Tougher Matchups, Including NFL First, Highlight Houston Texans’ 2024 Schedule

SAN ANTONIO – It wasn’t that long ago – just over a year – when the Houston Texans were one of the National Football League’s favorite punching bags.

They apparently went through players faster than the average length of an NFL career (3.3 years) and did the same with front office personnel. Even the head coaches got a tap on the shoulder sooner than anyone could have imagined.

Perhaps the most quintessential Houston Texans moment came in the 2022 finale against the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans, firmly in control of the No. 1 pick with one more loss to their division rivals, refused to lose. They put together a come-from-behind fourth-quarter victory that stunned NFL Draft prognosticators and gave head coach Lovie Smith the last laugh on the way out.

Since then, Houston has undergone a radical transformation. The Texans pulled off a risky trade to select two franchise cornerstones in the 2023 NFL Draft. Houston improved to the point where it won another road season finale nine months later in Indianapolis. This time, it allowed the Texans to win the AFC South division title.

A year after playing its first 16 games of 2023 at noon every Sunday, Houston looks set to arrive as a franchise with four prime-time games in 2024.

The NFL announced the regular season schedule for its 32 teams on Wednesday evening. Let’s take an unscientific look at the Texans’ 17 games.

Week 1 – Sunday, September 8 at Indianapolis, noon, CBS

Clearly, the NFL is out of ideas. All he can do is schedule the Texans and Colts in Indianapolis to start or end a season.

With Texans quarterback CJ Stroud on his way to stardom, it will be a test to see where Indianapolis quarterback Anthony Richardson stands after missing much of his rookie season due to injury. injury.

Week 2 – Sunday, September 15 vs. Chicago, 7:20 p.m., NBC

The Texans will step under the bright lights of NBC’s Sunday Night Football for the first time since the 2019 season when they beat the New England Patriots led by Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. To give you an idea of ​​how long this has been going on, Belichick has since left the Patriots and Brady has strangely volunteered to get roasted by professional comedians.

2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams will also attempt something no Chicago Bears quarterback has ever done: lead the Bears to victory.

Week 3 – Sunday, September 22 at Minnesota, noon, CBS

Houston made several waves in free agency this offseason, including the signing of passer Danielle Hunter. Hunter, who attended Morton Ranch High School in nearby Katy, spent his entire nine-year NFL career with Minnesota. Maybe he’ll have this game circled on his personal calendar. Who knows?

Week 4 – Sunday, September 29 vs. Jacksonville, noon, CBS

Sometimes life isn’t fair in the NFL. Few teams understand that feeling better than the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Once September is over, the Jaguars will have played three of their first four games this season on the road at Miami, Buffalo and Houston – all 2023 playoff teams.

Even worse, only two of Jacksonville’s first seven games will be in Jacksonville.

Week 5 – Sunday, October 6 vs. Buffalo, noon, CBS

New Texans wide receiver Stefon Diggs is probably looking forward to a big game against Buffalo, one of his two former teams.

Let’s hope he doesn’t get lost on the way to NRG Stadium.

Week 6 – Sunday, October 13 in New England, noon, CBS

Houston will get its first look at a New England team without Bill Belichick for the first time this century. Belichick’s replacement is Jerod Mayo, a former Patriots linebacker who became an assistant coach under Belichick before his promotion to the top job.

Week 7 – Sunday, October 20 at Green Bay, noon, CBS

It appears the Packers had another stroke of luck with their latest starting quarterback.

Jordan Love engineered a three-game winning streak to end the 2023 regular season and deliver Green Bay an NFC Wild Card playoff berth. Love and the Pack shocked the Cowboys with a victory in the Wild Card round and lost to the San Francisco 49ers, the eventual NFC champion, by three points in the second round.

Week 8 – Sunday, October 27 vs. Indianapolis, noon, CBS

The Texans’ home game on October 27 against the Colts will be a first in team history. Houston will celebrate former wide receiver Andre Johnson, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame later this summer.

Johnson is the first Texans draft pick to get the call from the room.

Week 9 – Thursday October 31 at New York Jets, 7:15 p.m., Amazon Prime Video

Last season, the Texans’ offense never really got going against the Jets, resulting in a 30-6 score that also forced Stroud to leave the game late with a concussion.

Nothing would be scarier than another effort caught off guard against New York. Halloween night, of all nights.

Week 10 – Sunday, November 10 vs. Detroit, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Houston and Detroit facing off on Sunday Night Football is yet another sign of the times. Both franchises have long been known for losing, not winning. One way or another, the Lions are on a bigger climb than the Texans.

The Lions are coming off a season that held them to halftime of a rematch with the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl after blowing a 24-7 halftime lead to the 49ers in the game in NFC championship.

Plus, quarterback Jared Goff has become an even richer man.

Week 11 – Monday, November 18 at Dallas, 7:15 p.m., ESPN

If Texans-Cowboys is anything like last year’s seven-game American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, then we could be in for some fireworks.

Some in the state might feel conflicted about choosing a side in this Lone Star rivalry. Let die-hard football fan Hank Hill be your emotional guide.

Week 12 – Sunday, November 24 vs. Tennessee Titans, noon, CBS

The Texans, Titans and NFL reached a “compromise” last month regarding Houston’s desire to use Columbia Blue, a long-standing part of Tennessee’s color scheme dating back to the franchise’s days under the name of the Houston Oilers.

Of course, Houstonians of a certain age don’t need another reason to boo the Titans.

Week 13 – Sunday, December 1 at Jacksonville, noon, Fox

The Jaguars, Europe’s favorite NFL team, seemed to control the AFC South just a few years ago. Jacksonville is just 17-16 over its last two regular seasons as quarterback Trevor Lawrence enters the fourth year of his five-year rookie contract.

Week 15 – Sunday, December 15 vs. Miami, noon, CBS

The Dolphins and Texans will be billed as a matchup with two dynamic quarterbacks, Stroud and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa, who have plenty of offensive weapons.

Some of the names in this game include a treasure trove of household names, consistent performers, and emerging stars: Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, Odell Beckham Jr., Joe Mixon, Raheem Mostert, Tank Dell, De’Von Achane.

Both defenses will need to stay hydrated in this one.

Week 16 – Saturday, December 21 in Kansas City, noon, NBC

This will be Houston’s biggest test of the season. He will face the defending Super Bowl champions in one of the NFL’s loudest stadiums, in conditions that could be wintry by the end of December.

The Texans, located in a warmer city in an even warmer temperature-controlled domed stadium, will need all the cold-weather practice they can get.

Week 17 – Wednesday, December 25 vs. Baltimore, 3:30 p.m., Netflix

Houston will be part of a defining day in NFL history. The league announced that streaming service Netflix will broadcast live NFL games on Christmas Day for the first time ever, which this year includes Texans-Ravens and Chiefs-Steelers.

It doesn’t get much better than Stroud facing two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.

Week 18 — Tennesee Titans date, time and TV designation TBD

The Titans are going through an obvious rebuild after parting ways with former head coach Mike Vrabel, quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry.

There is a likely scenario in which the Texans could lose this game: they have locked up the division and a high seed in the playoffs.