With the final gun sounding on the Houston Texans’ 30-6 rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFL’s Wild Card round of the playoffs is officially in the books. It was a pretty glorious weekend of football, one where four of the six games came down to the final three minutes, one where the Texans won by the widest margin, and one where nobody missed the Kansas City Chiefs.
With the NFL’s playoff field whittled down to the final eight, a round the Texans have been to six other times in their history, it feels like they have their best chance at winning a Super Bowl, largely because of a defense that’s in the same conversations with the 2000 Ravens, 2013 Seahawks, and 2015 Broncos.
The latest Vegas odds on this year’s Super Bowl champion dropped on Tuesday morning, and here is where the Texans stand heading into the Divisional Round weekend:
Seattle Seahawks +275
Los Angeles Rams +320
New England Patriots +600
Buffalo Bills +650
Denver Broncos +700
Houston Texans +800
Chicago Bears +1600
San Francisco 49ers +1900
A few thoughts on these new odds:
So what about the Texans at +850?
This is the shortest odds the Texans have had to win the Super Bowl since their 12-4 season in 2012, and yet they are still fourth among the four AFC teams on the odds board. If you are a believer in choosing the team with the best singular unit on a football roster, then take the Texans. Their defense is as elite as elite gets.
The odds-on favorite has Sam Darnold as their quarterback
There was a time, not all that long ago, when Darnold was a failed first round pick for the Jets, throwing picks and seeing ghosts. After a year of purgatory in Carolina, he went to play under Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco and Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota, then landing a big deal with Seattle. Now, look at him! Favored to win a Super Bowl. This is proof that the Jets are the worst franchise in sports.
The Rams sure do have a lot of good will banked
The Rams have been the favorite, or second favorite, out of the NFC for most of the season. Down the stretch, though, they went 3-3 in their final six games, including losses to Carolina and Atlanta. In their wild card round game, they needed a late touchdown to beat Carolina again. My point is that they’ve been playing very inconsistent football for a team that’s second on the odds board.
This article appears in Private: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2026.