It feels like few national pundits are giving the Houston Texans a chance to advance past the wild-card round.
No one is giving the back-to-back AFC South champions a legitimate chance to blow past everyone in the AFC and hoist up a Lombardi Trophy next month in New Orleans, including USA Today.
Following their 23-14 win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 18, the Texans ranked 12th in Nate Davis’ NFL playoffs power rankings for USA TODAY Sports. Davis has Houston ranked slightly above the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh, who have tougher paths toward Super Bowl LIX in the AFC.
A group that appeared to be on a steep ascent toward a championship level – something that H-Town hasn’t enjoyed since the Oilers were an AFL powerhouse in the 1960s – has decidedly plateaued after what seemed a promising breakthrough in 2023. Offensive injuries and a too-often disjointed attack – one often undermined by a shaky line – have led to something of a regression by QB C.J. Stroud, last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year. The defense has been slightly more dependable overall yet has also surrendered at least 26 points in four of Houston’s last eight games.
The home game conferred by the AFC South crown could help, as might a wild-card matchup against a Chargers team that also doesn’t have much collective experience in these situations. But hard to envisage a best-case scenario for the Texans beyond a second consecutive trip to the divisional round. – Nate Davis
Elsewhere in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs are ranked No. 1. The Los Angeles Chargers, who head to Houston for the wild-card round, are ranked No. 10.
Houston hopes to prove the doubters wrong this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS and Parmount+. All-time in the wild-card round, the Texans are 5-2, including last year’s 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns.