The Houston Texans have clinched a playoff berth heading into Week 18. The Texans are postseason-bound for the second time in as many years under the DeMeco Ryans era.
Houston still has plenty to play for in Week 18. The Texans have a chance to win the AFC South, which would guarantee them the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs. This would mean Houston would host the No. 6 seed in the wild-card round.
The Texans are also playing for playoff seeding. Houston enters the week as the No. 5 seed and will want to do its best to retain that position. The No. 5 seed will go on the road to face either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Baltimore Ravens in the first round, both teams with worse records than the Texans.
Here is more on the Texans’ seeding scenarios for the 2026 NFL playoff bracket.
MORE WEEK 18 NFL:
NFL playoff bracket 2026 
Texans playoff picture
Houston enters the final week of the season already having clinched a playoff berth. The Texans are guaranteed to make the playoffs and still have a shot at winning the AFC South. Houston needs to beat Indianapolis and needs Jacksonville to lose to Tennessee in order to secure the division title and a top-three seed in the AFC playoff bracket.
Outside of that, the Texans are playing for seeding. They can end up with the No. 3, 5, 6, or 7 seeds depending on the outcome of four different games. If Houston wins, it is guaranteed to have either the No. 3 or No. 5 seed. If the Texans lose, they will be the No. 5, 6, or 7 seed.
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | Denver Broncos* | 13-3 |
| 2 | New England Patriots* | 13-3 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars* | 12-4 |
| 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 9-7 |
| 5 | Houston Texans* | 11-5 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Chargers* | 11-5 |
| 7 | Buffalo Bills* | 11-5 |
| 8 | Indianapolis Colts - eliminated | 8-8 |
| 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 8-8 |
| 10 | Miami Dolphins - eliminated | 7-9 |
| 11 | Cincinnati Bengals - eliminated | 6-10 |
| 12 | Kansas City Chiefs - eliminated | 6-10 |
| 13 | Cleveland Browns - eliminated | 4-12 |
| 14 | Tennessee Titans - eliminated | 3-13 |
| 15 | New York Jets - eliminated | 3-13 |
| 16 | Las Vegas Raiders - eliminated | 2-14 |
*=clinched playoff spot
MORE: Updated 2026 NFL Draft order heading into Week 18
AFC South standings
In the final week of the season, the Jaguars have a narrow one-game lead for the division. Jacksonville will win the AFC South if it can beat Tennessee in Week 18. If the Jaguars lose, the Texans would have the chance to win the AFC South with a win over the Colts.
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 12-4 |
| 2 | Houston Texans | 11-5 |
| 3 | Indianapolis Colts - eliminated | 8-8 |
| 4 | Tennessee Titans - eliminated | 3-13 |
Texans clinching scenarios
The Texans still have a shot at the AFC South title, which would allow them to host a first-round playoff game. If Houston beats Indianapolis and Jacksonville loses to Tennessee, the Texans will win the AFC South.
If Houston wins in Week 18, it will be locked into the No. 5 seed in the playoffs. This means the Texans would go on the road in the first round to play either the Baltimore Ravens or the Pittsburgh Steelers. If Houston loses in Week 18, the Texans' seed will be determined by what happens with the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Heading into the final week of the season, Houston can be either the No. 3, 5, 6 or 7 seed for the AFC.