Texans coach Bill O'Brien has said the NFL is "a week-to-week" league.

Look no further than his team for a great example of that. A week ago, they were coming off a rousing victory over the nemesis Patriots — one that prompted us to ask where it ranked among O'Brien's greatest wins in six seasons in Houston.

Well, this week brings the opposite end of the spectrum after a dreadful 38-24 loss Sunday (and the game really wasn't that close) to a Broncos team that hadn't scored more than 24 points in a span of 21 games. The Texans were carved up by rookie quarterback Drew Lock, making his first road start, and Kareem Jackson had a revenge game against his former team that will be the measuring stick for all former Houston athletes.

So here's the companion piece to last week's list, a look at Bill O'Brien's worst losses as Texans coach.

1. Jan. 9, 2016: Chiefs 30, Texans 0

If being shut out at home in a playoff game wasn't bad enough, this AFC wild-card game also included the Chiefs returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and Texans quarterback Brian Hoyer throwing four interceptions and losing a fumble and somehow not getting pulled. And then there was the Wattcat, arguably the most infamous play in Texans history. Trailing 13-0 during the second quarter, O'Brien opted to have two defensive linemen, J.J. Watt and Vince Wilfork, line up in the backfield on first and goal from the 2, with Watt — who was later revealed to be playing with five torn muscles — carry the ball for a 1-yard loss. On the next play, Hoyer was intercepted to end the Texans' best threat of the game. The Chiefs won a playoff game for the first time in 22 years. The last time? In 1994 against ... the Oilers, of course.

2. Jan. 5, 2019: Colts 21, Texans 7

The first playoff game of the Deshaun Watson era was a stinker from the start. The Colts, who had won at NRG four weeks earlier, delivered an early haymaker and had a 14-0 lead before the game was 11 minutes old and pushed that lead to 21-0 by halftime. The Texans were lifeless for much of the game and their only score came in the fourth quarter when matters were well in hand. The only thing notable about this game was it turned out to be the last victory of Andrew Luck's NFL career — and in his hometown — before his surprise retirement during this year's preseason.

3. Dec. 8, 2019: Broncos 38, Texans 24

How did the Texans follow up their first win over the Patriots in nearly a decade? With arguably one of the most disappointing and embarrassing outings in the franchise's 18-year history. The Broncos hadn't topped 24 points in a game since Oct. 18, 2018, but led 38-3 early in the third quarter. Safety Kareem Jackson, not offered a contract last offseason after nine years in a Texans uniform, dismantled his former team with a fumble return for a touchdown, an interception and a monster hit on former teammate DeAndre Hopkins that forced an early punt. Garbage-time points made the final score appear closer than this game actually was.

4. Oct. 25, 2015: Dolphins 44, Texans 26

This was a mauling in Miami. The Dolphins, who fired coach Joe Philbin two weeks earlier, jumped on the Texans to the tune of a 41-0 halftime lead. Lamar Miller scored touchdowns covering 54 and 85 yards as part of a day that saw him rush for 175 yards on just 14 carries and catch three passes for 61 yards. Naturally, the Texans signed him that offseason and he never had a game like that for them. The worst thing about this game was Arian Foster, the greatest running back in Texans history, needlessly being left in during fourth-quarter garbage time and suffering an Achilles injury that essentially ended his career.

5. Oct. 4, 2015: Falcons 48, Texans 21

You'd be shocked to learn the Texans didn't look like they were ready to play in this game. The host Falcons led 28-0 at halftime. The Texans helped with one of those touchdowns, as guard Derek Newton inexplicably reached out and knocked the ball out of teammate Arian Foster's hands and it was returned for a touchdown by Desmond Trufant. The Falcons led 42-0 before the Texans scored 21 fourth-quarter points. But instead of just running out the clock, they tried this on the final play and somehow added insult and injury, as Cecil Shorts was hurt on this fitting end to the game.

Dishonorable mentions

Oct, 20, 2014: On a Monday night in Pittsburgh, the Texans were up up 13-0 with four minutes left before halftime. Incredibly, they somehow allowed 24 points in just two minutes and 54 seconds before the break and never recovered in losing 30-23 to the Steelers.

Sept. 22, 2016: Hard to believe, but the Texans were actually favored in this Thursday night game at New England. After all, Tom Brady was suspended for his alleged Deflategate antics and backup Jimmy Garoppolo was injured, leaving rookie third-stringer Jacoby Brissett to start at QB. The Texans, staying at a hotel 57 miles away, got stuck in traffic and took 80 minutes to get to Gillette Stadium. Players were reportedly "zonked." Things didn't get much better on the field, as the Texans and Brissett rolled to a 27-0 victory.

Sept. 23, 2018: A horrible Giants team came into NRG Stadium, took a 20-3 lead and won comfortably to drop the Texans to 0-3. Eli Manning, written off by the New York media and fans after his team started, found the fountain of youth and threw for 297 yards and two TDs on 25-of-29 passing. The final score was 27-22 but that included a meaningless Texans touchdown with one second left.

Dec. 23, 2018: With a first-round bye theirs for the taking, the Texans stumbled and blew a late lead in Philadelphia and lost 32-30. Nick Foles threw for 471 yards and four TDs and led a drive for the winning field goal as time expired. The Texans had chances to take control earlier in the game, but O'Brien went conservative and punted on a pair of fourth downs near midfield. Eagles coach Doug Pederson, conversely, went 4-for-4 on fourth down with his team's playoff hopes on the line.

Sept. 29, 2019: The Texans laid an egg at home against the Panthers in a 16-10 loss that included a dubious trick play call by O'Brien with a chance to take the lead before halftime. On second and 4 from the Carolina 18 with 2:31 left in the first half, a lateral to DeAndre Hopkins was followed by the All-Pro receiver throwing across the field to Carlos Hyde. The underthrown pass was easily picked off by safety Ross Cockrell at the 9 and returned 37 yards. Four plays later, Christian McCaffrey scored to give Carolina the lead.