The NFL playoffs begin today, with 14 teams left on the road to Super Bowl LIX. Wildcard Weekend begins houston texans in the face of Los Angeles Chargerswith the game kicking off at 4:30 p.m. ET from NRG Stadium in Houston.
If you feel a sense of déjà vu after reading this, it's completely understandable. The Texans have reached the playoffs eight times in franchise history, each time qualifying for the wild card round as a division champion.
And all eight of those games were slotted into the Saturday afternoon slot.
The tradition began with the 2011 NFL Playoffs, hosted by the Texans. cincinnati bengals Saturday, January 7, 2012, Wild Card Weekend. Since then, their past seven playoff trips all started in the Saturday afternoon slot.
Start times for every wild card game in Texans history
2011: Saturday 3:30
2012: Saturday 3:30
2015: Saturday 3:30
2016: Saturday 3:30
2018: Saturday 3:30
2019: Saturday 3:30
2023: Saturday 3:30
2024: Saturday 3:30A tradition like no other
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) January 6, 2025
How did they fare in those games? Houston has a record of 5 wins and 2 losses in these playoff races.
- 2011 Playoffs: Texans 31, Bengals 10
- 2012 Playoffs: Texans 19, Bengals 13
- 2015 Playoffs: Chiefs 30, Texans 0
- 2016 Playoffs: Texans 27, Raiders 14
- 2018 Playoffs: Colts 21, Texans 7
- 2019 Playoffs: Texans 22, Bills 19 (OT)
- 2023 Playoffs: Texans 45; browns 14
Houston currently hosts the Chargers, but in many people's minds the Texans face an uphill climb to the divisional round. The Chargers are favored, but as we discussed earlier this week, the Texans have some flaws heading into the playoffs.
Still, Houston playing on the Saturday of wild-card weekend is the NFL's newest tradition.
