Houston Texans 2024-25 NFL Season Recap

Houston Texans 2024-25 NFL Season Recap

Though the Houston Texans went on to win the AFC South in back-to-back years to lock down a playoff bid once again, it felt like the team regressed in year two of the DeMeco Ryans regime. It was only able to match the prior season’s 10-7 straight up (SU) record, and backed it up with a horrid 7-9-1 record against the NFL spread a year removed from going 9-8 against the spread (ATS) in C.J. Stroud’s rookie campaign. While it managed to win five of six played games against divisional opposition, none of the other AFC South members managed to tally +.500 records with the Tennessee Titans proving to be the worst of the worst evidenced by being gifted the top pick in this year’s NFL Draft. While injuries played an enormous role in the mediocre results, Houston had the look of a team that could make up for lost time in the playoffs after shredding the Los Angeles Chargers in the wild-card round with a trek scheduled for Arrowhead where the team competed with the reigning Super Bowl champs just short of a month ago.

Though the team dominated the battle of the box score outgaining Kansas City 336-212 and 5.2 to 4.2 yards per play without committing a single turnover, its inability to make hay in the red zone once again proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. Going into the match, the Texans already rated out with one of the worst red zone scoring offenses in the game (No. 28). It didn’t improve upon its 48.4 percent success rate against the Chiefs either after putting six on the board in only 1 of 3 penetrations. Due to Ka’imi Fairbairn having a terrible day at the office, which included a pair of missed field goals and an extra point, NFL bettors that backed Houston at the crypto sportsbook early were left holding losing tickets with those that got in late going on to celebrate after KC took a late safety. It was a damn shame too considering how stellar the defense played holding the Chiefs to next to nothing on the ground while allowing fewer than 180 yards passing.

On the bright side, upper management looks to have knocked it out of the park with the free agent acquisition of Joe Mixon to give the offense a steadying force in the backfield. Fantasy pundits didn’t appear bullish of the offseason move, but Mixon silenced his naysayers by logging his fifth 1,000+ yard rushing season to go along with 12 overall touchdowns. The offense likely would’ve been much better than its overall stats suggest had Nico Collins not partaken in a lost season that only saw him suit up for 12 games. Still, the WR1 amassed successive 1,000+ yard seasons in his fourth year in the league. After allowing 47 quarterback sacks in 2023-24, the Texans served up 54 in the regular season and a whopping 11 in their two played playoff games. Severe help is needed along the offensive line if the franchise expects Stroud to live up to being the No. 2 pick from a few years back. With that in mind, it would be surprising if a lineman wasn’t targeted with the No. 25 pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

Houston Texans Divisional Round Recap

The Houston Texans fell 23-14 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round, failing to secure their first divisional playoff victory while delivering mixed results against the NFL spread. C.J. Stroud threw for 245 yards but faced relentless pressure, getting sacked eight times by a fierce Kansas City defense. Stroud led a resilient 82-yard third-quarter drive capped by Joe Mixon’s 13-yard touchdown run, but Ka’imi Fairbairn’s missed extra point left Houston trailing 13-12. Fairbairn also missed a 55-yard field goal and had a crucial attempt blocked late, stalling the Texans' comeback hopes. Despite holding the Chiefs to field goals early, Houston’s defense faltered before halftime, allowing Kareem Hunt’s bruising touchdown run. The Texans' special teams struggled throughout, including a chaotic opening kickoff return. On offense, Mixon delivered 88 rushing yards and a score despite an ankle injury, but protection breakdowns limited Stroud’s impact. Houston’s offense stalled on two critical fourth-quarter possessions, with George Karlaftis delivering a key sack and Stroud missing consecutive passes on their final drive. DeMeco Ryans lamented self-inflicted errors and missed opportunities as pivotal in the defeat. The Texans, AFC South champions, showed resilience but ultimately could not overcome Kansas City’s depth and experience. They enter the offseason with holes to fill on both sides of the ball and a sense of ‘what might have been’ had a few things gone their way and not the direction of the defending champs.

2024 Houston Texans Schedule, Results & Record

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. Lovie Smith was then hired and fired, but his parting gift proved to be the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. That selection was then turned into C.J. Stroud which helped pave the way towards the franchise’s success the following regular season and beyond.

Houston Texans Past Seasons (2002)

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