team was in the playoff hunt entering the 4th quarter in week 17 despite having to overcome season-ending injuries to three quarterbacks. J.J. Watt added to the excitement by having one of the greatest seasons in the history of the NFL.

Sure there were many negatives that I’ll get to in my next post, but for now let’s enjoy a seven game improvement and talk about the good. I’ve ranked 10 of the highlights from the 2014 season from top to bottom.

Let’s get to it!