The Houston Texans are back in the postseason for a third straight year after a 20-16 win against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17 at SoFi Stadium.
The Texans had two early touchdowns against the Chargers. That put them up 14-0, which was a deficit that the Chargers could not overcome.
The victory means the Texans are just the sixth team in NFL history joining the 1981 New York Jets, 1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1992 San Diego Chargers, 1995 Detroit Lions, 1998 Buffalo Bills and the 2018 Texans in elite company.
The Texans lost their first three games early in the season to potential playoff opponents in the Los Angeles Rams, Buccaneers, and Jacksonville Jaguars. But they managed to keep the train chugging along as the winds eventually started to come. The team’s last loss came on Nov. 2 against the Denver Broncos, who won the AFC West by a result of the Chargers losing to the Texans.
Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud looks to pass downfield against the Los Angeles Chargers. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Texans Playoff Bound For Third Straight Season
This is the 9th time in 24 seasons that the Texans have made it to the postseason. In all eight of the previous instances, the Texans won as the AFC South champion. However, that may not be the case this time around.
Texans are still half a game back over the Jaguars for the top spot in the AFC South. The Jaguars have two games at home to finish out the regular season. They will need to win both of them in order to secure their spot atop the AFC South. If the Jaguars were to lose one of these two games, the Texans would win the AFC South with a win against the Colts and regulated.
There’s a lot of hope for the Texans at this point in the season. Completely sweeping the second half of their schedule is what the team needed in order to accomplish their goals, and that’s exactly what’s been done. The Texans are as dangerous of a team as any in the AFC. There is a lot to like about the football they’ve been playing, especially in the second half of the season on defense.
Regardless of whether they win the division or finish as a wild card, the Texans are not a team other squads want to face when the postseason officially begins in January.
The Texans will learn of their playoff fate in Week 18.
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