Who will Texans play next? Potential divisional round opponents for Houston

Posted by Admin January 12, 2025 NFL

Spread the love

The Houston Texans entered their wild card matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers as home underdogs. They proved that label was unearned in a 32-12 thrashing of the Chargers.

The Texans defense played one of its finest games of the entire season. After surrendering six points on the first two drives of the game, the unit managed to significantly limit Justin Herbert until the fourth quarter of the contest.

Houston got plenty of pressure on Herbert throughout the game, sacking the quarterback four times. More importantly, they forced him into four interceptions – more than Herbert’s three total from the entire 2024 NFL season – because of the pressure that Will Anderson (1.5 sacks) and Co. put on Herbert. That included an Eric Murray pick-six that allowed the Texans to open up a 14-point lead entering the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, C.J. Stroud and the Texans offense struggled in the first half and nearly entered the locker room without scoring a point. However, on a critical third-and-16 from their own 17-yard line with just over two minutes remaining in the first half, Stroud managed to pick up a botched snap and scramble out to his right before finding Xavier Hutchinson for a 34-yard gain.

That sparked a 99-yard touchdown drive that gave the Texans their first lead of the game. They never trailed again, scoring 23 unanswered points to earn the win.

Stroud now has won a game in each of his first two playoff games and will have a chance to play his way into the AFC championship game.

Who will the Texans play next in the 2025 NFL playoffs? Here’s what to know about the divisional round bracket and the potential opponents Houston could face.

Who will Texans play next?

The Texans can face four potential opponents in the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. They are as follows:

The only remaining team that Houston cannot face in the next round is the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are the No. 7 seed in the conference, so if they advance, they will automatically play the top-seeded Chiefs.

Houston’s opponent will depend on the results of the remaining AFC playoff games, with Sunday’s matchup between the Bills and Broncos serving as the decisive matchup.

Texans potential opponent scenarios

Below is a look at what must unfold for the Texans to face each of their potential opponents:

Kansas City Chiefs

The Texans will take on the Chiefs in a rematch of their Week 16 meeting if the following results occur:

The Ravens beat the Steelers;
The Bills beat the Broncos.

Buffalo Bills

The Texans would need at least one upset to occur for them to face the Bills. Here’s how that could happen:

The Steelers beat the Ravens;
The Bills beat the Broncos.

Baltimore Ravens

The Texans need an underdog to help them out to set up a rematch of their divisional round matchup from last year. Here’s what would need to happen:

The Ravens beat the Steelers;
The Broncos beat the Bills.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Texans will play the Steelers only if the following results occur:

The Steelers beat the Ravens;
The Broncos beat the Bills.

AFC playoff bracket

Below is a look at the AFC playoff bracket with the Texans vs. Chargers game in the books:

The divisional round picture will become clearer once the Ravens vs. Steelers game is completed on Saturday night. As it stands, every team in the AFC playoff picture has three potential opponents for the divisional round.

NFC playoff bracket

None of the NFC playoff games will be played until Sunday, but the Eagles vs. Packers game is the first of the bunch. The conference’s playoff scenarios will become clear after that contest.