Houston Texans 2023-24 NFL Season Recap

Houston Texans NFL Season Recap

Though the Houston Texans 2023-24 NFL betting season crashed and burned in the division round against the Baltimore Ravens, NFL bettors can only come away impressed with the job DeMeco Ryans and his staff did to raise the franchise from the proverbial ashes in their first full season calling the shots. Remember, the Texans were granted ownership of the second pick of last year’s NFL Draft by way of winning three games to bring up the rear of the AFC South standings. In doing so, upper management benefitted from the Carolina Panthers gross negligence by selecting what amounted to the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winner in the form of C.J. Stroud who did nothing but impress in his first go-round calling the shots for the Texans offense.

After throwing for 4,108 yards and stellar 23:5 TD/INT ratio which amounted to a season-long 100.8 QB Rating, things are looking up for Houston’s offense provided he can build off his rookie outputs and keep the Texans offense on the up-and-up. There’s no reason to believe he won’t after just becoming the youngest QB to ever win a playoff game with the amount of talent the Texans sport on the offensive side of the ball. Nico Collings just wrapped his breakout campaign in year three of his professional career after reeling in 80 receptions for 1,297 yards and 8 TD. Also making waves this year before suffering an unfortunate season-ending injury was rookie Tank Dell who proved to be Stroud’s favorite deep threat. The third round pick vastly exceeded expectations by snagging what was then a team-high 47 receptions and turning them into 709 yards and 7 TD all the while averaging 15.1 yards per reception before breaking his leg in Week 13 against the Denver Broncos.

The Texans offense ended up No. 12 overall in averaging 342+ yards per game and dented scoreboards for an average of 22.2 points per game (No. 13). The end result was ranking No. 14 in offensive DVOA which showed vast improvement from the prior season’s unit that ranked No. 31 ahead of only the division rival Indianapolis Colts. The running game proved to be the unit’s Achilles heel, but Devin Singletary showed promise as the unit’s primary ball carrier the tail end of the season. Bothersome however was a middling offensive line that ranked No. 17 in sack percentage allowed (No. 17) that only opened holes for a paltry 3.7 yards per carry (No. 29). Improving the running game and front wall will be something GM Nick Caserio and the front office will look to rectify this offseason.

While defensive reinforcements need to be brought in as well, stark improvement was made on that side of the ball over the course of the NFL betting season. Houston ranked No. 28 in defensive DVOA at the end of the 2022-23 season. This year, it clocked in at No. 16 with the infusion of Will Anderson and Jonathan Greenard’s blowup campaign paying huge dividends. Their impacts helped aid Houston in ranking No. 14 overall in allowing 330+ yards per game with just short of 97 yards per game coming on the ground (#6). In all, the Texans surrendered an average of just 20.8 points per game and came up with the ninth most takeaways in the game (24). Because of it, the Texans saw the under cash at a moneymaking 11-6 clip over the course of the regular season.

In winning 10 games, Houston greatly exceeded linemakers’ preseason expectations by smashing its 6.5-game season win total. On top of that, it came from out of nowhere to take home AFC South bragging rights. Would you believe me if I told you the Texans went into the regular season 11-1 dogs to pull of that feat? Well, believe it! It also cashed a nice +550 playoff ticket for NFL bettors astute enough to know the AFC South was wide open heading into Week 1 with every team but the Titans in the mix to win the division title entering the final week of the regular season.

Houston Texans 2024 Offseason

The Texans just took the leap from cellar dwellers to playoff contenders in a span of just one year. So what will it take for the franchise to take another step further? The Texans traded their first round pick to Arizona to move up in last year’s draft. However, it also snagged the Browns pick for unloading Deshaun Watson onto their roster. With that, Houston will have the No. 23 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and will likely use it on either D-Line or O-Line help. More than likely the former early on with Ryans stating his desire to shore up the front when meeting with the media the Monday after getting dominated in Baltimore.

Houston has a projected cap space of $74.8M and will have a total of eight picks in the draft. It’s got free agents to pay in the forms of Derek Barnett and Jonathan Greenard should it choose to do so. Either way, don’t be shocked if it tests the waters for Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, or Derrick Henry to shore up the running back position. Look for the Texans to be stronger along both lines as well as the backfield in year two of the Stroud era.

Houston Texans Schedule & Results

Houston is not a franchise that has lacked regular season success. The Texans made the playoffs six times from 2011 through 2019. However, their postseason record has been hapless, with no advancement past the divisional round. The Texans were founded as a 2002 expansion team following the move of the Houston Oilers to Tennessee.

Following their stunning 2019 AFC Divisional Playoff loss at the Kansas City Chiefs, the Texans have never been the same. Houston jumped out to a 24-0 lead early in the second quarter, and many fans and gamblers believed that the game was over. Instead, Kansas City exploded to score 41 unanswered points en route to a 51-31 win. The humiliation for the Texans has never been lived down. And it caused then-head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien to lose his mind.

In the offseason leading up to the 2020 campaign, O’Brien came off as unhinged with bizarre roster moves that seemed to have been an overreaction to the loss at Kansas City. The team tuned out O’Brien, and he was fired early in the 2020 campaign after an 0-4 start. Since that debacle in Kansas City, the Texans have never returned to the postseason.

Houston Texans Past Seasons (2002)

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