With the conclusion of the regular season on Sunday, the opponents for all 2013 regular-season games have been determined. A complete list of each team's home and away matchups was issued today by the NFL.
The Texans' 2013 schedule features games against all four teams in the AFC West, all four teams in the NFC West, a home game against the AFC East champion New England Patriots and a road game against the AFC North champion Baltimore Ravens, in addition to games against the other three teams in the AFC South.
Seven of the AFC South champion Texans' 2013 games will be against opponents who made the playoffs this season. Among them are four home games and three road games, including one at the NFC West champion San Francisco 49ers.
The NFL scheduling formula implemented in 2002 guarantees that all teams play each other on a regular, rotating basis. Every team plays home and away against its three division opponents (six games), the four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle, the four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle and two intraconference games based on the prior year's standings.
Beginning in 2010, a change was made to how teams are paired in the schedule rotation to ensure that teams playing the AFC and NFC West divisions would not be required to make two West Coast trips (e.g. at San Francisco and at Seattle) while other teams in their division had none (e.g. at St. Louis and at Arizona).
Dates and times of the 2013 NFL schedule will be announced in the spring. The 2013 regular season will begin on Thursday night, Sept. 5, and conclude on Dec. 29. Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will be played on Sunday, Feb. 2.
TEXANS 2013 OPPONENTS
HOME: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
AWAY:Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers*
*2012 playoff team
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