HOUSTON – When the defending AFC South champion Texans square off against some of the top teams in the NFL this fall, they feel well-equipped to compete.
“Yeah man, I’m excited,” Texans Pro Bowl defensive end Will Anderson Jr. said this week. “I mean, we play some new teams this year and I’m excited about that. I’m just ready.”
The Texans’ talent, skill and resolve will all be tested as they face the challenge of a first-place schedule for the third consecutive year.
The Texans have four primetime games and three trips to the West Coast, including a pair of games against the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers. Of course, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud grew up in the Inland Empire near Los Angeles.
That includes primetime games against the Buffalo Bills at NRG Stadium on Nov. 20 on Amazon in a Thursday night matchup between two of the best teams in the league along with a playoff rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs on Dec. 7 at Arrowhead Stadium. That’s where the Texans’ season ended last year as they lost in the AFC divisional round, a stage of the playoffs where they’re 0-6 all-time in franchise history.
The Texans have four total primetime games, including the Bills, Chiefs, a Monday night home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home on Sep. 15 and a Monday night game against the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 20 on the road following an unusually early bye week. The Texans have six nationally televised games overall. The Tampa Bay Monday night home game is their first time hosting a Monday night game since Nov. 26, 2018 and the first home Monday night game in the tenure of coach DeMeco Ryans.
That game follows a road game against the Baltimore Ravens, who dominated the Texans in embarrassing fashion, 31-2, on Christmas Day last year at NRG Stadium.
The Texans open the season Sept. 7 on the road against the Rams, who are led by quarterback Matthew Stafford, wide receivers Puka Nacu and Davante Adams along with defensive end Jared Verse.
The Rams game is followed by a home opener Sept. 15 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars and a home game against the Tennessee Titans and rookie quarterback and top overall pick Cam Ward, a Columbia High School graduate.
The Texans have a three-game home stretch after the Seattle game against the San Francisco 49ers and star running back Christian McCaffrey and defensive end Nick Bosa (Oct. 26), the Denver Broncos and quarterback Bo Nix (Nov. 2) and the Jaguars on Nov. 9.
GET READY FOR THE SHOW 🍿 pic.twitter.com/hRVqP1CIjq
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) May 15, 2025
The Texans close out the season against the Indianapolis Colts in the final week of the season, preceded by a Week 17 game at the Chargers, one of the three West Coast trips. The Texans defeated the Chargers in the AFC wild-card round last season as they intercepted quarterback Justin Herbert three times.
"Man, the biggest thing is not deviating from the swarm mentality," Anderson said. “Everybody on board, everybody’s swarming, everybody playing the defense, everybody going out there flying to the ball, all 11 hats to the ball. That’s the type of defense we want to be, man. I’m excited.
“I’ve been seeing the guys work every day, man, been out there grinding in this heat, and it’s just good things to come for us. Man, I’ve not gonna lie, ever since that last game, I haven’t been able to stay composed. I love this group so much, man. I just see the potential of this team and how great we can be. And the guys we have in the locker room and the coaches we have.”
The Texans are determined to make it back to the playoffs and make an extended, precedent-setting run. They’re chasing a Super Bowl.
“Man, it’s fun,” Anderson said. “I’m really excited about this year, man. Both sides of the ball, just seeing everybody work, no complaining. Like, everybody’s just happy to be there. Everybody’s building bonds. The rookies just got there, man and they’re fitting right in. And I’m excited about the season. I know it’s going to be a good one for us.
“It’s very important. I think we try to do a really good job of setting what type of culture we want. So as soon as (rookies) got here, they know what we’re about, how we move, how we operate, how to work, and I think they’re fitting in just fine.”
NOTE: The Texans’ preseason schedule: at Minnesota Vikings (Aug. 9), home against the Carolina Panthers (Aug. 16) and at the Detroit Lions (Aug. 23).
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com
