Texans Face Challenging Path to Stay in AFC Playoff Race

The Houston Texans have found their way back into the AFC playoff picture heading into the second half of this NFL season after a resilient push from an 0-3 start has vaulted them back to over .500 with a 6-5 record on the year, and right on the cusp of being named among the top seven seeds in the conference.

But while the Texans a riding high on a three-game win streak and now sit in the best spot they've found themselves in all season long, the road ahead to keep the momentum flowing into a third-straight playoff appearance certainly won't be easy.

Texans' Remaining Schedule Ranked Third-Hardest in NFL

Looking ahead on the Texans' schedule, they rank third in the NFL for the toughest strength of schedule remaining (.522), with four of those six upcoming games being up against teams with a .500 record or better.

Coming out of the mini-bye from their win over the Buffalo Bills, it won't be starting off easy with a matchup against the AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts, taking them on for the first of two matchups down the final stretch of this year that could end up as a major boost or a major hit for each team's chances in their race to claim the division.

Immediately after the Texans' Week 13 road trip against the Indianapolis Colts, the Kansas City Chiefs will be waiting for them on the other side with their back against the wall from a turbulent season thus far.

Last time Houston matched up against this Chiefs team, the results didn't pan out too well in their favor in last year's divisional round matchup, in which C.J. Stroud found himself taken down an astounding eight times, leading to a Texans loss. While not a playoff game, the stakes this time around will be high for both sides once again.

The best chance for the Texans to take advantage of their schedule comes right after that Chiefs game with a back-to-back home slate against the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders, currently holding a combined record of 5-15.

If sledding gets tough over the two games preceding those, these two have the chance of being a nice confidence booster heading into the final stretch of the season, headlined by a West Coast road trip to face the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 17, and then finish things off with the Colts in Week 18.

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For the Texans, they'll be getting healthy at the right time with both C.J. Stroud and Jalen Pitre returning from their respective concussions in Week 13, but the urgency to execute right off the bat is definitely high.

Any loss from here on out for the Texans takes a major hit to their hopes of remaining competitive for the rest of this season, especially with teams like the Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens lingering behind them in the Wild Card picture themselves.

The schedule ahead for Houston doesn't do them many favors to continue making strides into the postseason, but if their defense can continue to play at a league-best level while this offense keeps showing positive signs, this roster has a lot of potential for what's ahead.

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