The Houston Texans clinched their playoff area in Week 16 as winners of the AFC South. They got in the AFC playoff bracket as the lowest-ranked department winner and the No. 4 seed.
Now, after beating the Los Angeles Chargers to open Wild Card Weekend, what's next for this team? Let's analyze the Texans' playoff situations and possible Divisional Round challengers before identifying what courses might lead them to host the AFC Championship Game.
Dive into Pro Football Network's FREE Mock Draft Simulator and run a mock on your own or with your buddies! What Are the Houston Texans' Playoff Scenarios?
After winning on Wild Card Weekend, Houston has a wide variety of prospective challengers in the Divisional Round. The Texans might deal with any of 4 groups, with just the Denver Broncos not being a possible result for them.
For all of the situations described in this post, the secret is that the NFL reseeds its groups after every round. When each round of video games is over, the most affordable staying seed is paired to deal with the greatest staying seed, and the greater seed in every match hosts the video game.
Based upon PFN's win possibilities, the Texans' more than likely challenger is the Kansas City Chiefs. With the No. 2 seed Buffalo Bills preferred to win and No. 3 seed Baltimore Ravens winning on Saturday, Houston would be the most affordable staying seed in the AFC and head to Arrowhead.
There is a 45.2% possibility that the Texans play their Divisional Round video game in Kansas City. The next probably result based upon our win likelihoods is a 26.3% possibility of playing in Baltimore and a video game in Buffalo at 18.0%.
MORE: NFL Playoff Bracket: Divisional Round Schedule, Playoff Seeds, Matchups
For the Texans to head to Baltimore, the Denver Broncos would require to disturb the Bills on the roadway. That would send out the No. 7 seed Broncos to Kansas City, with Houston going to Baltimore for a rematch of its Christmas Day mauling by the Ravens.
The Texans have no possibility of hosting a championship game in the Divisional Round now that the Ravens beat the Steelers in the Wild Card Round.
Could the Texans Host the AFC Championship Game?
There are a couple of courses that might see the Texans hosting the AFC Championship Game. All of them need aid from the Chiefs Bills, and Ravens. Given that the Ravens won on Saturday, if the Bills win in Wild Card Weekend, then the Texans would be the most affordable staying seed and would not have the ability to host the AFC Championship Game.
Houston requires Denver to win. The Broncos require to go into Arrowhead and beat the ruling Super Bowl champs.
The Texans would require to then win their Divisional Round video game, most likely relying on their seventh-ranked defense by PFN's Defense+ metric. This would leave them as the greatest staying seed in the AFC.
