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NFL/Teams/Houston Texans
FRANCHISE

NFL franchise story

Houston Texans

Houston's expansion franchise has moved from its first victory over Dallas through the Watt defense and into a new chapter built around C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans.

Every era · The defining players · Five essential games

The franchise timeline

Every era of the Houston Texans.

Move through the franchise chronologically. The jerseys identify each chapter’s central cast, and every card opens the complete story of that era.

Historical reference: Houston Texans official NFL team page ↗
The beginning↓
01▼

Franchise era

2002—2010

01
HOUJOHNSON80Andre Johnson
HOURYANS59DeMeco Ryans
HOUWILLIAMS90Mario Williams

A dramatic debut gives way to patient construction

Building the Texans

Houston beat Dallas in its first game, then developed foundational stars while waiting nearly a decade for its first winning season.

Read the era story →

Chapter 01

2002—2010

02▼

Franchise era

2011—2016

02
HOUWATT99J.J. Watt
HOUFOSTER23Arian Foster
HOUJOHNSON80Andre Johnson

Defense brings January football to Houston

Watt and the first playoff teams

Wade Phillips's defense and Foster's zone running produced consecutive division titles, while Watt became the era's defining defensive player.

Read the era story →

Chapter 02

2011—2016

03▼

Franchise era

2017—2020

03
HOUWATSON4Deshaun Watson
HOUHOPKINS10DeAndre Hopkins
HOUWATT99J.J. Watt

Quarterback promise meets organizational collapse

A brilliant rise unravels

Houston found dynamic quarterback play and won two more divisions before injuries, damaging personnel decisions and off-field crisis ended the core.

Read the era story →

Chapter 03

2017—2020

04▼

Franchise era

2021—2022

04
HOUMILLS10Davis Mills
HOUCOOKS13Brandin Cooks
HOUGREENARD52Jonathan Greenard

Accumulating picks and clearing the roster

The full reset

The Texans accepted a ground-up rebuild, converted veteran value into draft capital and searched for the leadership structure to use it.

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Chapter 04

2021—2022

05

Franchise era

2023—present

05
HOUSTROUD7C.J. Stroud
HOUANDERSON51Will Anderson Jr.
HOUCOLLINS12Nico Collins

A rookie quarterback accelerates everything

Stroud and Ryans arrive together

Ryans restored defensive purpose while Stroud's record-setting rookie season delivered a division title and the franchise's first new foundation in years.

Read the era story →

Chapter 05

2023—present

◆Present day

The essential watchlist

Five Houston Texans games to start with.

Curated from the franchise’s defining eras, championship stakes and the games that still carry its story.

#01 · Wild Card

Wild Card
2012
CINCINNATIBENGALS
HOUSTONTEXANS
2013-01-05

Cincinnati Bengals vs Houston Texans

2013-01-05

#02 · Wild Card

Wild Card
2019
BUFFALOBILLS
HOUSTONTEXANS
2020-01-04

Buffalo Bills vs Houston Texans

2020-01-04

#03 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
2024
HOUSTONTEXANS
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
2025-01-18

Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs

2025-01-18

#04 · Wild Card

Wild Card
2016
OAKLANDRAIDERS
HOUSTONTEXANS
2017-01-07

Oakland Raiders vs Houston Texans

2017-01-07

#05 · Divisional Round

Divisional Round
2019
HOUSTONTEXANS
KANSAS CITYCHIEFS
2020-01-12

Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs

2020-01-12

Season history

Every season

25 seasons · newest first

Game archive

Latest games

422 total · loaded 10 at a time