The Texans have become an NFL Wild Card Saturday tradition
If you feel a sense of déjà vu during Chargers-Texans, we understand
The NFL Playoffs begin today, with 14 teams left standing on the road to Super Bowl LIX. Wild Card Weekend gets underway with the Houston Texans facing the Los Angeles Chargers, in a game that kicks off at 4:30 p.m. Eastern from NRG Stadium in Houston.
If you feel a sense of déjà vu reading that sentence, it is more than understandable. The Texans have advanced to the playoffs eight times in their franchise history, each time doing so as a division winner slated to play in the Wild Card round.
And all eight of those games were slotted into the Saturday afternoon window.
That tradition began in the 2011 NFL Playoffs, when the Texans hosted the Cincinnati Bengals on January 7, 2012, the Saturday of Wild Card weekend. Since then all seven of their previous playoff journeys began on the Saturday afternoon window:
Start time for every Wild Card game in Texans history
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) January 6, 2025
2011: Saturday 3:30
2012: Saturday 3:30
2015: Saturday 3:30
2016: Saturday 3:30
2018: Saturday 3:30
2019: Saturday 3:30
2023: Saturday 3:30
2024: Saturday 3:30
A tradition like no other
How have they fared in those games? Houston has a 5-2 record in those playoff contests.
- 2011 Playoffs: Texans 31, Bengals 10
- 2012 Playoffs: Texans 19, Bengals 13
- 2015 Playoffs: Chiefs 30, Texans 0
- 2016 Playoffs: Texans 27, Raiders 14
- 2018 Playoffs: Colts 21, Texans 7
- 2019 Playoffs: Texans 22, Bills 19 (OT)
- 2023 Playoffs: Texans 45, Browns 14
Today Houston hosts the Chargers, but in the minds of many the Texans face an uphill climb to the Divisional Round. The Chargers are favored, and as we argued earlier this week, the Texans have some flaws headed into the playoffs.
Still, Houston playing on the Saturday of Wild Card weekend is the NFL’s newest tradition.