Sunday’s matchup between the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals will feature two franchises heading in opposite directions as the regular season draws to a close.
On one side, the Cardinals began their season 2-0 before then spiraling into a five-game losing streak. Along the way, starting quarterback Kyler Murray would be lost due to a foot injury sustained in week five vs. the Titans, opening the door for 10-year veteran quarterback Jacoby Brissett to take the reins in the meantime (Murray’s injury would officially be season ending as of December 5th, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon).
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Their next win wouldn’t come until week nine, when they secured a 27-17 road victory at AT&T Stadium against the Dallas Cowboys.
The success didn’t last long, as Arizona then proceeded to yet again go on a five-game losing streak, landing them at 3-10 heading into week 15.
On the other side, the Texans infamously began their campaign 0-3 after heartbreaking one-score losses against the Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars. They then won their next two-straight, and afterwards proceeded to alternate wins and losses from week seven through week nine to find themselves at 3-5.
Nov 2, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (27) runs against Denver Broncos linebacker Que Robinson (51) and safety Talanoa Hufanga (9) during the second half at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
To make matter worse, franchise signal caller C.J. Stroud was knocked out with a concussion vs. the Denver Broncos in week nine, thus being unavailable for their next three games against the Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills.
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Already at 3-5, and with backup quarterback Davis Mills set to start in Stroud’s absence, fans and media began planning mock drafts and offseason priority lists. However, head coach DeMeco Ryans and the Texans defiantly bucked the perceived trajectory of their season and picked themselves up off the proverbial mat to the tune of a five-game win streak and an 8-5 record (their longest streak in season since 2018, where they reached a club record nine-straight).
This streak included a historic come-from-behind victory vs. the Jaguars, a defensive onslaught vs. quarterback Josh Allen and the Bills, a division shifting road victory against the Indianapolis Colts and a dynasty toppling win at Arrowhead Stadium against quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
This run of surprise prosperity also led to Houston now possessing the seventh seed in the AFC playoff race after 14 weeks of play (while also being only one game back of the Jaguars for the AFC South lead).
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The two worlds will now collide at NRG Stadium this Sunday afternoon, with Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett set to do battle against a Houston unit looking to keep their momentum rolling and stack more wins.
Oddly enough, Brissett actually enters Sunday with a 5-1 record against the Texans across multiple stops in New England, Indianapolis and Miami. Though his run of success against Houston has been impressive, past accomplishments won’t win the day come week 15’s showdown. This includes the home team’s last three weeks against a myriad of the AFC’s best to even get to this point.
That’s why Sunday’s game is so important, because the temptation to underestimate the Cardinals could be all too real for the Texans if they’re not careful to stay diligent. It’s all too common in the NFL for a team with high levels of success to overlook an opponent they perceive to be inferior, and then suffer a devastatingly unexpected failure at the most inopportune time.
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The Texans can’t afford such a reality after clawing themselves out of the AFC abyss. As such, coach Ryans and co. would benefit from keeping excellence of execution as their standard, regardless of the quality of opponent or how close they may think they are to the AFC regular season finish line.
If the Texans can handle business on Sunday, they will be 9-4 with a chance to extend their streak even further with a week 16 home matchup vs. the two-win Las Vegas Raiders on deck for the next week.
Do you think the Texans handle business on Sunday vs. the Cardinals? Let us know in the comment section below and the official Texans RoundTable X account, @Texans_RTB!