Here’s a look at the Super Bowl prospects of the Houston Texans, who finished the season 9-7 and lost in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Texans Super Bowl barometer: They should contend, but there are question marks.

Assessing the foundation: The Houston Texans have put together a good, Super Bowl-contending team. But for as close as they are, they’ve shown an inability under general manager Rick Smith to identify and acquire a franchise quarterback, which is obviously a huge problem. But draft picks make up most of the Texans' defense. Houston has done a good job in the draft in recent history, especially in the early rounds. This year, the Texans hit for the most part on their draft class -- fifth-round pick D.J. Reader was a pleasant surprise at nose tackle, and first-round pick Will Fuller had a solid rookie season at receiver. Three of the picks -- center Nick Martin, wide receiver Braxton Miller and safety K.J. Dillon -- were injured, and fourth-round pick Tyler Ervin served as the team’s primary punt returner. By parting ways with offensive coordinator George Godsey, the Texans showed they are serious about improving the offense -- the unit scored just 23 regular-season touchdowns this year -- in what likely will be quarterback Brock Osweiler's final season with the team. Defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, whose unit finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in total defense, has a contract that is soon to expire, but head coach Bill O’Brien has said he is hoping Crennel will return next season.

Judging the quarterback: Houston thought it had solved its problems at quarterback last offseason, when the team signed Osweiler to a four-year, $72 million deal. Osweiler struggled this season, throwing more interceptions (16) than touchdowns (15) during the regular season. Although he showed some improvement in the team’s opening-round playoff victory over the Oakland Raiders, he took a big step back in the next round against the New England Patriots, throwing three interceptions in a game the Texans had kept close at halftime. The problem for the Texans now is that a solution at quarterback will likely have to be cheap. Houston owes Osweiler $16 million next season, regardless of whether he is on the roster, and backups Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden haven’t proven they can start, either. The Texans will likely draft a quarterback to compete for the starting job along with Osweiler and Savage during offseason workouts and training camp. The Texans’ defense is so good that a reliable quarterback is the missing piece in Houston being a Super Bowl contender.

Realistic ways the Texans can improve their chances of contending for a Super Bowl:

1. Find a good starting quarterback. This will likely need to be through the draft, due to the lack of financial flexibility given Osweiler’s contract, but the Texans need to figure out how to improve this position, and they need to do so cheaply. Given how good the defense and running game are, the Texans will greatly improve their chances of contending for a Super Bowl if they upgrade at the position.

2. Find a way to re-sign cornerback A.J. Bouye. This will be tough because of the money the Texans have tied up in their three other corners, veterans Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson and 2015 first-round pick Kevin Johnson. Also, having four good cornerbacks is usually a luxury for an NFL team. As one of the better cornerbacks to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, Bouye will likely get a big offer from another team, but O’Brien said at his end-of-season news conference that he hopes the Texans can keep Bouye.

3. Fix the offensive line. The Texans entered the season with an injured offensive line, and the group struggled until veteran left tackle Duane Brown returned full-time in Week 5. Then right tackle Derek Newton tore the patellar tendons in both his knees in Week 7, and his replacements were not as good. The line had stretches of the season in which it played well, especially in run-blocking, but given that Newton’s return likely won’t come anytime soon, one of the Texans’ priority in the draft should be an offensive tackle.

4. Figure out a way to get WR DeAndre Hopkins the ball. Hopkins made his first Pro Bowl after the 2015 season, when he caught 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns. This season, he was not nearly as productive, and a lot of that was because Osweiler struggled to throw the ball downfield to Hopkins. Of Osweiler’s 19 interceptions in the regular season and playoffs, 11 were targeting Hopkins, which is the most by any quarterback to a single receiver in the NFL this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Regardless of who starts at quarterback next season, Houston needs to get Hopkins the ball more frequently.