Texans clinch AFC South division title for 2nd straight season

For the second consecutive season, the Houston Texans have been crowned AFC South champions.

The clinch guarantees the Texans a spot hosting a game in the Wild Card round of the 2024 NFL Playoffs.

Entering Sunday, the 8-5 Texans needed a win over the Miami Dolphins and a loss by the Indianapolis Colts—their division rivals—to punch their ticket to the postseason.

In the early slate, the Texans’ defense forced four turnovers en route to a 20-12 victory over the Dolphins.

• Collins has 2 TD catches, Texans force 4 turnovers in 20-12 win over Dolphins

A few hours later, the Denver Broncos scored 24 unanswered points in the second half to come from behind and beat the Colts by a score of 31-13.

Now with a 9-5 record, the Texans sit as the fourth seed in the AFC. They are one game behind the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have a 10-4 record following a 27-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

There’s still a lot of football left to be played, but the Texans have the highest probability to host the Baltimore Ravens, Los Angeles Chargers or Denver Broncos on Wild Card weekend.

The Colts, who now have a 6-8 record, are not yet mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, but they need a lot of things to go their way in the coming weeks to have a chance to make the postseason.