The Houston Texans had a great season in 2023, but how great? Well, they took home the AFC South title, secured their first playoff win since 2019 against the Buffalo Bills, and saw two of their rookies take home Rookie of the Year honors. Besides guys like C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson arriving in the league as burgeoning stars, they also have one of the more exciting up-and-coming head coaches in DeMeco Ryans.
He led the team to a major turnaround, which saw a playoff birth, divisional championship, and a 10-win season all in his rookie year. Yet, it wasn't just the successes individually that made the season special; the Texans were one of the best teams in the league.
According to Warren Sharp on Twitter, only nine teams won more games than the Texans in which the team never trailed. The Texans had five, tied with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Minnesota Vikings.
games won without ever trailing:
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 5, 2024
8 - SF, DAL, DET
7 - CLE, BAL
6 - BUF, GB, JAX, MIA
5 - KC, HOU, MIN
4 - LAR, CHI, DEN, LV, PHI, NYG, LAC, CIN
3 - IND, NO
2 - TB, PIT, NE, NYJ
1 - TEN, SEA, ARI, ATL
0 - WAS, CAR
*2023 regular season
The teams that had more were the Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Miami Dolphins, all of who had six. Then you had the Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens who had seven. Three teams had eight; the Dallas Cowboys, the Detroit Lions, and the San Francisco 49ers.
Something to notice, save for the Packers and Jaguars, the best teams in the NFL this upcoming season are some of the biggest heavyweights that the league has to offer. Being among them is proof that the Texans are on the rise.
It was a solid year for the Texans but it'll get better in 2024. That figure of just five games in which Houston never trailed is likely to go up in quantity this coming season. The team added Stefon Diggs and Danielle Hunter; bonafide stars int his league with a lot of talent still in them. The team is also just going to get better as younger players continue to develop and key players like Stroud further mature.
The schedule will be harder this season, that's not in dispute, but the Texans should be as well. The team is looking like they're going to expand on that figure this year. If they're able to further increase their total, then you may also be likely to see this team playing further into the winter as well. There does seem to be a correlation between the teams with the best playoff runs and being able to start hot and stay hot in a game.