The Texans are the AFC South champions for the seventh time in franchise history.
Their win on Saturday evening in Indianapolis, coupled with the Titans' victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars today, delivered Houston the division crown.
That means they'll host the Cleveland Browns next week at NRG Stadium. The NFL will announce the full schedule of playoff games tonight after the Bills at Dolphins contest on Sunday Night Football. They could play on Saturday, Sunday or Monday night.
Houston triumphed, 23-19, at Indianapolis on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium to secure a Wild Card playoff berth, at minimum. The Texans finished with a 10-7 record in the regular season, while the Jaguars and Colts ended up with 9-8 marks.
The Browns beat the Texans at NRG Stadium on Christmas Eve, 36-22. But quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson, Jr. were among several players who were inactive that day. Defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who leads the squad with 12.5 sacks, left the game early in the first quarter with an ankle injury that's sidelined him since that contest.
Regardless of who they face, the Texans were elated to be in the playoffs, and insistent that they were only getting started. Linebacker Blake Cashman is one of the many embracing the chance to play in the postseason.
"Now that we're in the dance, everyone's records are 0-0," Cashman said. "Anything can happen. We're looking forward to this opportunity."
Anderson, too, was thrilled with the opportunity in front of the Texans.
"Everybody's super excited," Anderson said. "We just got to keep going, keep doing us better. Keep grinding and being gritty."
