Texans Win Over Browns Improbable, But That's Nothing New

The Houston Texans have come out of nowhere to shock the NFL as a playoff contender.

The Houston Texans went into their Week 15 matchup against the Tennessee Titans without quarterback C.J. Stroud (concussion) and came out with a clutch 19-16 win anyway.

Now in Week 16, with Stroud expected to miss the Texans' home date against the Clevland Browns, they'll be counted out by most and will look to surprise just as they have all season long.

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (86) celebrates receiving a pass against the Tennessee Titans during the fourth quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023 :: Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

And they'll do it by focusing on where they are, in the moment, on that day.

“It’s a great position that we’re in as a team, and it’s a credit to our guys and the work they put in to put us in this position," coach DeMeco Ryans said when asked about keeping his team focused. "We just focus on the moment. Focus on the day. Every man in the room, just focus on continuing to improve their game, continue to do as best as they can for the team and focus on helping the team in any way they can, and those standings and all those things with playoff implications, they’ll take care of themselves if we handle the ball the right way on the field.”

Houston is currently in 8th place in the AFC Playoffs race, one spot outside of the group of seven that gets to play in the postseason. But that's not the whole story.

With an 8-6 record the Texans are tied with both the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts in record while they sit third in the AFC South Division due to tie-breakers.

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Both division rivals are on the road this weekend facing NFC South Division teams that are fighting for their claim to that crown opening the door for Houston to grab first place in its division with a win if those two fall.

All three are underdogs in their respective contests, so a win by the Texans over the Browns would be surprising. But then, rising above low expectations is what this team has done all season.

So what's one more surprise in a year that's been nothing but?