2023 Houston Texans season | |
---|---|
Owner | Janice and D. Cal McNair |
General manager | Nick Caserio |
Head coach | DeMeco Ryans |
Offensive coordinator | Bobby Slowik |
Defensive coordinator | Matt Burke |
Home field | NRG Stadium |
Results | |
Record | 10–7 |
Division place | 1st AFC South |
Playoff finish | Won Wild Card Playoffs (vs. Browns) 45–14 Lost Divisional Playoffs (at Ravens) 10–34 |
Pro Bowlers | |
Uniform | |
![]() | |
The 2023 season was the Houston Texans' 22nd season in the National Football League (NFL) and the first under head coach DeMeco Ryans. While the team went into the season with low expectations as a rebuilding period and started 0–2, they not only improved on their 3–13–1 record from last year with a Week 9 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,[2] but the Texans qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2019 with a win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 18, ending with a 10–7 record. After the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Tennessee Titans the day after, the Texans also clinched the AFC South for the first time since 2019. The Texans became the fifth team in NFL history to make the playoffs with both a rookie quarterback and a rookie head coach, as well as making history as the first team in NFL history to win a division entirely with a rookie head coach and rookie quarterback.[3][nb 1]
In the Wild Card round of the playoffs, the Texans blew out the Cleveland Browns with a 45–14 win.[4] The team’s season would officially come to an end when they would lose to the one-seed Baltimore Ravens 34–10 in the Divisional round, preventing them from making their first AFC Championship appearance in franchise history.
On January 8, the Texans fired Lovie Smith after just one rebuilding season as the head coach with a record of 3–13–1.[5] On January 31, the Texans hired San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator and former player DeMeco Ryans as their new head coach.[6]
Main article: 2023 NFL draft |
Draft trades and notes
Name | Position | College | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Jake Bates | K | Arkansas | [22] |
Tyler Beach | G/T | Wisconsin | [23] |
Joe Doyle | P | Memphis | |
Dylan Deatherage | T | Western Michigan | |
Ali Gaye | DE | LSU | |
Darius Joyner | S | Duke | |
Jesse Matthews | WR | San Diego State | |
Xazavian Valladay | RB | Arizona State | |
Jared Wayne | WR | Pittsburgh | |
Kilian Zierer | T | Auburn |
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
|
Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
|
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 10 | at New England Patriots | W 20–9 | 1–0 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
2 | August 19 | Miami Dolphins | L 3–28 | 1–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
3 | August 27 | at New Orleans Saints | W 17–13 | 2–1 | Caesars Superdome | Recap |
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 10 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 9–25 | 0–1 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 17 | Indianapolis Colts | L 20–31 | 0–2 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
3 | September 24 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 37–17 | 1–2 | EverBank Stadium | Recap |
4 | October 1 | Pittsburgh Steelers | W 30–6 | 2–2 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
5 | October 8 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 19–21 | 2–3 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
6 | October 15 | New Orleans Saints | W 20–13 | 3–3 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
7 | Bye | |||||
8 | October 29 | at Carolina Panthers | L 13–15 | 3–4 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 5 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 39–37 | 4–4 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
10 | November 12 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 30–27 | 5–4 | Paycor Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 19 | Arizona Cardinals | W 21–16 | 6–4 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
12 | November 26 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 21–24 | 6–5 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
13 | December 3 | Denver Broncos | W 22–17 | 7–5 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
14 | December 10 | at New York Jets | L 6–30 | 7–6 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
15 | December 17 | at Tennessee Titans | W 19–16 (OT) | 8–6 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
16 | December 24 | Cleveland Browns | L 22–36 | 8–7 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
17 | December 31 | Tennessee Titans | W 26–3 | 9–7 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
18 | January 6 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 23–19 | 10–7 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
Ravens | 7 | 0 | 15 | 3 | 25 |
at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 14 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 31 |
Texans | 7 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 20 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 7 | 10 | 7 | 13 | 37 |
Jaguars | 0 | 0 | 10 | 7 | 17 |
at EverBank Stadium, Jacksonville, Florida
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Steelers | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Texans | 10 | 6 | 0 | 14 | 30 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
For the second straight week, the Texans had back-to-back upset victories, and improved to 2-2. Former defensive end J.J. Watt was inducted to the Houston Texans Ring of Honor during halftime. Coincidentally, his brother T.J was playing in this game, though for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 3 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
Falcons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 21 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Saints | 7 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
Texans | 7 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
With the win, the Texans improved to 3–3 and matched their win total from the previous season.
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
Panthers | 0 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 15 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Buccaneers | 10 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 37 |
Texans | 7 | 3 | 12 | 17 | 39 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Placekicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn exited the game at halftime with a quad injury. Running back Dare Ogunbowale handled kickoffs for the Texans during the second half.[24]
Quarterback C.J. Stroud sets the NFL single-game record for passing yards by a rookie with 470 passing yards, surpassing the record set by Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck.[25] Despite the Buccaneers taking a 4-point lead with just 46 seconds left, CJ Stroud marched 75 yards down the field to score the game-winning touchdown.[26]
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 30 |
Bengals | 7 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 27 |
at Paycor Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cardinals | 10 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 16 |
Texans | 7 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jaguars | 3 | 10 | 8 | 3 | 24 |
Texans | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Broncos | 0 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
Texans | 10 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 22 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Jets | 0 | 0 | 14 | 16 | 30 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 0 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 19 |
Titans | 6 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 16 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Browns | 7 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 36 |
Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 15 | 22 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Titans | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Texans | 3 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 26 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 23 |
Colts | 3 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 19 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Down 6, the Colts drove the ball to the Houston 15 yard line before failing to convert on 4th and 1 with 1:06 remaining thus sealing the game for the Texans. With the win, the Texans clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2019 and finished the regular season with a record of 10–7. The 10 wins also broke the franchise record for most wins in a season by a first-year head coach. The following day, the Jacksonville Jaguars lost to the Tennessee Titans; as a result of the Jaguars' loss, the Texans won the AFC South.
AFC South | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) Houston Texans | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 4–2 | 7–5 | 377 | 353 | W2 |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 377 | 371 | L1 |
Indianapolis Colts | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 396 | 415 | L1 |
Tennessee Titans | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 305 | 367 | W1 |
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 13 | 4 | 0 | .765 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .543 | .529 | L1 |
2[a][b] | Buffalo Bills | East | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .471 | .471 | W5 |
3[a] | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .481 | .428 | W2 |
4 | Houston Texans | South | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .474 | .465 | W2 |
Wild cards | |||||||||||
5[c] | Cleveland Browns | North | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .536 | .513 | L1 |
6[b][c] | Miami Dolphins | East | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .450 | .358 | L2 |
7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 10 | 7 | 0 | .588 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .540 | .571 | W3 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
8[d] | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .574 | .536 | W1 |
9[d][e] | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .533 | .477 | L1 |
10[e] | Indianapolis Colts | South | 9 | 8 | 0 | .529 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .491 | .444 | L1 |
11[f] | Las Vegas Raiders | West | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .488 | .426 | W1 |
12[f] | Denver Broncos | West | 8 | 9 | 0 | .471 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .488 | .485 | L1 |
13 | New York Jets | East | 7 | 10 | 0 | .412 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .502 | .454 | W1 |
14 | Tennessee Titans | South | 6 | 11 | 0 | .353 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .522 | .422 | W1 |
15 | Los Angeles Chargers | West | 5 | 12 | 0 | .294 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .529 | .388 | L5 |
16 | New England Patriots | East | 4 | 13 | 0 | .235 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .522 | .529 | L2 |
Tiebreakers[g] | |||||||||||
|
See also: 2023–24 NFL playoffs |
Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wild Card | January 13 | Cleveland Browns (5) | W 45–14 | 1–0 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
Divisional | January 20 | at Baltimore Ravens (1) | L 10–34 | 1–1 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap |
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Browns | 7 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
Texans | 10 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|
Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
Ravens | 3 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 34 |
at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
Game information | ||
---|---|---|
|