The Houston Texans entered the NFL as an expansion team in 2002. It took them nearly a decade to make it to the playoffs, a task they accomplished for the first time in 2011. They won their first-ever playoff game that same year, defeating the Bengals 31-10.
Overall, the Texans have made it to the playoffs seven times during their franchise history but what's the deepest run they've made? It might surprise some people to know that even though the Texans have had some good teams during their playoff runs, they've never been able to make it past the divisional round.
Houston has made a divisional round appearance in five of their seven playoff appearances (counting the 2024 run) but in their previous four tries, they haven't been able to advance to an AFC Championship Game. Their divisional-round appearances have come in 2011, 2012, 2016, 2019, and now 2023 (these years are for the regular season, not the year in which the playoffs took place).
Texans could set a new playoff record in 2024
If the Texans defeat the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, they could punch their ticket to the franchise's first-ever AFC title game. In the past, the Texans have gotten to the divisional round but just couldn't quite get over the hump. Could this year be different for them?
The most frustrating playoff defeat had to be the 2020 AFC Divisional Round against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Texans were up 24-0 in that game in the first quarter until the Chiefs came roaring back and held a 28-24 lead at the half. The Texans ended up losing 51-31 and the Chiefs went on to win the Super Bowl that year. There were a lot of "What could have been..." thoughts amongst the fans that offseason.
The Texans have a chance to make history this weekend with a victory in Baltimore. Can this team set a new playoff mark for the franchise?