The Houston Texans’ playoff chances took a major hit after their Week 14 loss to the New York Jets.
They’re now tied with five other clubs at 7-6 and sit eighth in the playoff standings because of tiebreakers. And with four games left, the New York Times gives Houston a 35 percent chance to make the postseason. The Texans also have a seven percent chance to win the AFC South, per the Times.
The Texans can do themselves some favors in the next two weeks, though, with victories over the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns. Houston’s odds boost to 50 percent if the team wins in Week 15 and 76 percent if the team wins in Week 16.
Wins will make everything easier in the final four weeks of the season, but losses will make it exponentially harder. Losing to the Titans cuts the Texans’ chances in half – to just 16 percent – while a loss to the Browns drops it to seven percent.
Of course, these probabilities are all subject to change depending on how the rest of the AFC field fares in the final four weeks of the season. The Texans don’t have many tiebreakers to separate themselves from the pack, so Houston will need some help if it wants to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.
A lot will ride on the health of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, who is in the concussion protocol this week after he hit his head on the turf against the Jets. His status will be closely monitored and would ultimately change the how the Texans approach Week 15 if he can’t play.
The Texans are in the hunt, but things don’t look quite as promising as they did a week ago.