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The 2016 Houston Texans season was the franchise's 15th season in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
and the third under
head coach A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manager", as in assoc ...
Bill O'Brien. The Texans' attempt to make history as the first team to play the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
on their home field,
NRG Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...
, was thwarted in the second round of the
2016-17 NFL playoffs 16-17 is a band from Basel, Switzerland. Their music combines punk rock, hardcore punk, jazz and Industrial music, industrial music. Biography 16-17 was founded in 1983 by Alex Buess, Knut Remond and Markus Kneubühler. When the group play ...
by the eventual Super Bowl champion
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
. The Texans finished 9–7 for the third season in a row and clinched the
AFC South The American Football Conference – Southern Division or AFC South is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created before the 2002 NFL season, 2002 s ...
for the second season in a row, winning their fourth overall division title; the Texans finished tied with the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...
, but won the tiebreaker based on record against division opponents. The 2016 season marked the first time in franchise history that the Texans swept the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...
. This marks the second time in team history that the Texans made the playoffs in back to back years, and the first since 2011–12. This was also the first time in their franchise history where their defense ranked number one in the league, despite losing their injured star defensive end
J. J. Watt Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Michigan and Wisconsin and was drafted by the Houston Texans i ...
for most of the season, only allowing 20.5 points per game and only 301.3 yards per game. The Texans defeated the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
27–14 in the Wild Card round and advanced to the Divisional Round for the first time since the 2012 season, but they lost to the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
34–16.


Draft

Notes * The Texans traded their sixth-round selection and wide receiver
Keshawn Martin Keshawn Charles Martin (born March 15, 1990) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the fourth round with the 121st overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. He played college football at Michigan State. ...
to the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...
in exchange for the Patriots' fifth-round selection. * The Texans made multiple trades within the seventh round: ** Acquiring a conditional seventh-round selection in a trade that sent
quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Ryan Fitzpatrick Ryan Joseph Fitzpatrick (born November 24, 1982) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons. During his career, Fitzpatrick started at quarterback for nine different teams, the most ...
to the
New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...
; this selection was upgraded to a sixth-rounder after Fitzpatrick played more than 70% of the Jets snaps in ; ** Acquiring an additional seventh-round selection in a trade that sent quarterback
Case Keenum Casey Austin Keenum (born February 17, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Houston, where he became the NCAA's all-time leader in total passing ...
to the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994. The arr ...
(now
Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
); ** Trading a seventh-round selection to the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...
in exchange for
offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...
Chris Clark; ** Trading a seventh-round selection to the New England Patriots in exchange for quarterback
Ryan Mallett Ryan Mallett (born June 5, 1988) is a former American football quarterback who is currently the head football coach at White Hall High School in White Hall, Arkansas. He played college football at Arkansas, and was drafted by the New England ...
. * Exact numbers of the selections from rounds 4–7 were determined when
compensatory selection The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
s were awarded on March 11.


Staff


Final roster


Schedule


Preseason


Regular season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.


Postseason


Game summaries


Regular season


Week 1: vs. Chicago Bears

Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
started his first regular season game for the Texans at home against the Chicago Bears. Houston received the ball first and made it all the way to the Chicago 34 before an Osweiler pass was intercepted by
Tracy Porter Tracy O'Neil Porter (born August 11, 1986) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. With the Saints, he won Super Bowl XLIV over the Indianapolis Colts, sealin ...
. The Bears capitalized on the turnover with a 1-yard run from
Jeremy Langford Jeremy Langford (born December 6, 1991) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Michigan State, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Early years Langfor ...
. In the 2nd quarter,
Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
fumbled the ball on 4th and 1 at the Houston 31. Cutler recovered the fumble but the drive was turned over on downs. Houston scored on the following drive with a 28-yard field goal from
Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...
. Following a slow offensive start in the first half, Houston trailed Chicago 10–14 at halftime. Momentum shifted in the 2nd half in favor of the Texans, outscoring the Bears 13–0. With the win, Houston improved to 4–0 all time against Chicago.


Week 2: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

The Texans stayed at home for week 2 where they hosted the Kansas City Chiefs, going 0–2 against the Chiefs the previous season, including a 30–0 shutout loss in the Wild Card round. Houston's defense managed Kansas City's offense, holding the Chiefs to only 4
Cairo Santos Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
field goals. The only touchdown of the game came on a 27-yard pass from
Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
to
DeAndre Hopkins DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round o ...
in the 1st quarter.


Week 3: at New England Patriots

The Houston Texans fell to the New England Patriots 27–0, dropping to 2–1 for the season. Problems started early for the Texans as
Charles James Charles James may refer to: * Charles James (British Army officer) (1757/8–1821), English army officer and writer * Charles James (attorney) (born 1954), former U.S. assistant attorney general * Charles James (American football) (born 1990), Amer ...
fumbled a kick return that was recovered by
Duron Harmon Duron Harmon (born January 24, 1991) is an American football free safety for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). Harmon was nicknamed "the Closer" by fans and media for his ability to come up with late, game-sealing inte ...
at the Houston 22. The fumble lead to a
Jacoby Brissett Jacoby Jajuan Brissett (born December 11, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). Following a college football stint with Florida, he played at NC State and was selected in the t ...
27-yard run to extended New England's lead to 10–0 following
Stephen Gostkowski Stephen Carroll Gostkowski ( ; born January 28, 1984) is an American football former placekicker who played for 15 years in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the New England Patriots. He was selected in the fourth round of th ...
's kick late in the first quarter. On the Texans' next possession, a
Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
pass was intercepted by Jamie Collins. The Patriots gained the ball to start the second half and settled for a 25-yard Gostkowski field goal. On the ensuing kickoff,
Tyler Ervin Tyler Anthony Ervin (born October 7, 1993) is a former American football running back and return specialist. He played college football at San Jose State. Early life Ervin was born in San Bernardino, California. He attended Colton High School, ...
fumbled the ball with Jordan Richards recovering it. Like before, the fumble resulted in a New England touchdown with a 1-yard
LeGarrette Blount LeGarrette Montez Blount (; born December 5, 1986) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons. He played college football at Oregon after transferring from East Mississippi Commun ...
run. The loss was Houston's first shutout loss since December 7, 2003, where the Texans fell to the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...
also by a score of 27–0. It was also head coach Bill O'Brien's first return to New England in 5 years, where he served as an offensive assistant in their undefeated regular season of 2007, as wide receivers coach in 2008, quarterbacks coach from 2009–10, and as offensive coordinator in 2011. O'Brien was also part of two AFC-winning Patriots teams in 2007 and 2011, losing the Super Bowl to the
Eli Manning Elisha Nelson Manning (born January 3, 1981) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons with the New York Giants. A member of the Manning football dynasty, he is the youngest son o ...
-led New York Giants on both occasions. Days after the game, defensive end
J. J. Watt Justin James Watt (born March 22, 1989) is an American football defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Central Michigan and Wisconsin and was drafted by the Houston Texans i ...
underwent back surgery to repair a herniated disk. Watt missed the remainder of the 2016 season due to the surgery. Former Texan Antonio Smith was signed to the team to replace Watt for the season.


Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans

Will Fuller's 67-yard punt return TD late in the third quarter helped the Texans defeat the Titans 27-20. With the victory, the Texans improved to 3-1. Houston also defeated Tennessee for the fifth straight time. The victory is the Texans' 100th overall win in franchise history.


Week 5: at Minnesota Vikings

With the loss, the Texans fell to 3-2 and have yet to defeat the Vikings in franchise history.


Week 6: vs. Indianapolis Colts

The Texans hosted their divisional rivals, the Colts, in a prime time match up. Houston's offense got off to a slow start during the first half with the crowd booing quarterback
Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
numerous times. While the offense was struggling, Houston's defense kept them in the game to only trail 3–13 at halftime. The Texans' offense scored their first touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter with a 1-yard run from
Lamar Miller Lamar N. Miller (born April 25, 1991) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Miami and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also pla ...
. Miller's rushing touchdown was his first of the season and Houston's first rushing touchdown of the season. After Miller's touchdown run,
Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...
missed the extra point, going wide right, to trail 9–13. The Texans' offense faltered again while the Colts started to pull away in the fourth quarter to lead 23–9 with 7:04 left in regulation. Down by 14, the Texans refused to give up and started a comeback against the Colts. Houston tied the game with 0:47 left in regulation on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Osweiler to tight end
C. J. Fiedorowicz Colton John "C. J." Fiedorowicz (born October 22, 1991) is a former American football tight end. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Iowa. Early years A native of Johnsbur ...
. With Novak making the extra point, the game was tied at 23–23. Indianapolis tried to win the game in regulation, but were forced to punt with 0:23 left in the game. Houston took the knee to close out the fourth. The Colts received the ball to begin overtime, but failed to make it out of their own territory. On 3rd and 3
Andrew Luck Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during his c ...
was sacked by
Benardrick McKinney Benardrick Cornelius McKinney (born November 19, 1992) is an American football inside linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at Mississippi State and was selected by the Houston Texans in the second round of the 2015 NFL D ...
for a 9-yard loss and Indianapolis was forced to punt the ball away. Houston made it into field goal territory after Osweiler found
Jaelen Strong Jaelen Strong (born January 25, 1994) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at Arizona State. Early years Strong's father, John Rankin, played college basketball at Drexel and died of leukemia i ...
for a 36-yard pass at the Indianapolis 12-yard line. On the next play, Osweiler intentionally ran for a 3-yard loss to help set up a Novak field goal. After Osweiler's set up, Novak made the 33-yard field goal to win the game for the Texans, 26–23. With the win, Houston went to 4–2 on the season, 4–0 at home, and extended their win streak over Indianapolis to a franchise best 2 games.


Week 7: at Denver Broncos

In a MNF matchup, Brock Osweiler returned to Denver for the first time after leaving the Broncos in the offseason. But his success last week wasn't enough this week as the Broncos held the Texans to three field goals for the win. With the loss, the Texans fell to 4–3.


Week 8: vs. Detroit Lions

The Texans rebounded from their dismal Monday Night performance and never trailed in their first matchup against the Detroit Lions since Houston's Thanksgiving 2012 win in OT. With the win, the Texans entered the Week 9 bye at 5-3.


Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Texans got their first road win of the season and their first winning streak since Weeks 1–2, improving to 6–3.


Week 11: at Oakland Raiders

NFL International Series The NFL International Series is a series of American football games during the National Football League (NFL) NFL regular season, regular season that are List of National Football League games played outside the United States, played outside th ...
Following their first road win of the season the previous week, the Texans traveled to
Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...
to face the
Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
in what would be a controversial game. Houston received the opening kickoff and
Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
found
DeAndre Hopkins DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round o ...
for a 60-yard touchdown pass and run, but Hopkins was ruled out of bounds after gaining 24 yards. The instant replay showed that Hopkins stayed in bounds, but the play could not be challenged due to an NFL rule that says a play where a player is ruled out of bounds cannot be challenged. After the officiating error, the Texans' opening drive ended in a 32-yard field goal from
Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...
. In the 4th quarter, with the game tied 20–20, the Texans made it to the Raiders' 16-yard line. On 3rd and 2,
Lamar Miller Lamar N. Miller (born April 25, 1991) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Miami and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also pla ...
ran the ball and appeared to have gained the 1st down, but was ruled just short. On 4th and inches, Houston decided to go for it and handed the ball off to
Akeem Hunt Akeem Bernard Hunt (born February 22, 1993) is a gridiron football running back for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He played college football at ...
. Hunt also appeared to have gained the 1st down, but was ruled short. The play was challenged, but the call was upheld. The spot of the ball on both plays was heavily criticized as both Miller and Hunt appeared to have gained enough yards for a 1st down. On the ensuing drive, Oakland would score the game-winning touchdown with a 35-yard pass from
Derek Carr Derek Dallas Carr (born March 28, 1991) is an American football quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Fresno State, where he twice received first-team All- MWC honors, and wa ...
to
Amari Cooper Amari Cooper (born June 17, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's top receiv ...
. Along the controversial officiating, a fan in the stands shined a laser pointer in the eyes of Osweiler and Miller throughout the game.


Week 12: vs. San Diego Chargers

The Texans fell to the Chargers 21–13, losing their first and only home game of the season and dropping to 6–5.


Week 13: at Green Bay Packers

Houston lost for the first time in Green Bay, falling to .500 and 6-6.


Week 14: at Indianapolis Colts

With the win, the Texans moved up to 7–6 and swept the Colts for the first time in franchise history. They also snapped their three-game losing streak.


Week 15: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

The Texans were down 13-5 at halftime and had a deficit as large as 20-8, but ultimately rallied to win 21-20. With the comeback win, the Texans improved to 8-6 and extended their divisional winning streak to 10 games, and six straight against Jacksonville.


=Notes

= Quarterback
Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
was pulled from the game and benched in favor of Tom Savage during the second quarter. Osweiler went 6/11 for 48 yards and threw two back-to-back interceptions before being pulled from the game in the middle of the second quarter.


Week 16: vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Quarterback Tom Savage got his first career NFL start against the Cincinnati Bengals. Savage struggled in the first half against the Bengals' stout defense, being sacked on two back-to-back plays in the first quarter for a huge loss. The first score of the game came on a last second 43–yard field goal from
Randy Bullock Randy Bullock (born December 16, 1989) is an American football placekicker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M, and was recognized as the nation's best college football kicker a ...
to put Cincinnati up 3–0 going into halftime. The Texans responded on their first possession in the second half with a 25–yard field goal from
Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...
to tie the game at 3–3. The Bengals punted the ball on their next possession. Receiving the ball back, another drive stalled for the Texans as they had to settle for a 22–yard field goal from Novak to take a 6–3 lead. Cincinnati tried to respond to the Houston field goal, but a tipped pass from
Andy Dalton Andrew Gregory Dalton (born October 29, 1987) is an American football quarterback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Red Rifle", Dalton previously played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and ...
was intercepted by
Quentin Demps Quintin Lamon Demps (born June 29, 1985) is an American football coach and former safety, who is the current head football coach of the Judson Eagles. He played college football at Texas-El Paso, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in th ...
. The Texans came up short on the interception and were forced to punt the ball back. After receiving the kick, the Bengals quickly struck with Dalton finding
Brandon LaFell Brandon Josiah LaFell (born November 4, 1986) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft, and has also played for the New England Patriots where he was a member ...
for an 86–yard touchdown pass. With Bullock making the extra point the Bengals took a 10–6 lead with 10:45 left to play. Houston responded on their next drive with a 24–yard touchdown run from
Alfred Blue Alfred Calvin Blue III (born April 27, 1991) is a former American football running back. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Blue is from Boutte, Louisiana and attended Hahnville High School. He playe ...
, but Novak's extra point was blocked. After both teams traded punts, the Bengals marched down to the Houston 25–yard line to try the game-winning field goal. Cincinnati kicker Randy Bullock, who had been released by the Texans the previous season, tried for the game-winning field goal, but it went wide right. With the win and the Tennessee Titans losing earlier in the day, the Texans won their second straight AFC South title.


Week 17: at Tennessee Titans

Tom Savage started at quarterback for the Texans, but was pulled from the game in the 1st quarter due to a possible concussion. After Savage was pulled,
Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
, who had been benched 2 weeks prior, came in as quarterback. With the loss, the Texans finished the regular season at 9-7 for the third straight year. Their ten-game winning streak against divisional opponents was snapped, as well as their five-game winning streak against the Titans.


Postseason


AFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. (5) Oakland Raiders

In a rematch of a controversial game from week 11, the Houston Texans hosted the Oakland Raiders for the first playoff game of the 2016 season.
Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
started as the Texans' quarterback with Tom Savage still out due to concussion protocol. On the other side of the field, Oakland Raiders quarterback
Connor Cook Connor Cook (born January 29, 1993) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans and was their starting quarterback from 2013 to 2015. He holds the record for most career wins at Michigan ...
started his first-ever NFL game, which also happened to be in the postseason, becoming the first rookie in NFL history since the inception of the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...
to do so. With eight minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Texans drew first blood with a 50-yard
Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...
field goal, and a handoff from Texans QB
Brock Osweiler Brock Alan Osweiler (born November 22, 1990) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at Arizona State and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the s ...
to
Lamar Miller Lamar N. Miller (born April 25, 1991) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at the University of Miami and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also pla ...
touchdown and Novak PAT soon made the game 10–0. A 37-yard punt return on a 51-yard punt from
Shane Lechler Edward Shane Lechler (; born August 7, 1976) is an American former professional football player who played as punter for 18 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Texas A&M University and was drafted by th ...
by
Jalen Richard Jalen Cantrell Richard (born October 15, 1993) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He played college football at Southern Mississippi and signed with the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2016. Early life Rich ...
gave the Raiders good field position for a
Latavius Murray Latavius Rashard Murray (born January 18, 1990) is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at UCF Knights football, UCF and was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in ...
rushing touchdown to bring the Raiders back into the game at 10–7 after a
Sebastian Janikowski Sebastian Paweł Janikowski (; born March 2, 1978) is a Polish former American football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons, primarily with the Oakland Raiders. He played college football at Florida State ...
PAT. The Texans and then the Raiders exchanged three-and-outs, setting the scene for a coffin corner punt by Marquette King that pinned the Texans at their own five-yard line. However, the Texans recovered and scored again on a narrowly good Novak 38-yard field goal. A subsequent
DeAndre Hopkins DeAndre Rashaun Hopkins (born June 6, 1992) is an American football wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson and was drafted by the Houston Texans in the first round o ...
touchdown reception further widened their lead to 20–7 at the half. Neither team was able to put anything on the scoreboard in the third quarter. However, with 12:28 left to go in the fourth quarter, Brock Osweiler went untouched for a 1-yard rushing touchdown, making the score 27–7. The Raiders rallied back with an 8-yard touchdown pass from Cook to
Andre Holmes Andre Holmes (born June 16, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. Originally signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Holmes also played for the Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Denver Broncos. Holmes pl ...
, but that would be the last score of the game as Connor Cook's next drive was abruptly halted after a tipped-ball interception by Texans cornerback A. J. Bouye sealed the Raiders' fate. The final score was 27–14 to the Texans.


AFC Divisional Playoffs: at (1) New England Patriots

With this loss, the Texans become the latest victim of the Super Bowl home field curse, as no host team had ever played the championship game on its own home field (with the previous week's victory, they had already become only the third Super Bowl host team - and the first other than the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
- to win a playoff game). They finish with an overall record of 10-8.


Standings


Division


Conference


Statistics


Team


Individual

Source:


References


External links

* {{2016 NFL season by team
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
Houston Texans seasons
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
AFC South championship seasons