When the shocking news broke that the Denver Broncos, who had literally just eliminated the Buffalo Bills with a 33-30 Divisional Round victory only a few minutes prior, would be without quarterback Bo Nix for the remainder of the playoffs due to a broken ankle, the outlook for both of the other two remaining AFC teams changed.
While we'd be foolish to forget what happened with the 2017 Philadelphia Eagles when Nick Foles stepped in for the injured Carson Wentz, the fact is that the Broncos are now set to be underdogs in next weekend's AFC Championship Game, whether they square off against the Houston Texans or the New England Patriots – even as the home team.
In other words, the stakes for Sunday's Texans-Patriots Divisional Round clash at Gillette Stadium just got a whole lot higher.
But don't let that fool you, because even aside from the 2017 Eagles example, history shows us that there are never any guarantees.
Even if Houston manages to back up their first road playoff win in franchise history by going on the road and beating New England to earn their first ever trip to the AFC title game, they'd have to end a streak that dates all the way back to the AFL-NFL merger – more than three decades before the Texans franchise even existed – to clinch a spot in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara.
In the 55 postseasons that have taken place since the 1970 merger, 110 conference championship games have been contested. Of those 110 games, 15 featured a dome team playing on the road in an outdoor venue. In all 15 of those games, the home team won.
The Texans have called NRG Stadium (formerly Reliant Stadium) home since their 2002 inception, and if they are able to beat the Patriots on Sunday, they'd have to visit Empower Field at Mile High, an outdoor venue, and beat the Broncos to advance to Super Bowl LX.
The history behind this streak is incredible. Sure, one would expect home teams to have the advantage anyway, especially when it comes to the postseason, but it's not as if road teams haven't won any conference title games. They've won 35, to be exact.
AFC dome teams are 0-6 in outdoor conference championship games.
Dome teams in outdoor AFC Conference Championship games
Playoffs | Result |
|---|---|
1978-79 | Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Houston Oilers 5 |
1979-80 | Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Houston Oilers 13 |
1983-84 | Los Angeles Raiders 30, Seattle Seahawks 14 |
1995-96 | Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Indianapolis Colts 16 |
2003-04 | New England Patriots 24, Indianapolis Colts 14 |
2014-15 | New England Patriots 45, Indianapolis Colts 7 |
NFC dome teams are 0-9 in outdoor conference championship games.
Dome teams in outdoor NFC Conference Championship games
Playoffs | Result |
|---|---|
1977-78 | Dallas Cowboys 23, Minnesota Vikings, 6 |
1987-88 | Washington Redskins 17, Minnesota Vikings 10 |
1991-92 | Washington Redskins 41, Detroit Lions 10 |
2000-01 | New York Giants 41, Minnesota Vikings 0 |
2004-05 | Philadelphia Eagles 27, Atlanta Falcons 10 |
2006-07 | Chicago Bears 39, New Orleans Saints 14 |
2015-16 | Carolina Panthers 49, Arizona Cardinals 15 |
2017-18 | Philadelphia Eagles 38, Minnesota Vikings 7 |
2023-24 | San Francisco 49ers 34, Detroit Lions 31 |
On the NFC side, it's worth mentioning that Texas Stadium, which was the home of the Dallas Cowboys from 1971 to 2008, is considered an outdoor venue, due to the fact that plans for a retractable roof were abandoned and the stadium's roof was left with its iconic massive hole until the building was demolished in 2010.
So both in terms of hosting the NFC Championship Game and playing in the NFC Championship Game on the road during that stretch, Dallas is considered an outdoor team in all applicable scenarios.
But first things first for the Texans: they need to take care of business in Foxborough on Sunday. That game is set to be shown live on ESPN beginning at 2:00 p.m. CT, and the Texans will only be lined up for a chance to end this astounding streak in Denver if they can beat New England.
The Texans' most recent matchup against the Patriots came during the 2024 regular season, when Houston went on the road and beat New England by a score of 41-21. They are, however, 0-2 against the Patriots in the playoffs, with both losses coming in the Divisional Round.
During the 2025 regular season, the Texans lost at home to the Broncos by a score of 18-15, but C.J. Stroud suffered a concussion in the second quarter of that game in did not return. Additionally, Bo Nix was still healthy at that point and played the entire game for Denver.
Houston has since gone on a 10-game winning streak, but the Texans possess a 1-7 all-time record in New England and a 2-4 all-time record in Denver.
We'd also be remiss not to mention the fact that Houston's postseason has already consisted of them snapping a massive streak, one that dated back to 1992. The Pittsburgh Steelers had won 23 consecutive home games on Monday Night Football, with their most recent loss coming in 1991, but the Texans took care of that with a 30-6 beatdown.
A Los Angeles Rams victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday (5:30 p.m. CT on NBC) would also give the Rams an opportunity to end this streak in the NFC Championship Game at Lumen Field against the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday.