Four wins from glory: Texans rookie Will Anderson Jr. ignites the team's Super Bowl aspirations after a remarkable regular season comeback.
It has been well documented that the Houston Texans have overcome a lot in the regular season, but I will remind anyone who missed the 18 weeks of NFL football just how special it was.
They were the only team since the 2018 Houston Texans to start 0-3 and make the playoffs.
Earned their ninth consecutive win, tying the longest winning streak in franchise history (Sept. 30 to Dec. 2, 2018) after defeating the Indianapolis Colts 38-30 to end the regular season.
Houston tied the franchise record for most wins in a season with 12 and tied the franchise record for most home wins in a season at 7.
Now, as they head into the postseason matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the fifth-seeded Texans will look to turn their magical season into a Super Bowl run. Houston will travel to Pittsburgh for a Monday Night Football game on Jan. 12 to end the NFL Wild Card Weekend.
“I told the D-line (defensive line), when we broke it down, ‘We’re four games away from being world champions,’” said Texans edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. “Whatever you have to sacrifice, whatever you have to give up, don’t look too far ahead, but really be in the moment, really look what we’re striving for, look what we are going towards and I think that everyone has been doing a really good job of that. Man, we’re a couple of games away from being exactly where we want to be at.”
The Texans are headed to their third consecutive postseason since 2023, having won two Wild Card games (vs. the Cleveland Browns and the Los Angeles Chargers). Still, their season ended in the divisional round (Baltimore – ’23, Kansas City –’ 24).
Yet, there is something different about this team than the previous two; having won so many close games has made them confident towards the end of the season, when every game was a must-win.
“I feel like we have put the work in in order for us to feel this way,” said Texans linebacker Henry To’o To’o after the win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. “I think the beauty of our team is that we are never satisfied. We always try to find ways to get better. Ways to critique our game and be the team that we wont because we know what it is going to take down the road from here on out. It is just the hard work that we put in throughout the offseason.”
Houston will have their work cut out for it as it prepares for a savvy and crafty veteran in Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is prone to catching lightning in a bottle at any given moment, and a defensive unit that is anchored by edge rusher T.J. Watt, the brother of former Texans defensive end J.J. Watt.
“Aaron (Rodgers) has done it at a high level for a long time,” Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said on Monday during his press conference. “He is probably one of the smartest quarterbacks to play the game. He does a really good job of understanding defenses.”