The Houston Texans will face off against the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon; in years before, the Texans have been beaten by teams fielding superior quarterbacks like Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes. Neither of them made the playoffs this year, and the result of that is an open AFC pool. For the first time in the DeMeco Ryans era, the Texans look like they truly have a shot to make it farther than they ever have before.
The Texans could finally have the edge at the quarterback position in the playoffs
With Josh Allen’s Buffalo Bills losing to the Denver Broncos in excruciating overtime fashion, C.J. Stroud is now the most experienced playoff quarterback left in the AFC side of the bracket. Drake Maye, his opponent on Sunday, didn’t have the greatest performance of his career against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Stroud didn’t light up the scoreboard against the Pittsburgh Steelers either. However, one tangible advantage that Stroud has over Maye is playoff experience. Stroud has played in Baltimore and Kansas City in these types of environments, and while Maye has had an incredible season up to this point, he hasn’t gotten much of a taste for this type of football.
If the Texans beat the Patriots, they’ll have to face off against the Broncos, but unfortunately for Denver, they’ll have to rely on veteran backup Jarrett Stidham to lead the team due to Bo Nix’s season-ending injury against the Bills.
Sean Payton announced Bo Nix fractured a bone in his right ankle on the second to last play in OT and is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday. Pic.twitter.com/RsZt61Qauh
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) January 18, 2026
Compared to seasons prior, it feels like there’s a legitimate chance for the Texans to finally get over the hump and reach the AFC Championship for the first time in franchise history.
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