At long last, the Houston Texans' 2025 regular season schedule has officially been revealed, and with it, an array of initial predictions and projections for how the 18 weeks of action could pan out for this team eyeing their third-straight division win for the first time in franchise history.
For the Texans, they'll be starting their action off in Week One vs. the Los Angeles Rams on the road, and finish things with a classic division bout vs. the Indianapolis Colts for their final game of the year– and while we already knew the opponents Houston had at hand for this year to come, the new schedule dropping now provides a bit of added clarity for how things could fare for this team in 2025.
In the eyes of Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame, when outlining some initial record predictions in the books just hours after the schedule release, he sees the Texans perhaps be primed for another 10-7 showing in the books for this coming season.
"The Texans still have a problem up front, but the rest of the roster is one of the NFL’s best," Verderame wrote. "Looking at its schedule, Houston has the luxury of playing against a lackluster division, but will be up against the AFC West and NFC West. Those two groups are rife with pass rushers, led by the Denver Broncos, who paced the NFL with 63 sacks."
With both the AFC and NFC West on tap for the coming year, tons of pass rushing and edge talent are set to be facing Houston for the coming year, whether it be from elite names like Maxx Crosby or Nick Bosa, or strong collective defensive units like the Denver Broncos or Kansas City Chiefs. And for a Texans group with a variety of offensive line questions, those could add another layer of challenges for the 2025 campaign.
Yet, the Texans' roster still has a ton of upside to bank on based on the core they've built together. Simply with an offense centered around a star in C.J. Stroud, high-end weapons like Nico Collins and Joe Mixon, and top-of-position defensive talents to pair with, there's a clear runway for a double-digit outcome to soon be in the books for Houston next season.
Sure, the surrounding division could be a bit tougher. The Indianapolis Colts made a variety of defensive improvements, the Tennessee Titans have a new franchise quarterback, and the Jacksonville Jaguars obtained one of the most appealing, versatile prospects in NFL history within last month's draft.
But despite that hectic action taking place over the course of this offseason, don't sleep on what the Texans have in store for 2025. In the eyes of Verderame, another ten-win finish could be the early expectation.
