Houston Texans announce 2018 schedule

The Houston Texans 2018 regular season schedule features four primetime games, including three at home, and is highlighted by a Texas showdown with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5.

Bill O'Brien kicks off his fifth season as the Texans head coach with a season-opening matchup on the road against the New England Patriots on Sept. 9. Houston will then head to Tennessee to take on the Titans in Week 2. This marks the third time in franchise history the Texans have opened the season with two consecutive road games (2003 and 2008).

In Week 3, the Texans will face the New York Giants in their home opener as Houston is scheduled to play every NFC East team for the first time since 2014. That matchup is followed by a trip to take on the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 30, which marks the earliest Houston has traveled to face Indianapolis since 2006.

Houston's first primetime game comes in Week 5 when the Texans host the Dallas Cowboys on NBC's Sunday Night Football. The Texans will also play the Cowboys in the preseason but have not faced Dallas during the regular season since Week 5 of 2014. Following the Cowboys game, Houston will host the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium on Oct. 14.

In Week 7, the Texans go on the road to play the Jacksonville Jaguars for their third divisional road trip of the year, marking the earliest the team has ever completed all three divisional road trips in a season. Week 8 will feature the Texans' second primetime game of the season and only appearance on Thursday Night Football when Houston hosts the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 25 in a game that will be broadcast on FOX and NFL Network.

The Texans travel to face the Denver Broncos on Nov. 4 before their bye week in Week 10. Houston will come out of the break with a trip to Washington to take on the Redskins on Nov. 18. The Texans and Redskins last met in Week 1 of the 2014 season, which was Houston's first win under O'Brien in his debut as the team's head coach. 

Week 12 will feature the Texans' third primetime game of 2018 and only appearance on ESPN's Monday Night Football when they take on the Titans on Nov. 26. Houston will then remain at home in Week 13 with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 2.

The Texans host the Colts in Week 14, which will be the fifth time in team history the Texans play three straight home games in the regular season. Houston then goes on the road for its fourth primetime game of the year, a Week 15 game against the New York Jets on NFL Network.

Houston will face the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles on the road in Week 16. Paired with the matchup against the defending AFC Champion Patriots in Week 1, the Texans will play each of the Super Bowl teams from the prior year for the second time in team history. The first instance was 2013, when the Texans played both the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers following Super Bowl XLVII.

Houston closes out the regular season with a home game against the Jaguars on Dec. 30. The Texans are 6-2 against Jacksonville under O'Brien and are 11-5 all-time against the Jaguars at NRG Stadium. It marks the 12th time in franchise history and the ninth year in a row that the Texans close the season against a divisional opponent.

HOUSTON TEXANS 2018 SCHEDULE 

Italic indicates games subject to flex scheduling. See notes below.

All kickoff times are Central; # - Televised Nationally; Home Games in BOLD

All games are broadcast live on Texans Radio on SportsRadio610,100.3 The Bulland in Spanish on Mega 101 FM. 

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING

• Flexible scheduling may be applied in Weeks 5-10. During that period, flexible scheduling can be used in no more than two weeks by shifting a Sunday afternoon game into primetime and moving the Sunday night game to an afternoon start time.
• Also, a select number of games are being "cross-flexed," moving between CBS and FOX to bring potentially under-distributed games to wider audiences.
• "Flexible scheduling" will be used in Weeks 11-17 as it has been in recent years. In Weeks 11-16, the schedule lists the games tentatively set for Sunday Night Football on NBC. Only Sunday afternoon games are eligible to be moved to Sunday night, in which case the tentatively scheduled Sunday night game would be moved to an afternoon start time. Flexible scheduling will not be applied to games airing on Thursday, Saturday or Monday nights. A flexible scheduling move would be announced at least 12 days before the game. For Week 17, the Sunday night game will be announced no later than six days prior to December 30.
• The schedule does not list a Sunday night game in Week 17, but an afternoon game with playoff implications will be moved to that time slot. Flexible scheduling ensures quality matchups in all Sunday time slots in those weeks and gives "surprise" teams a chance to play their way into primetime.

2018 HOUSTON TEXANS SCHEDULE NOTES

 Primetime/National TV Notes

• The Texans will play four games on national television during the regular season, including three at home. The Texans have played 34 primetime games (including Thanksgiving) in team history.
• Houston is on NBC's Sunday Night Football once this season: against the Dallas Cowboys on Oct. 7.
• The Texans will be featured on NFL Network's Thursday Night Football once this season: against the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 25.
• Houston will play on ESPN's Monday Night Football once this season: against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 26.
• The Texans travel to the New York Jets on Saturday, Dec. 15. The game will be broadcast on NFL Network. 
• Houston's 13 primetime regular season games from 2016-18 are the most in team history over a three-year span.

Strength of Schedule Notes

• The 2018 season marks the second time in team history the Texans have played each of the Super Bowl teams from the prior year. The first instance was 2013, when the Texans played both the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers following their meeting in Super Bowl XLVII.
• Houston will face three of the top 10 scoring offenses from 2017: New England (second, 28.6 points per game), Philadelphia (third, 28.6) and Jacksonville (fifth, 26.1).
• The Texans also face three of the top 10 scoring defenses from 2017: Jacksonville (second, 16.8 opponent points per game), Philadelphia (fourth, 18.4) and New England (fifth, 18.5).
• The Texans will play seven games against teams that made the playoffs in 2017: Philadelphia (13-3), New England (13-3), Jacksonville (10-6, twice), Buffalo (9-7) and Tennessee (9-7, twice).

Home and Away Notes

• Houston opens on the road for the fifth time in 17 years. It also marks the third time in franchise history the Texans have opened with two straight road games (2003 and 2008).
• The Texans will play three straight home games this season, Weeks 12-14 versus Tennessee, Cleveland and Indianapolis. It will mark the fifth time in team history the Texans have played three straight home games during the regular season.
• The Texans will play back-to-back road games twice during the season, Weeks 1 and 2 at New England and Tennessee and again in Weeks 16 and 17 at N.Y. Jets and Philadelphia.

AFC South Notes

• The Texans close out the regular season against a divisional opponent for the 12th time in franchise history and the ninth year in a row.
• Houston's record against division opponents is 15-9 under Head Coach Bill O'Brien. Houston's 15 wins against the division since 2014 are tied for the fifth-most in the NFL over that span. 
• The Texans are 19-13 against Jacksonville, 15-17 against Tennessee and 7-25 against Indianapolis all-time.
• Under Head Coach Bill O'Brien (2014-18), the Texans are 6-2 against the Jaguars, 6-2 against the Titans and 3-5 against the Colts.
• The Texans split the series with the Titans last season: a 57-14 victory at home in Week 4 and a 24-13 loss on the road in Week 13. The Texans are looking for seven consecutive wins at home against the Titans for the first time in team history.
• Nine of the 16 road matchups against Jacksonville have been decided by a touchdown or less. Houston's eight road wins against Jacksonville are the most in franchise history against a single opponent.

AFC East Notes

• Houston will play every team in the AFC East for the sixth time in team history.  The Texans also faced the AFC East in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015.
• The Texans' last regular season game against the Bills was in Week 13 of the 2015 season. Houston is 4-4 all-time against Buffalo and has won three of the last four meetings.
• The Texans' last meeting with the Dolphins was in Week 7 of the 2015 season and Houston is 7-1 all-time against Miami.
• The Texans and Jets last met in Week 11 of 2015, a 24-17 win for Houston at home. The Texans have won the last two meetings against the Jets.
• This will be the fourth consecutive season Houston has faced New England in the regular season. The two teams have also met twice in the playoffs (2012 and 2016).

NFC East Notes

• The Texans will face all four NFC East teams for the fifth time in franchise history. The Texans also faced the NFC East in 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2014.
• The Texans have not faced the Cowboys during the regular season since Week 5 of the 2014 season. Houston defeated Dallas for their first win in franchise history in Week 1 of the 2002 season.
• Houston last faced the New York Giants in Week 3 of the 2014 season and Philadelphia in Week 9 that year.
• The Texans and Redskins last met in Week 1 of the 2014 season and Houston has won two straight in the series. Houston's 17-6 win in 2014 was their first win under Head Coach Bill O'Brien.  

Broncos and Browns Notes

• The Texans' last regular season game against the Broncos was in Week 7 of the 2016 season. The two teams have faced each other six times in the regular season.
• Houston defeated Cleveland in Week 6 of the 2017 season by a score of 33-17. It was the Texans' fourth straight win against the Browns in the series (2008, 2011, 2014 and 2017).
• The Texans are 6-3 all-time against the Browns, including winning six of the last seven meetings.