Last season, the Texans’ offensive line didn’t play nearly as well as the 2012 season when they finished 12-4, won the AFC South for the second year in a row and defeated Cincinnati in a wild-card game.

Injuries played a role in the line’s performance. Left tackle Duane Brown and right tackle Derek Newton played hurt. Arian Foster was lost with a season-ending back injury.

Entering Sunday’s opener against Washington, the Texans are healthy. They expect the line to rebound and resemble the unit that sent three players – Brown, center Chris Myers and left guard Wade Smith to the Pro Bowl after the 2012 season.

“It’s important,” Brown said about the offensive line improving. “Everyone has that mindset going into the season. We want to run the ball as effectively as we did (2012), being able to get defenses on their heels when we run the ball.

“We don’t want to just get the job done; we want to dominate. We want to be very physical and put our will on everybody. That’s our mindset going into it.”