In Texans Predictions Part 2, we outlined weeks 5-8 of the NFL season, where the Houston Texans will play the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Indianapolis Colts. For part three of this series, we will be discussing predictions for weeks 9-12 of the NFL season for the Texans.

Week 9- Texans @ Jets (Halloween)

The Texans in Week 9 will be facing the New York Jets, who finished below expectations last season. This is mainly because of the loss of Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 of the season last year, but much blame can also be put on the Jets offensive line as a whole. The Jets were ranked as the 23rd best offensive line by PFF in June of 2023. In addition, they had to deal with many injuries to their offensive line including key starters Mekhi Becton and Alijah Vera-Tucker, who each only played in 5 games last season. The Jets this offseason have used both the draft and free agency to solve this problem going into next season. They used their first round pick in this years draft on Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu, and they added 2 time All-Pro Tyron Smith. The Jets also added Mike Williams at receiver in free agency, which pairs him with 2022 Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson. In combination with the fact that the Texans only have a three day break between their Week 8 and Week 9 games, and my belief is that the Jets take this game, moving the Texans to 7-2 overall.

Week 10- Texans vs Lions (Primetime)

The Detroit Lions will be visiting the Houston Texans in Week 10 of the regular season. The Lions, led by quarterback Jared Goff and breakout receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown on offense, made the NFC Conference Championship game last season, where Dan Campbell showed his aggressive coaching mindset at one of the biggest stages. His calls to go for it on 4th down while in field goal territory could be considered a big reason as to why the Lions lost to the 49ers last season, but many argue that Campbell always had that mindset throughout the year. Nevertheless, the Lions went into the offseason with an optimistic headspace, as they were not projected to go to the NFC Conference Championship game at the start of the season. They signed former Texan DT DJ Reader to a two-year $27.25 million contract in free agency this year, and they built on their secondary with the addition of Terrion Arnold in the draft. This matchup will definitely be a close game and will most likely go down to the final couple of drives, but I have the Lions taking this one, moving the Texans to a 7-3 record.

Week 11- Texans @ Cowboys (Primetime)

Finishing out the last of their three straight primetime games, the Houston Texans will be visiting the Dallas Cowboys in what many expect to be a loud and competitive environment. The battle for Texas is one seen from many sports such as the Silver Boot season series between the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers as well as the rivalries of the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, and Dallas Mavericks in the NBA. The Cowboys, who have made little to no moves this offseason, have lost many players in free agency after Jerry Jones, the owner and GM, was on record for saying that they were going to go “All in” this offseason. Since the start of the offseason, the Cowboys have lost Pro Bowl running back Tony Pollard, All-Pro corner Stephon Gilmore, and All-Pro offensive tackle Tyron Smith. With these major losses to the team and not many additions of free agents to try and stop the bleeding, the Texans should take this one, moving their record to 8-3.

Week 12- Texans vs Titans

Week 12 will be the first of two times that the Texans and Titans will face off in the regular season. The Titans lost All-Pro running back Derrick Henry in the offseason after 8 seasons with the team. They replaced him with former Cowboy Tony Pollard at running back, but it will be almost impossible for them to depend on Pollard as they did Henry. Instead, it will be interesting to see if they split the backfield with second year running back Tyjae Spears, who has an explosive quick step that can penetrate holes on the field. The Titans also signed receivers Calvin Ridley, who has a 4 year up to $92 million contract, and Tyler Boyd, who has a one year $4.5 million contract. They also traded for star corner L’Jarius Sneed from the Chiefs and have him extended until the 2029 free agency class. There are still many questions surrounding Will Levis and their quarterback position, but these may be answered by the time Week 12 rolls around. Overall, however, I still think the Texans will overpower the Titans, moving their record to 9-3.

Wrapping Things Up

The second half of the season will be a challenge period for the young Texans, and the implementation of three primetime games from Weeks 9-11 will show if they’re ready for the big stage. If the Texans have the ability to rally together as a team just like the 2023 season, this upcoming year could include even more wins and a deeper playoff push.