The Houston Texans have won the AFC South for the second consecutive year and that means they'll be off to the playoffs when the regular season wraps up. As of this writing, the Texans are the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs, sitting as the lowest division-winning seed and therefore having to host whoever the top wild card seed is.
This leaves four potential opponents for Houston if that ends up being the case. They could face whoever doesn't win the AFC North between the Steelers and the Ravens or the Chargers or Broncos. Who would be the toughest and who would give Houston the best chance to win and advance?
Ranking potential Texans playoff opponents from easiest to hardest
4. Denver Broncos
If the season ended today, the Broncos would be the six-seed and wouldn't play the Texans but there's still a chance that the two could match-up in the first round of the postseason either as the 3/6 seeds or the 4/5 seeds. Denver wasn't expected to do much this season but the team has surprised everyone and looks to be headed to the playoffs if they can lock down one more win.
Putting the Broncos in the four spot isn't to say that Denver isn't a good team but rather that they're not a scary team like some of the other potential opponents. Bo Nix is a rookie quarterback who plays like a rookie. If the Texans defense can stifle him and make him uncomfortable, this should be a game they're capable of winning.
That being said, the Broncos defense is one of the best units in the NFL and with the Texans' offensive line issues, that could make this a low-scoring match-up. The hope is that the Texans would be able to topple the Broncos and advance if this ended up being who Houston had to face in the first round.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
In a similar boat, we have the Chargers. No one really expected the Chargers to be any good this year with their cap situation not looking great and it only being the first year of Jim Harbaugh leading the squad. Well, the Bolts are 8-6 and clinging to the seven-seed in the playoffs, as of this writing.
If that result held, the Chargers would play whoever the number two seed was, which probably won't be the Houston Texans. That being said, they are still a potential opponent the team could play. Los Angeles plays in a similar fashion to how Harbaugh's Michigan teams played: they run the ball and play good defense.
Fortunately, the Texans sit in the top 10 as far as best run defenses go so that hopefully wouldn't be much of a problem for the home team. The Chargers wouldn't make this game easy on Houston but fans should feel pretty confident that DeMeco Ryans and company could come up with a strategy to slow down Harbaugh's Chargers.
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2. Pittsburgh Steelers
It's weird to have the Steelers this high as a potential scary opponent considering how their teams are normally viewed but this year's Steelers squad feels different. The team has built a 10-4 record through its first 14 games and they're doing well on both sides of the ball for the most part. Sure, Russell Wilson and the offense took a bit to get going but they've proven that when they're hot, they're hard to stop.
No one wants to have to block T.J. Watt either, who would do whatever he can to make it a long day for C.J. Stroud and the Texans pass-protection. The Steelers haven't been very good in the playoffs in recent years so the hope is that this could be another one-and-done moment for Pittsburgh.
It's also worth noting that the Texans could be playing whoever doesn't win the AFC North so in that case, their first-round opponent could either be Pittsburgh or Baltimore in the first round.
1. Baltimore Ravens
The toughest opponent for the Texans to face in their first playoff game would be the same team that bounced them from the playoffs a season ago and ended their special 2023 campaign. That would be the Baltimore Ravens, who currently aren't winning their division and would be the No. 5 seed if the season concluded today.
The Ravens are scary because they can score at a moment's notice. Lamar Jackson won't win the MVP award this season but he absolutely could have been a candidate to do so. While the Baltimore defense isn't as lethal as it was a year ago, it's looked to have found its footing in recent weeks.
What would help the Texans here if this ended up being the match-up is that Jackson and the Ravens have not played well in the postseason. Jackson has just two playoff wins under his belt since entering the league in 2018 but one of those wins did come against Stroud and the Texans last season.
