Houston Texans
- Date:
- 1997 - present
- Headquarters:
- Houston
- Areas Of Involvement:
- American football
- Related People:
- Kyle Shanahan
Houston Texans, American professional gridiron football team based in Houston that plays in the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL).
Houston-area businessmen began their efforts to create the franchise that would become the Texans in 1997, when the NFL’s Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee. The NFL awarded an expansion franchise to Houston in 1999. The team’s first game came in 2002: a victory over the established cross-state power (and presumed rival) Dallas Cowboys. That win was one of just four in the team’s inaugural season, and the Texans finished their first year in the league at the bottom of the divisional standings. The 2002 campaign was the beginning of a trend, as the team placed last (or tied for last) in the AFC South in five of its first six seasons of existence and became arguably best known for possessing a porous offensive line that in 2002 allowed a record number of sacks of quarterback David Carr—who repeated as the league’s most-sacked quarterback in 2004 and 2005.
In 2009, behind a powerful offensive line led by dominant wide receiver Andre Johnson and standout quarterback Matt Schaub, the Texans posted the first winning record (9–7) in franchise history. Houston captured its first division title in 2011 after going 10–6 and won its opening-round playoff game before being eliminated by the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional round of the postseason. Led by sensational defensive end J.J. Watt, the Texans set a franchise record with 12 wins in 2012 but again lost in the divisional round of the following postseason. In 2013 an injury-plagued Texans team swiftly fell from the upper echelons of the AFC and posted a league-worst 2–14 record. The team rebounded the following season, posting a 9–7 record and narrowly missing out on a playoff berth.
Houston won 9 games again in 2015 to capture a division title, but the team was soundly defeated in its opening postseason game. The Texans had the same win total in 2016 and again won their division. In the playoffs, the team won its opening game but was eliminated in the second round. The Texans started off the 2017 season with an unexpectedly explosive offense behind the play of standout rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson, but his mid-season knee injury derailed the team’s momentum, and Houston finished the year with a 4–12 record. Watson and Watt remained healthy during the 2018 season, and the Texans rallied from an 0–3 start to win 11 games and a division title. However, the team lost its opening postseason game to the division rival Indianapolis Colts. The Texans won another division title in 2019, which the team followed with a victory in the postseason wild-card round before being eliminated in the division round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Houston struggled the next three seasons, posting losing records. The team went through a series of head coaches, and in 2021 Watt was released at his request. In the 2023 NFL draft, the Texans selected quarterback C.J. Stroud, who had a stellar first season. Backed by his strong play, the team posted a winning record, 10–7, and won the division title. Houston upset the Cleveland Browns in the wild-card round but lost to the Baltimore Ravens in the divisional game.