Football is ultimately a violent game and players are lost to injury on a regular basis. The Houston Texans lost another good one when defensive tackle Tim Settle was lost for the season with a foot injury that will require surgery. The loss of Settle leaves the Texans a little thinner on the defensive line ahead of the most challenging part of their schedule.

Settle was having the best season of his young career. He had a 71.3 rating according to Pro Football Focus that made him the second highest rated defensive tackle on the Texans roster amongst qualifying defensive...

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Texans fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

Heading into Week 14, we want to know how you’re feeling after watching the team so far this year. Every week of the season we will ask fans if they are confident the team is headed in the right direction and more of the most pressing questions facing the coming game. Let us know what you think by taking the survey,...

Welcome to week 13 of the Cyclone tracker!

This is where we follow our resident weather-themed duo in rookie receivers Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, both out of Iowa State (hence, the “Cyclone” twins).

As always, there will be analysis, projections, commentary, and relevant updates that happen in real time.

Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel statistics vs. Bills

Jayden Higgins

Position: WR

Projected Week 13 storm path: 8.0 targets, 6.5 receptions, 55.5 yards, 1 TD, 12.5 fantasy points

Actual Week 13 path: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 65 yards (13.0 avg.), 0 TDs, 11.5 fantasy pts

**Total stats through Week...

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...