Houston has sole possession of the 8th spot in the AFC South… just one game out of the playoffs. Even with the four-game winning streak, they’re on the outside looking in and need to win at least three, if not four games to keep their season going. With that, I asked the other Battle Red Blog writers their thoughts on which game holds the most weight remaining this season.

**According to ESPN, the Houston Texans have a 59% chance to make the playoffs. With five games to go, which matchup do you believe is the biggest “must win” to end...

I know I’m stepping on some toes here. We have a weekly feature where we look at the performance of the Iowa State rookie receivers. It isn’t my intention to overstep here, but I thought I would take a moment to look at the history of the Texans. The franchise is in it’s 24th season and as such there are certain positions where we have had more success than others. The current crop of defensive ends have to contend with the shadow of the legacies of both J.J. Watt and Mario Williams. However, there is probably no position with a...

Seems awfully early to have a must-win game, but that’s exactly where the Houston Texans find themselves this week.

Only 7 teams from each conference make the post season. The Texans are currently 8th in line. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are 9th.

If you’ve been paying attention to H-Town pro ball at all over the last decade, you know the Chiefs have ruined Houston’s playoff hopes more than once. In memory-searing, painful ways. In fact, the Texans haven’t beaten them since 2019.

Thankfully for all of us, the 2025 Texans are built different. This isn’t Bill O’Brien’s...

The Texans are currently one of the hottest teams in the NFL, and are now set to face the Chiefs in Kansas City. This is arguably the biggest game of the season for the Texans so far, and have the ability to stop quarterback Patrick Mahomes from getting into the playoffs, which would make their journey to the Super Bowl that much easier.

Houston has had great games with Kansas City throughout the past few years, but have not won since the Deshaun Watson era in 2019. The Texans will be ready for this matchup, and the whole league will...

THE. TEXANS. ARE. BACK!!!!

At one moment a little over a month ago, the world seemed to be imploding around the Houston Texans. During and immediately after the heart-wrenching loss to the Denver Broncos, several of the Texans’ impact players showed up on the injury report. Quarterback CJ Stroud and safety Jalen Pitre suffered concussion injuries that would force each of them to miss three games, two of Houston’s best offensive linemen, Ed Ingram and Tytus Howard, missed playing time of their own, and the team’s most underrated scorer, kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn, also wound up on the injury report and...

The Houston Texans have won four straight games but still can’t sniff the playoffs due to a competitive AFC race. While their chances to make the playoffs haven’t budged since last week’s article, their likelihood to win the division has never been higher. The leaders in the division, Indianapolis and Jacksonville, face off this week for the outright lead.

The knife’s blade that is the playoff race got even more sharp this week as seven of the top 10 teams remaining won. Realistically, Houston can only afford to lose one more game and confidently make the playoffs. The Texans face...

After opening the season with three straight losses, Houston has ripped off seven wins in their last nine outings and is suddenly charging toward the postseason.

Most teams that start 0–3 don’t have the talent, composure, or resilience to claw back into contention. Houston is the exception — and that starts with their defense.

The Texans have the league’s best unit, and they’re the reason this season remains alive. They’re fast, physical, and disciplined at every level, turning every matchup into a winnable one as long as the offense holds up their end of the bargain.

Houston’s playoff hopes appeared...

At 7-5 and currently out of the postseason, the Texans have little margin to work with.

According to ESPN, they hold a 52% chance to get into the playoffs after their win against the then-division leading Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. Houston’s ascension up the AFC playoff polls has been remarkable even if offense lacks the same conviction.

Even with the win against Indianapolis, Houston’s playoff hopes didn’t budge from since last week due to every wild card team winning last week. Plus, Jacksonville’s stalwart refusal to go back to their den at the bottom of the AFC makes Houston’s chance...

Key to the Game: The Upright: Weather was not a factor inside Lucas Oil Stadium. Yet, kicks still hit the upright. In particular, the upright played a major role in two XP attempts, which altered the strategic direction of the game. First, in the 2nd quarter, Colts PK Michael Badgley doinked the XP off the left upright after a Jones-to-Pierce TD pass, giving the Colts a 6-3 lead vs.7-3. In the 4th quarter, the Texans, after a Nico Collins rushing TD, lined up for their XP attempt. Fairbairn hit it high and left. It went so high that it went...

To finish off the week, we have one of the most lopsided matchups on the MNF docket possibly all season, if you go by the record, that is. It’s a rematch (not really) of two previous Super Bowl clashes, both of which ended spectacularly well (the Patriots lost). But we shouldn’t live in the past. That’s unhealthy and we need to form good habits; like getting mad at inanimate objects when your team does poorly (looking at you, back-to-back-to-back penalties in a single drive in yesterday’s game).

But I digress. Boy, do I digress.

Here’s what you need to know...

Another week and another improbable Texans victory. If you had told the fan base that the Texans would be 7-5 at this point in the season at the beginning of the year, it would have made a ton of sense. This has been a 10-7 football team two years in a row and 7-5 points to 10-7 when you look at the remaining schedule. Obviously, there is an outside chance of 9-8 or 11-6 but I think everyone knows the score at this point.

When you look at how the Texans have done it then it doesn’t make a ton...

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The Houston Texans are now riding high as one of the AFC’s most feared teams after their upset victory in Indianapolis against the Colts. Now standing at 7-5, the Houston Texans have now won four straight against AFC opponents, yet will receive no reprieve in their sprint to the playoffs, as a visit to Arrowhead Stadium to face the Kansas City Chiefs is next up. Both teams are currently on the outside of the playoff picture as of Week 13, but since they’re only just barely on the outside, this upcoming matchup between the...