Four playoff teams from 2020 will visit NRG Stadium next fall. Four playoff teams from this season await the Texans on the road in 2021.
Houston knows its opponents for 16 of the 2021 regular season games. The NFL will likely move to a 17-game schedule, and the Carolina Panthers will likely be the opponent, in Houston. But that schedule addition isn't expected to be announced until later in the winter or early spring.
The full NFL schedule, with dates and times, will be announced in April or May.
In the meanwhile, the combined record of the Texans' 2021 opponents is 132-124, if you double-count the three AFC South rivals.
If you only count the Titans, Colts and Jaguars' respective records once, that combined record of the 13 opponents is 109-99.
The Seahawks, Titans, Colts and Rams will visit NRG Stadium next autumn, and all are 2020 playoff teams. Seattle won the NFC West, while Tennessee took the AFC South crown. The Rams and Colts are both Wild Card entrants.
The combined record, though, of the Texans' home slate is 61-67. The Jaguars and Jets come to town, and they combined to win just three contests this season. The combined road record of the squads coming to NRG Stadium was 26-38 last season.
| 2021 HOME OPPONENT | 2020 OVERALL RECORD | 2020 ROAD RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| *SEATTLE SEAHAWKS | 12-4 | 5-3 |
| *TENNESSEE TITANS | 11-5 | 6-2 |
| *INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | 11-5 | 5-3 |
| *LOS ANGELES RAMS | 10-6 | 4-4 |
| LOS ANGELES CHARGERS | 7-9 | 3-5 |
| NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS | 7-9 | 2-6 |
| NEW YORK JETS | 2-14 | 1-7 |
| JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | 1-15 | 0-8 |
| TOTAL | 61-67 | 26-38 |
| * MADE PLAYOFFS IN 2020 |
On the road, meanwhile, the Texans will see a quartet of playoff squads. Trips to AFC East champion Buffalo and AFC South champion Tennessee are on the docket, as are visits to Cleveland and Indianapolis. The Browns and Colts are both Wild Card participants this year.
The road opponents had a combined overall record of 71-57 in 2020, and at home they were a combined 35-29. Only the 49ers and Jaguars had overall and home records below .500. Because of COVID-19 restrictions in Santa Clara, California, the 49ers played their final three home games of 2020 in Glendale, Arizona.
| 2021 ROAD OPPONENT | 2020 OVERALL RECORD | 2020 HOME RECORD |
|---|---|---|
| *BUFFALO BILLS | 13-3 | 7-1 |
| *CLEVELAND BROWNS | 11-5 | 6-2 |
| *INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | 11-5 | 6-2 |
| *TENNESSEE TITANS | 11-5 | 5-3 |
| MIAMI DOLPHINS | 10-6 | 5-3 |
| ARIZONA CARDINALS | 8-8 | 4-4 |
| SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS | 6-10 | 1-7 |
| JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | 1-15 | 1-7 |
| TOTAL | 71-57 | 35-29 |
