As the Houston Texans look to add their hopeful face of the franchise in the coming NFL Draft, head coach DeMeco Ryans will look to guide the Texans through their 2023 schedule as they reshape the organizational culture. With more attention being paid to a hopefully improving roster, how does the outlook appear for the Texans in 2023?
Houston Texans Schedule and Opponents
While we won’t find out the Texans’ schedule for 2023 until the official NFL release in May, we already know their opponents for the upcoming season.
Home Games
- Indianapolis Colts
- Tennessee Titans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Cleveland Browns
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- New Orleans Saints
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Denver Broncos
- Arizona Cardinals
Away Games
- Indianapolis Colts
- Tennessee Titans
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens
- Carolina Panthers
- New York Jets
- Cincinnati Bengals
As always, the Texans will face their division opponents at home and on the road. As part of the rotational schedule, the Texans and the AFC South will take on the entirety of the AFC North and NFC South.
The remaining three games on their schedule will come against the remaining two AFC teams that finished fourth in their division (Jets and Broncos), as well as their “17th game crossover” against the Arizona Cardinals at home, who finished fourth in the NFC West in 2022.
Houston Texans Strength of Schedule
The Texans and the AFC South, in general, have about as easy of a schedule in 2023 as you could ask for. Based on projected win totals, Houston has the ninth-easiest strength schedule in the league. Their respective opponents combined to go 123-163-2 for a .431 record (30th).
Of the four AFC South teams, Indianapolis has the fourth easiest, and Jacksonville is tied with Tennessee for the 24th-ranked strength of schedule in the league for 2023.
Houston Texans Record Prediction
The rebuild of the Texans continues in 2023. Houston has the No. 2 overall pick, the No. 12 selection from Cleveland, and picks Nos. 33, 65, and 73, giving them six of the top 75 in the upcoming draft.
Houston entered 2022 with one of the most challenging schedules, and it showed as they went 3-13-1. However, I do expect to see improvement this year.
Granted, that’s not saying Houston will win double-digit games or make the playoffs, but they should at least be more competitive than last year, especially if they select one of Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, or potentially Anthony Richardson. I have no doubt we will see Houston take on Carolina in prime time this year, as it will likely be a battle of the top two picks.
MORE: FREE NFL Mock Draft Simulator (With Trades)
Houston also needs to learn how to win close games on their schedule. More than half of their games last season were decided by seven points or fewer, although they managed just three wins. I expect them to be in more close contests this season as well. Houston is coming off a bottom-10 ranking in total scoring, and so are seven of their opponents.
However, the Jets are skewing this metric, as they are expected to be vastly improved, assuming the trade for Aaron Rodgers occurs. Additionally, Tampa Bay is projected to be worse than last year as they no longer have Tom Brady, and if their passing game can’t click, the Bucs could be in trouble.
Houston’s goal in 2023 is not necessarily to win the division but to compete with the Colts for third place. All three of their wins last year came against AFC South competition, so it’s certainly possible to do it again when looking at the new schedule.
Their defense should take another step forward with Ryans at the helm, and although I’m not ready to pencil them in for 6+ wins, 2023 should be a step in the right direction for a franchise with a fan base starving for success.
