The Houston Texans schedule was released on Thursday, and though the opening slate of games is tough, there are a few “easy” games scheduled too for the 2020 season.
Nobody is predicting a perfect 16-0 regular season when looking at the Houston Texans schedule for 2020. Even after being scheduled to start the season with a road game against the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, followed by a Week 2 game against the Baltimore Ravens, there is hope because the Texans schedule does have some winnable games listed.
Yes, the Texans are capable of defeating any of the teams on their schedule, as they proved that last season when they were underdogs in the regular season and gained wins against Kansas City and the New England Patriots. This year they can accomplish that feat again, and who knows, maybe they can be more competitive when they face the Ravens in Week 2 in comparison to last year.
Now back to the “easiest games” on the Texans schedule for the 2020 season. Though none of the games are going to be handed on a silver platter to Houston, there is a feeling on some of the scheduled games where the Texans are the better team.
Next are the “5 easiest games” on the Texans schedule for this upcoming season.
5. Texans Schedule 2020: Week 10 at Cleveland Browns (Nov. 15)
This isn’t saying the Cleveland Browns will be a breeze in 2020, but as of this writing the players as a whole on this roster haven’t lived up to the hype they all had built for them last season. Cleveland hired a new head coach this offseason, they’ve made some changes on the roster, but until this franchise proves they are a better team on the field they will be on this list.
The Texans are also facing the Browns after coming off a game against the Jaguars, which could help them as Jacksonville is still rebuilding their roster. Not only that, but two weeks before this game with Cleveland was the Texans’ bye week, so that three-week stretch after a challenging start to the season is a pretty good spot on the Texans schedule for this team to gain some victories.
In comparison for quarterback play for Houston and Cleveland, the Texans have the advantage with Deshaun Watson over Baker Mayfield, and there is no debate about that. Quarterback play will be the deciding factor in this game compared to everything else this game has to offer.
4. Texans Schedule 2020: Week 14 at Chicago Bears (Dec. 13)
Maybe the Bears aren’t getting the proper respect here, but just like with the aforementioned Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Bears are one of those teams where it is tough to realize they had such a poor performance last season.
The quarterback issues with Mitchell Trubisky have set the Bears franchise back a bit, but all-around with Chicago they just never play up to their potential, and it shows in the overall record year after year. The Bears even went out and traded for Nick Foles this offseason to likely be their new starting quarterback, but the Texans are familiar with him as he played for the Jaguars last season.
Remember, the Bears passed on current Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson when they selected Trubisky with the second overall pick back in 2017, and though that decision hasn’t worked out so well for “Da Bears,” the Texans should send Chicago a Christmas card every December for making that decision.
The Bears do have Allen Robinson at wide receiver and we all know about Khalil Mack at linebacker for Chicago, but overall in terms of team vs. team, if Houston plays up to their talent level — especially on offense with receivers like Will Fuller, Randall Cobb, Kenny Stills and Brandin Cooks — the Texans should be able to mark a “W” in the final result of this Week 14 game.
3. Texans Schedule 2020: Week 16 vs. Cincinnati Bengals (Dec. 27)
Getting to face a rookie quarterback late in the season could be a trap for the Houston Texans or a blessing depending on the development of No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow once Week 16 arrives. Hopefully by this point of the season, the Texans know what they need to do as a franchise to reach the playoffs if they are still in the race to do so.
The Texans by this point will know what their team is made of, and in facing a team like Cincinnati — who had the worst record in the league last season — the visitors most likely won’t be battling for a playoff spot as they are in a division with the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Texans overall have a more complete roster compared to the Bengals, but the wild card in this game will be how Burrow has meshed with his new teammates, especially with A.J. Green and rookie Tee Higgins.
Also the Texans will get to face old teammate D.J. Reader, so that will be fun to see where the nose tackle stands with his new team late into the season, though most likely Reader will be having a productive season if he’s healthy and on the field.
If all is good for the Texans health-wise entering this game, the defensive front seven should win the battles on the line of scrimmage, and that will affect everything else in this game. Even late in the season, if the Texans can disrupt Burrow, that will be the key for the Texans to win this game.
2. Texans Schedule 2020: Week 12 at Detroit Lions (Nov. 26)
On paper, it should be a happy Thanksgiving for Houston as the Texans schedule says they will be at Ford Field to face the Detroit Lions in Week 12 of the season. Even with this game being after just four days’ rest (Houston plays the New England Patriots the week before), this game could be a nice landing spot for one of their “easier” wins compared to some of the other teams on this schedule.
Being on short rest, Houston will have to control the clock in this game and have positive drives early on so the pressure isn’t on them late in the game. The secondary of the Texans will be key for the Texans in this contest because stopping Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola will be the toughest part of this game because all three are quality players with some veteran experience, especially the latter two players named.
There is also Matthew Stafford at quarterback, but again, in comparison to Deshaun Watson, the Texans hold the upper hand there. At running back, by the time this Week 12 game arrives, if David Johnson is a productive running back, that will send the Texans to a victory in this game, as the Lions’ defense allowed 115.9 yards per game rushing this past season.
1. Texans Schedule 2020: Week 9 at Jacksonville Jaguars (Nov. 8)
This game is set up perfectly for the Houston Texans as they will be coming off their bye week and going on the road to take on an opponent they’ve faced just a few weeks prior. There will be no excuse the Texans can give if they don’t leave Jacksonville with a win that will be acceptable, unless it involves Deshaun Watson missing the team plane.
The Texans have an opportunity to show they can dominate teams when they have the opportunity in front of them here with this game against the Jaguars. Granted, the Jaguars had a very nice draft, and this meeting won’t always be “easy,” but for the ’20 Texans schedule, compared to many of the other opponents on the schedule, this is one of the easier games for the Texans.
This is a part of a stretch of games that are very winnable for the Texans, and if the Texans can come out of the early part of the season with a quality win — and still close to or ahead of their rivals in the AFC South — Houston will have the proper motivation to accomplish a victory in this Week 9 game.
Hopefully it will be to stay in the top spot of the division, but that scenario is looking a bit too far into the future. All of this is in fun as we wait for the 2020 NFL season. No game is easy in the NFL, but looking at the Texans schedule, some games are more winnable than others, at least before kickoff.*