![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770362300_44_pixel.gif\"){kind=tracking}
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1770361460_291_croppedshutterstock23607133675559jpg.JPEG\")
kovop \/\/ Shutterstock<\/p>\n
Houston Texans seasons that exceeded expectations the most<\/p>\n
When September rolls around, NFL fans are champing at the bit for the season to start. They’ve already gotten a taste from the preseason, read up on their team’s draft picks, and made predictions about how the season should go with their team’s roster. Adrenaline is high during Week 1 and often doesn’t wear off until Week 18. A tough loss could end in tears, for both the team and its fans.<\/p>\n
It’s hard for people who aren’t fanatics to wrap their heads around how a sport could evoke so much emotion, but there’s a psychological explanation for fandom.<\/p>\n
For many, a team association ties into self-esteem and identity. It has been proved that people receive a self-esteem boost from associating with successful individuals or groups, which is why fans are more likely to wear team gear the day after a win than the day after a loss, and die-hards speak about team successes in first person and failures in third person. Shared fandom also provides a sense of connection, whether it be with friends who follow the same team or via strangers bonding at a game, and all humans have a need for connectedness.<\/p>\n
A Super Bowl win, the pinnacle of the sport, can bring a city together and give fans a personal sense of pride and satisfaction. Conversely, when a team has a particularly disappointing season or loses in the playoffs, it can feel like a gut punch.<\/p>\n
Stacker<\/a> compiled a list featuring the Houston Texans seasons that most exceeded expectations since 2000 using data from Pro Football Reference<\/a>. Each season was selected based on the number of wins by which the team overperformed its preseason over\/under for that season. Ties were broken via the highest preseason over\/under.<\/p>\n – Preseason over\/under: 8.5 wins<\/p>\n – Season record: 10-6 (1.5 games over)<\/p>\n