HOUSTON — The Houston Texas are sitting at 8-7 in the AFC, on the outside looking in if the NFL playoffs started today. The good news for Texans fans – the playoffs don’t start today and Houston still has two more games to play to try to get in. More good news -- Starting quarterback CJ Stroud said he'll play this Sunday after missing the last two weeks with a concussion.
The Texans aren’t the only team at 8-7. It's actually a pretty crowded bunch. Division rivals Jacksonville and Indianapolis also sit at 8-7, but both currently own the tiebreakers against Houston. The Steelers and Bengals are also 8-7, but the Texans have beaten both of those teams, giving Houston the tiebreaker there for a wildcard. There are also teams vying for wild card spots with records of 9-6 (Buffalo) and 7-8 (Las Vegas and Denver).
So here are the scenarios. The Texans can make it really easy on themselves. If they win both of their remaining games – this weekend’s matchup at home against Tennessee and next weekend’s huge divisional showdown with the Colts in Indy – they’re in the playoffs as at least the wild card and possibly the division champs. If they lose both, they’re out.
First, as far as the division goes, here’s what we know.
If Houston wins their last two games, one of which is against the Colts, and the Jags win their last two games, Jacksonville would win the division based on a better division record and the Texans would earn a wild card berth.
If Houston goes 1-1 in their last two games, it gets really tricky, both in the wild card race and the division.
The New York Times built a playoff calculator that looks at team odds when it comes to the playoffs and they have a page specifically for the Texans. Right now, it has Houston’s chances to make the playoffs at 41 percent.
If you want to see all of the scenarios that would have the Texans playing past week 18? Here’s a link to play around! It allows you to pick winners of games in the last two weeks of the season and see how that changes Houston's chances at winning the division, getting in as a wildcard or missing the playoffs altogether.
Things should get much more clear after this weekend’s action!
