The math is real simple for the Texans when they visit the Indianapolis Colts for the regular-season finale on Saturday night.
Win or go home.
The Texans, arguably the biggest surprise team this season, will not only make the playoffs with a victory, but they could win the AFC South division and host a first-round playoff game at NRG Stadium next weekend. But the latter would require a little help because the Jaguars would have to lose to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.
However it plays out, this has been a triumphant turnaround season for a team to be playing meaningful football at this time of year after winning just three games in 2022 and being led this season by a rookie head coach and a rookie quarterback.
“It means a lot to us, and we’re pleased with where we are,” said first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans, who is a prime candidate for NFL Coach of the Year after the turnaround he is led. “We understand that we didn’t – as our guys said, we didn’t come this far just to get this far. We have a lot to still play for that’s ahead of us. But credit to the guys in the room for putting us in this position.”
It’s a position not many believed the Texans would be in – this soon anyway.
But with an ahead-of-schedule rookie quarterback in C.J. Stroud, the evolution of wide receiver Nico Collins, and an emerging defense, the Texans have put together a winning season in what was supposed to be another rebuilding year. They head into this final week in a four-way tie of 9-7 AFC teams with division foes Jacksonville and Indianapolis along with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Texans, Titans, and Jaguars all control their own playoff destinies with each needing a win to get into the postseason.
“It feels how it feels. I’m a firm believer in trying to be set where my feet are and not look ahead. Tonight, I’m going to enjoy this win and do that, but at the end of the day, I’m back to trying to hopefully win this division. But try to win that game to get in the playoffs. I feel like — I don’t know, man,” Stroud said to the Defender. “It’s hard to put words together because there’s so many special things, special moments, special people that have made this season be special. I’m just blessed to kind of be a part of this and be in the forefront of leading this team. I’m just really blessed, man.”
But the Texans will need to stay blessed for at least one more game. They head into Indianapolis to face a Colts team that beat them 31-20 at NRG Stadium during the second game of the season to begin the year 0-2. But the Texans have grown tremendously as a team.
The exact measure of their growth will be seen Saturday night.
“I think I’ve grown a lot in a lot of different places. I think our team has grown as a whole,” said Stroud, who completed 30 of 47 passes for 384 yards and two touchdowns in the early-season loss to the Colts. “I think we’ve put most of the games together to make our team really stick like glue. We’ve come into a great situation. Now we’re starting to pick up our chemistry better than ever, so it’s like night and day from Week 2 to now.”
