Losses From AFC South Rivals Keep Texans Afloat in Playoff Race

The Houston Texans got blown out on Sunday by the Cleveland Browns, but remain alive in the AFC South division race.

Matt Galatzan | Dec 25, 2023

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Following their blowout loss to the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the Houston Texans fell to 8-7 and put themselves into a precarious position in terms of a postseason spot.

Fortunately for Houston, they got some help from their AFC South division rival Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars, both of whom followed suit and lost their own games - in blowout fashion no less.

The Colts fell 29-10 to a bad Atlanta team, while the Jaguars were likewise crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-12.

And with all three teams falling and now sitting at 8-7, the divisional picture remains largely the same, with the Jaguars, Texans, and Colts all tied for first place, and the Titans bringing up the rear at 5-10.

Jacksonville owns the tie-breakers over both Houston and Indianapolis as well, due to their 2-0 record vs. the Colts, and their superior division record over the Texans, meaning that it will remain the team to beat in the division for yet another week.

The Jags seem to have the edge in the remaining schedule as well, facing the lowly 2-13 Panthers in Week 17 and the 5-10 Titans in Nashville in Week 18 to round out the season.

Meanwhile, the Colts will take on the Raiders and the Texans take on the Titans in Week 17, before the two face off in what could end up being a win-or-go-home game in Indianapolis.

Texans' Playoff Odds Drop Following Blowout Loss to Browns

With all of that said, what is the simplest path to the AFC South title and a playoff spot for Houston? Win out and hope for a Jacksonville loss vs. either Carolina or Tennessee - the two of which have a combined 7-23 record.

The good news for Houston, however, is that the Jaguars have not been playing their best football as of late, having dropped four straight games and five of their last seven.

They will also likely be getting their star rookie QB C.J. Stroud back next week vs. Tennessee, which would be a huge boost to an offense that struggled big time over the last couple of weeks.

But for now, all they can do is take care of business, and hope that the Jaguars continue to stumble and give them an opportunity to take advantage.

Published Dec 25, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of TexansDaily.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com