Let the game begin!

Every week NFL Communications sends out a handful of emails around the coming weekends games. And, for the most part, every week, they ignore the Houston Texans. They celebrate the “stars” like Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, spotlight the same sad old franchises like the Dallas Cowboys and give lip service to the trendy names.

Meanwhile, the Texans are the hottest team in the NFL, riding on an opponent-pulverizing 10-game win streak. This week, there are only 8 teams still standing, yet somehow the NFL managed to ignore C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Sheldon...

Two days away from the Texans playoff game against the New England Patriots and Houston is on the precipice of making their first AFC Championship game. Is this the team and is this the moment? I asked the writers of Battle Red Blog to provide their predictions for the Divisional Round game.

Kenneth L.: Patriots 24, Texans 20

Am I picking the Texans to lose again? Yes. Am I a home town hater? At this point, maybe.

After C.J. Stroud’s woeful performance and Nico Collins’ concussion, I’m concerned the Texans won’t be able to effectively move...

The Houston Texans handled business last weekend, dismantling the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Wild Card round and setting up a road matchup against the New England Patriots this Sunday afternoon.

C.J. Stroud came out sharp early, but the game started to slip a bit as turnovers crept in — an interception and multiple fumbles that could’ve swung momentum. Even with those mistakes, Houston still cruised to a 24-point win, largely thanks to a dominant defensive performance.

That margin for error won’t exist this week. New England presents a much tougher challenge, and if the Texans continue turning the ball over,...

Now that we’re full-on into the playoffs, it’s time to stop looking in the rearview with our Secret Superstars series, and start looking forward to the next game with Postseason X-Factors. The principle is the same — using game tape and metrics to uncover those hidden gems for every team who are primed to bring their best when their franchises need it the most.

*The Houston Texans present all kinds of hidden gems on the defensive side of the ball, but it’s hard to be more impressed with too many second-year defensive players on any NFL team than safety Calen...

The Houston Texans have done it! After one of the most demoralizing starts to the regular season in recent history, the Texans have fought their way back into the playoffs and have won their first road playoff game in franchise history against the 10-7 Pittsburgh Steelers. With that win, the Texans have sent hall-of-fame QB Aaron Rodgers packing into retirement, sent Steelers’ longtime head coach Mike Tomlin off the podium, and reached the high watermark of every Houston Texans team of the past. That’s right, there has never been a Texans team to reach beyond the divisional round of the...

The Day After the Day After…when the raw, immediate emotions from the aftermath of a game diminish into the realm of clarity and the proverbial (or literal) hangover no longer haunts the mind. With that, a review of Wild Card Weekend:

So, about that defense?: In the “Well, No [KITTEN] Department” Houston’s playoff success would ride on its defensive success. It would take them a couple of drives to settle in, punctuated by allowing two receptions for 42 yards to DK (aka DJ) Metcalf, returning from a two-game suspension. In the 1st two drives, the Texans allowed 88 yards and...

We get another week of football, so we have another opportunity to make some money. Fanduel will keep you in the game for as long as we want to keep playing. Gambling is big business and there are any number of ways to play. If you feel confident in your pick on the game then you can double and triple up on your hunch and win big. Of course, on the flip side, if you are less than confident you can hedge your bets and more or less break even if you mix and match.

In this edition, we look...

How sweet it is. Three seasons under DeMeco Ryans and three times the Texans have won big on Wild Card weekend. This time they finally won on the road as they smothered the Pittsburgh Steelers and almost literally put Aaron Rodgers into a sleeper hold. The final score will say this one was a blowout and the numbers will probably tell the same tale, but it did not feel like a blowout through the first three and a half quarters. It took a series of great defensive plays to take the issue out of doubt.

We will go over the...

The Houston Texans are playing another week of football. It was a familiar script as the Houston Texans offense seemingly ran the ball at will, but inexplicably shot themselves in the foot on several drives. However, that would be burying the lede. It was yet another stellar effort from the Houston Texans defense. They swarmed the Steelers at nearly every turn and sacked Aaron Rodgers four different times until the game was no longer in doubt.

There are always flowers and kudos in these efforts and three different players get theirs on this night. Christian Kirk was a ghost for...

The road for the Texans to make their first Super Bowl begins on the road as this is the first time they’ve gotten to the playoffs as a wild card. Tonight, they enter the Steel City and play T.J. Watt’s AFC North winning (technically) Pittsburgh Steelers.

There are a lot of streaks on the line here.

Steelers have been 0-6 in the playoffs since the 2016 AFC Championship game.
Texans are 0-6 in road playoff games in franchise history.
Pittsburgh has won 23 straight home games on Monday night since 1991.
Houston is riding a nine-game win streak going into...

Houston’s first road Wild Card game in franchise history is upon us. The Texans are bundling up for the game and hopeful playoff run as it will dip just below freezing in Pittsburgh tonight. One of these team’s season will become unbundled; either Houston’s eight-game winning streak will come to an end or Mike Tomlin’s streak of six postseason losses will continue.

I asked the Battle Red Blog writers for their score and predictions for the game. The Steelers faithful blew up our comment section (rightfully so) in the last Groupthink, so be sure provide your predictions in the comment...

The Associated Press just released their first team NFL All-Pro roster for 2025, and two Texans players have made the list:

• DE Will Anderson Jr.
• CB Derek Stingley Jr.

In addition, the Texans also had one more player selected for their second team All-Pro roster:

• DE Danielle Hunter

This is Will Anderson’s first first team All-Pro selection, Derek Stingley’s second first team All-Pro selection (2024), and Danielle Hunter’s second second team All-Pro selection (2018).

These are three of the very best players on Houston’s #1 ranked defense, which has held opposing offenses to an average of just...