Although the magic number for the Houston Texans to clinch a third straight Playoff berth remains at 1, four Texans have already ensured their inclusion in the postseason, so to speak.
On Tuesday morning, the NFL revealed the starters for the 2026 Pro Bowl, and among the many great players who earned the distinction this year -- and for the record, I understand that this distinction is ceremonial more than anything else, but still, it remains a decent characterization of who mattered in a given season -- were four members of the Houston Texans: Will Anderson Jr., Nico Collins, Derek Stingley Jr. and Azeez Al-Shaair.
Additionally, three Texans were named alternates for the event, which is now headlined by a flag football game: Jalen Pitre, Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock.
Rather than diving deep into analysis of whether each of these players were deserving of this distinction -- for my money, they were, and frankly, I believe you could've made a compelling case that Pitre, Lassiter, and Bullock could've all been named starters, but I digress -- instead, I'd rather use this space to simply recognize each of these players' seasons.
Will Anderson Jr. (2nd Pro Bowl appearance)
-45 tackles, 17 tackles for loss (5th in NFL), 11.5 sacks (7th in NFL), 22 QB hits, 3 forced fumbles (5th in NFL), 2 fumble recoveries, 1 defensive touchdown, 91.9 PFF Grade (3rd among 112 qualified edge defenders)
Nico Collins (2nd Pro Bowl appearance)
-68 receptions, 1,060 receiving yards (7th in NFL), 6 receiving touchdowns, 86.6 PFF Grade (7th among 131 qualified wide receivers)
Derek Stingley Jr. (2nd Pro Bowl appearance)
-32 tackles, 4 interceptions (6th in NFL), 13 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 44.3% completion percentage allowed, 50.0 passer rating allowed, 1 defensive touchdown, 68.5 PFF Grade (28th among 112 qualified cornerbacks)
Azeez Al-Shaair (1st Pro Bowl appearance)
-96 tackles, 1 interception, 8 passes defended, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 70.3 PFF Grade (30th among 86 qualified linebackers)
Kamari Lassiter
-85 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions (6th in NFL), 16 passes defended (5th in NFL), 58.4% completion percentage allowed, 79.6 passer rating allowed, 76.5 PFF Grade (10th among 112 qualified cornerbacks)
Jalen Pitre
-66 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 interceptions (6th in NFL), 11 passes defended, 66.7% completion percentage allowed, 54.9 passer rating allowed, 87.4 PFF Grade (2nd among 100 qualified safeties)
Calen Bullock
-60 tackles, 4 interceptions (6th in NFL), 9 passes defended, 51.7% completion percentage allowed, 72.6 passer rating allowed, 68.2 PFF Grade (36th among 100 qualified safeties)