Home-field advantage often makes competing in hostile environments a challenge for supremacy. Victory is achieved by the highest of standards, the resiliency and grit a team shows in unfavorable conditions.
You would think that the schedule for the Houston Texans would be easy, especially after the daunting campaign that was 2022. According to Pro Football Focus that is the case on paper, grading out as the sixth easiest schedule in the league this upcoming season.
"Playing the conference runner-up is never an easy task, but besides that contest – which comes in week 10 – the schedule should give Houston the opportunity to improve on their standing last year. "PFF's Amelia Probst
Despite the appearance of a cakewalk on paper, the reality paints a different picture for the Texans on the road this season. From AFC championship contenders to an early contest with a division foe, the 2023 Texans will certainly have their fair share of challenges.
Which ones are the toughest? What do the Texans have to do in order to emerge victorious?
Here are three of the toughest contests on the road for the Texans in 2023.
Week 3 @ Jacksonville Jaguars
An early challenger to the Texans might, the Jacksonville Jaguars represent a tough road contest for the team earlier in the season. Trevor Lawrence and company are in full swing and will be a tough team to take down as they look to win a second straight AFC South title.
If the AFC South is as wide open as national media seems to suggest, the Texans need to prove it here. For the fans clamoring for a similar turnaround to Jacksonville’s a year prior, they need to prove it here. Sure it’s early in the regular season, but the Texans need to set a tone, and defeating Jacksonville is the optimal way to do so.
The toughest test will be for the Texans' secondary. With the Jaguars adding premier wide receiver Calvin Ridley to their mix of stellar pass catchers, the Texans will certainly be tested early and often in the passing game. Their handling of a barrage of passing attempts will be the telling tale in deciding a victor.
The Texans beat Jacksonville on the road 13-6 last October, can they do it again here? If they can it would be a massive statement early in their quest toward improvement.
Week 10 @ Cincinnati Bengals
As previously mentioned in the opening paragraph, taking on the AFC runner-up in a road contest will be far from easy. On paper, the Cincinnati Bengals have shown no signs of decline.
The biggest shakeup for this Bengals team is in the secondary. With the loss of both starting safeties in Vonn Bell (Carolina Panthers) and Jessie Bates (Atlanta Falcons), it is unknown how the new starters in the back end will perform compared to their predecessors.
On offense, this Bengals team is as potent as ever. Offensive weapons Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase, Tee Higgins, and Joe Mixon still present defenses with an intimidating set of skill players that need a meticulous game plan to overcome. The team also secured improvement along the offensive line with the addition of tackle Orlando Brown Jr.
For the Houston Texans, this contest will be a testament to their cohesiveness as a unit. A complete performance is a must for the Texans to sneak in an upset on the road. Applying early pressure and forcing a Bengals team into sticky situations that they usually don’t find themselves in are keys to squeezing out a tough victory.
On paper, this contest appears to be one-sided toward the Bengals, but don’t count the Texans out just yet. By this point, we will have a nine-week trial to see what these Texans are really made of and if they can improve on finishing tight contests, this may be a better game than most anticipate it to be.
Week 14 @ New York Jets
The Texans matchup with the Bengals is not the only contest against a projected AFC contender. The New York Jets led by future Hall of Famer and four time MVP Aaron Rodgers are a force to be reckoned with on paper.
Already fielding one of the league’s elite defenses, Rodgers brings the Jets offense proven talent at the quarterback position, making this group one of the league’s finest on both sides of the ball. Because of this, the Texans will certainly have their hands full in their Week 14 matchup.
Being so late in the season, injuries can take their toll for both sides and make this contest look vastly different. For the sake of this argument however, it is assumed that both teams would be at full strength heading into their matchup.
With that being the case, the Texans would face a tall task in the Meadowlands, facing off against a rejuvenated Jets club eager for their first significant run since 2010 and a Super Bowl drought that dates back to the days of Joe Namath.
Resiliency, comradere, and a complete team effort are necessary if the Texans are to thwart this rendition of the New York Jets. By this point in the season, we will know everything about what this 2023 Texans team is and will hope that they can find a way to emerge victorious in this contest.
Until that verdict is reached, this matchup projects to be one of their toughest in 2023.