Texans' Playoff Odds Drop Following Blowout Loss to Browns
It was not a Merry Christmas Eve for the Houston Texans on Sunday, dropping a 36-22 game to the Cleveland Browns and seeing their playoff odds suffer as a result.
According to the playoff picture available on NFL.com, the Texans still hold the No. 8 spot in the AFC, just one spot outside of the postseason field, but their odds to make the playoffs have now dropped to 40 percent in the midst of an injury-riddled month of December.
Of course, this number comes before the "Monday Night Football" triple-header set to be played on Christmas Day, but the point remains the same: Sunday's loss hurt the Texans, and it could come back to haunt them in a couple of weeks.
Houston's fortunes have largely been influenced by a flurry of injuries in recent weeks, including huge names like quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson.
Texans' Injuries Loom Large in Final Stretch of Regular Season
Multiple Texans were held out of Sunday's game due to injury, and they also lost defensive end Jonathan Greenard and defensive backs Jimmie Ward and Steven Nelson early in the loss to Cleveland.
The Texans will next take the field on New Year's Eve when they play host to the Tennessee Titans. Kickoff on Sunday is set for 12 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised on FOX.