Houston Texans' Playoff Tiebreakers, Scenarios Following Week 14
The Houston Texans are still gunning for a playoff berth this season, even after a lackluster showing on the road against the New York Jets on Sunday.
The Texans (7-6) fell to the Jets 30-6 in Week 14, and as injuries pile up with key playmakers, that impacted their standing in the AFC playoff picture. Following this week's NFL action, Houston is currently the first team out of the wild card race in the AFC, coming in behind the Indianapolis Colts who hold the No. 7 seed.
As the calendar turns to Week 15 of the season, Houston owns the conference record tiebreaker over the Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, and Denver Broncos, but the division-rival Colts hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Texans, giving them the nod at the seventh seed.
Also of note (although they lost as well on Sunday) is that the Jacksonville Jaguars currently hold the lead in the AFC South with an 8-5 record and are currently slotted at the No. 4 seed, if the season ended today. You can see the current top seven seeds in the AFC below.
Houston Texans QB C.J. Stroud.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
1. Baltimore Ravens (10-3)
2. Miami Dolphins (9-4)
3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-5)
4. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5)
5. Cleveland Browns (8-5)
6. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6)
7. Indianapolis Colts (7-6)
The Texans have multiple opportunities to improve their standing in the playoff hunt in the coming weeks. Houston is set to travel to face the divisional-foe Tennessee Titans on Sunday before returning home to host the Cleveland Browns. It will then play host to those same Titans the following week before a massive showdown in Indianapolis against the Colts to conclude the regular season.
Kickoff on Sunday between Houston and Tennessee is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on CBS.
