The dust has all settled from the NFL schedule release on Wednesday this week, and we now know that the Houston Texans are undoubtedly viewed as a marquee team in NFL circles. With four prime time games and two more national games during Christmas week, the Texans have some from the relevance outhouse to the relevance penthouse.
Electric excitement should carry us through the hot summer months into training camp and the preseason, so it begs the question — as we sit here in the middle of May, now knowing WHEN all of the Texans’ home games will occur, which home game are you most excited for?
Here are my power rankings of the eight Texans home games based on my personal excitement level for each one:
8. TENNESSEE TITANS, Week 12
7. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS, Week 4
6. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, Week 8
These are the Texans’ three divisional opponents. We see all three of them for a home game apiece each season, so unless one of them is a threat to win the Super Bowl (they are not) and/or the Texans are playing them in prime time (they are not), then these automatically go to the bottom of the list based solely on the fact that I enjoy variety!
5. MIAMI DOLPHINS, Week 15
It’s got to be a pretty saucy home schedule for a team with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle at wide receiver to fall to the bottom of the non-divisional home games, but that’s where I am with the Dolphins, who were a playoff team last season, but I think they backslide this year. This game also precedes the Chiefs-Ravens Christmas gauntlet, so maybe I’m falling into a trap of looking ahead here.
4. BUFFALO BILLS, Week 5
Before the schedule came out, this one would have been at the top of the list for me. The Bills are a Super Bowl contender, and for storyline purposes, more importantly, they are Stefon Diggs’ former employer. That storyline and all the buildup would have carried this matchup. However, the fact that it’s at noon on a Week 5 Sunday, kind of a blah part of the schedule, takes a little starch out of the energy surrounding this game.
3. BALTIMORE RAVENS, Week 17 (Christmas Day)
I hate that the Texans have to play the Ravens just four days after playing the Chiefs, and just ten day after playing the Dolphins. I love, though, that we get Christmas Day football! There are gonna be a lot if kids in the Houston area getting football tickets in their stockings that day.
2. CHICAGO BEARS, Week 2 (Sunday Night Football)
The race for first and second on my “most excited about” list was very, very close. The case for this game is that it’s the Texans’ home opener, and it will be the first time they’ve played on Sunday Night Football since Week 13 of the 2019 season! That was three head coaches, and several quarterbacks ago. This will be Bears rookie QB Caleb Williams’ second career start, and hopefully DeMeco Ryans has a nice game plan ready for him.
1. DETROIT LIONS, Week 10 (Sunday Night Football)
The Texans’ other Sunday Night Football game this season wins these power rankings by the slimmest of margins. There are a few differences here that pull this game up a notch. First, the Lions are a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The announcers for this game will likely point out how “this could be a dark horse Super Bowl matchup” several times, I predict. Second, the Texans will be sporting their new version of the battle red uniform, complete with the new red helmet design. FInally, this will be a night game in November, and thus, it will be dark at kickoff, allowing a much cooler pregame light show than the Week 2 game with Chicago.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
