Winning in the NFL is hard. Repeating that success? Well, that's where things usually fall apart for young teams. Last year, the Houston Texans walked into the season with a target on their back for the first time in years. They weren't the scrappy underdogs anymore. People expected them to dominate.
Honestly, the Houston Texans record last year tells two very different stories depending on which half of the season you look at.
By the time the dust settled on the 2024 regular season, Houston sat at 10-7. They clinched the AFC South for the second year in a row. On paper, that looks like a steady, professional performance. But if you actually watched the games, you know it was a total rollercoaster. They started hot, looked like a Super Bowl contender, hit a massive mid-season wall, and then had to scrap for their lives just to stay on top of the division.
Breaking down the 10-7 run
The season kicked off with a lot of juice. C.J. Stroud was coming off one of the best rookie years in history, and the front office went out and got him Stefon Diggs and Joe Mixon. It felt like a "Madden" roster.
They started 5-1. People in Houston were already looking up flights to the Super Bowl. They beat the Colts in Week 1, ground out a tough win against the Bears on Sunday Night Football, and then absolutely hammered the Jaguars and Bills.
Then, the wheels kinda wiggled loose.
Between Week 7 and Week 12, the Texans went 2-4. They lost a heartbreaker to Green Bay and then laid a complete egg against the New York Jets on a Thursday night where Stroud was sacked eight times. Eight! You can't win like that. They even dropped a weird one to the Titans at home in late November. Suddenly, that 5-1 start felt like a lifetime ago.
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The AFC South was a dogfight
You've probably heard people call the AFC South the "AFC South-ling" or some other joke about how bad the division is. Not last year. The Colts stayed on Houston’s heels until the very end.
The turning point was really Week 15. The Texans beat the Miami Dolphins 20-12 in a game that was mostly a defensive slugfest. That same weekend, the Colts lost to the Denver Broncos. That specific sequence of events allowed Houston to clinch the division title early.
They finished the year with a 10-7 record, identical to their 2023 mark.
It’s rare to see a team finish with the exact same record two years in a row while feeling like a completely different squad. The 2023 team was a surprise. The 2024 team was a grind.
Playoff heartbreak and reality checks
Making the playoffs is one thing. Doing something once you're there is another. The Texans hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round at NRG Stadium.
It wasn't even close.
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Houston won 32-12. Joe Mixon looked like he was 22 again, and the defense, led by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, lived in the Chargers' backfield. It was the kind of performance that made you believe they could actually upset the heavyweights.
But then came Kansas City.
Playing at Arrowhead in January is where dreams go to die. The Texans lost 23-14 in the Divisional Round. They were right there—it was a one-score game for a long time—but Patrick Mahomes did Mahomes things, and the Texans' offense stalled out in the red zone.
Key stats that defined the year
If you want to understand the Houston Texans record last year, you have to look at the turnover margin. They finished with a +17 turnover ratio. That’s elite.
The defense was actually the unsung hero. While everyone was talking about Stroud and the receivers, the unit led by DeMeco Ryans finished near the top of the league in several categories:
- Total Defense: Ranked 6th in the league.
- Rushing Defense: Ranked 11th, giving up only about 114 yards per game.
- Takeaways: They were 5th in the league in forcing turnovers.
Stroud’s individual numbers were solid, though he dealt with more pressure than his rookie year. He threw for 3,526 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in the regular season. Not quite the "MVP" jump some predicted, but more than enough to win the division.
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Why the record matters for the future
Most people get the "sophomore slump" wrong. It’s not always the quarterback playing worse; it’s the league having a full year of film on you.
Last year was a massive educational experience for DeMeco Ryans. He learned that he can't just rely on Stroud to bail the team out every week. They had to become more physical.
They also realized that the offensive line is still a work in progress. Giving up 47 sacks over 17 games is a recipe for an injured franchise QB.
What you should do now
If you're looking at the Houston Texans record last year to figure out what happens next, here is the move: watch the offensive line depth. The 2024 season proved that when the protection holds up, this is a top-5 team. When it doesn't, they are a 10-7 team that struggles against bottom-tier defenses like the Jets.
Keep an eye on the 2026 offseason moves regarding the interior line. If they don't fix the guard spots, the record might stay stuck in that 10-win purgatory.
Go back and re-watch the Week 6 game against the Patriots. That was the "perfect" version of the 2024 Texans. If they can play like that for 17 weeks, they aren't just division winners; they're Super Bowl favorites.