Houston Texans Look To Extend Winning Streak To 7 On Sunday
The 2025 season didn’t exactly start with fireworks for the Texans. Unless, of course, you count the kind of fireworks that happen when a dumpster catches fire. Starting 0-3 is usually a death sentence in the NFL, and plenty of folks in Houston were ready to abandon ship before October even hit.
But here we are in Week 16, and the narrative has flipped completely. We aren’t talking about draft picks anymore; we are talking about the best kind of streak—a six-game heater that has the rest of the league looking nervously at Houston.
The Texans Are Finding Their Groove At the Perfect Time
This current run isn’t just about padding the win column; it’s about who they’ve beaten and how they’ve done it. Beating up on the Jaguars, Titans, and Colts is expected if you want to be taken seriously. But taking down the Buffalo Bills and finally exorcising the Kansas City Chiefs demon? That is statement football.
What makes this run even wilder is the depth chart. We’ve seen wins split evenly between C.J. Stroud and backup Davis Mills, which is a testament to what GM Nick Caserio has built. When you can keep the ship steady with your QB2, you know the roster is legit.
Defense Isn’t Satisfied With ‘Good Enough’
Here is where the championship mindset really shows up. The Texans just throttled the Cardinals 40-20, a result that most franchises would celebrate with a parade. But DeMeco Ryans? He wasn’t smiling.
The defense gave up 307 yards and three touchdowns, and the locker room vibe wasn’t celebration—it was irritation. Safety Calen Bullock flat-out said, “We felt like we should have shut them boys out.” When your unit leads the league in points allowed (16.3) and yards allowed (269.2), the standard shifts. Giving up 20 points feels like a failure. That is the kind of terrifying perfectionism that reminds people of the Seahawks’ “Legion of Boom” era.
Chasing History against the Raiders
As the Texans prepare to host the struggling Las Vegas Raiders this weekend, there is more on the line than just playoff seeding. The record books are open, and a few names are about to be written in permanent ink.
Keep an eye on Stroud. He needs just two touchdown passes to leapfrog David Carr for the third-most passing touchdowns in franchise history. Considering he just lit up Arizona for three scores, that record is on high alert.
Then there is Dalton Schultz. The veteran tight end has been a safety blanket all year, and with just one more catch, he’ll pass Owen Daniels (2008) for the most receptions by a tight end in a single season. It has been a quiet, workmanlike year for Schultz, but 70+ catches is elite production.
On the defensive side, Will Anderson Jr. is one sack away from passing Jadeveon Clowney for fourth all-time in franchise sacks. He’s been quiet the last two weeks, which usually means he’s due for a breakout game against a Raiders offensive line that might be in for a long afternoon.
A Coaching Masterclass From DeMeco Ryans
Perhaps the most impressive milestone belongs to the man wearing the headset. If the Texans beat the Raiders, Ryans becomes the first head coach in franchise history to win 10-plus games in three consecutive seasons.
Think about where this team was just a few years ago. Ryans has taken a franchise that was wandering in the wilderness and turned them into a perennial heavyweight. From 0-3 to the hottest team in football, the Texans aren’t just dreaming of the Super Bowl anymore—they’re starting to look like they belong there.
