Analyzing the Houston Texans’ 2025 season requires you to evaluate what kind of team you expected them to be in 2025. Some saw them as potential Super Bowl contenders, while others still saw a young team who wasn’t quite ready to break through to the next level. In many ways, the Texans’ 2025 season preview looks quite similar to the 2024 season preview, but with added expectations. This is now a team with playoff experience and a 1st place schedule, which means the Texans will play a lot of very good teams this year. Here are the 5 most intriguing games on my radar.
Denver Broncos
On paper, the 2025 Broncos share many similarities with the 2024 Texans. Both teams feature young quarterbacks on the rise, supported by ferocious defenses with standout secondaries. Both teams also have questions about whether they are in the same tier as the AFC’s elite. Are they in the same tier as the Chiefs, Ravens, and Bills? Or are they a tier below? Broncos HC Sean Payton will be tasked with finding ways to scheme open, quick-hitting throws for Bo Nix to open up deeper passes to Courtland Sutton later in the game. Depending on how the Broncos draft, options outside of Sutton could be limited. Can Evan Engram return from injury to recapture his 2023 All-Pro form? How will Nico Collins fare against the league’s premier cornerback, Patrick Surtain? This will be a game won on the boundaries.
San Francisco 49ers
Fans who enjoy watching elite defenses will have a field day with this matchup. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former coach under 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, will face his old team. Meanwhile, new Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley will need to devise ways to open running lanes for Joe Mixon and create passing windows for C.J. Stroud. Both teams prefer to set up their passing games with strong run games to utilize play-action. The game will likely come down to which team executes its game plan better—especially since both strategies will be quite similar. Fans of chess matches within football will have a field day in this game.
Kansas City Chiefs
The culmination of the Texans’ offensive line struggles last year came in the AFC Divisional Game, where the Kansas City Chiefs sacked C.J. Stroud eight times, including two key sacks late in the game, thanks to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s heavy blitzes. While not exactly a “revenge” game, this will be Houston’s chance to prove that their offensive line changes in the offseason were truly upgrades. Yes, Chris Jones, Patrick Mahomes, and Travis Kelce are still formidable. However, the Texans had real opportunities to win in Arrowhead last year, and this game will give them a chance to exorcise some demons and show the world they are ready for big games in January.
Los Angeles Rams
Here are some notable quarterback stat lines against the Texans last year:
- Tua Tagovailoa – 29/40, 196 YDS, 1 TD, 3 INT
- Jared Goff – 15/30, 240 YDS, 2 TDs, 5 INTs
- Josh Allen – 9/30, 131 YDS, 1 TD, 0 INT
- Justin Herbert – 14/32, 242 YDS, 1 TD, 4 INTs
The Texans will look to bring this same level of performance to Los Angeles against Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, and an underrated Rams defense. The Rams’ pass rush could challenge the new offensive line, especially if it struggles to protect Stroud. This game has the potential to be a “Game of the Year” contender if both teams are healthy. Edge rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson will have plenty of chances to disrupt Stafford and test his mobility at 37 years old. Meanwhile, Kamari Lassiter and Derek Stingley will look to blanket Nacua and Davante Adams all game long. With playoff seeding on the line, this game is crucial for both teams.
Buffalo Bills
Although the Bills lost to the Texans last year, it didn’t feel like a definitive win for Houston. It took questionable late-game clock management from Sean McDermott, a rare poor performance from Josh Allen, and a clutch 59-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn to secure the victory. Both teams will enter this game with something to prove. Buffalo will want to show that the previous game was an anomaly, while Houston will look to prove they belong among the AFC’s elite again. With major playoff implications on the line, both teams will bring their A-game.
