As the curtain falls on the 2023 NFL regular season, the Houston Texans find themselves in a position many deemed improbable just a few months ago—alive and well in the playoff race.
With a record of 8-7 and two games left in the regular season, the Texans have already surpassed their win total from the previous two seasons combined, signaling a remarkable turnaround from the struggles of recent years.
The path to the playoffs is clear but not without challenges. The straightforward route is for the Texans to secure victories in both of their remaining games. If they emerge victorious in the home finale against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday and clinch a win in the season finale on January 7 against the Indianapolis Colts, the Texans will guarantee themselves a coveted playoff berth. Even if they drop one of the final two games, there exist scenarios in which the Texans can still clinch a playoff spot, albeit with some reliance on outcomes in other matchups.
According to ESPN, as the Texans enter Week 17, their chances of reaching the postseason stand at 37.7%. NFL.com provides further insight, indicating that a victory against the Titans on New Year’s Eve would significantly boost the Texans’ playoff odds to 51%. Conversely, a loss in the penultimate game of the season drops their playoff chances to a less optimistic 13%, as per NFL.com’s projections.
The Texans’ unexpected resurgence has injected excitement into the final stretch of the regular season, with fans eagerly anticipating the outcome of pivotal matchups that could determine the team’s playoff fate. The franchise, absent from the postseason since 2019, is poised for a dramatic conclusion to the 2023 campaign.
