The Houston Texans are heading into the bye week with an ugly-looking 2-5 record over their first seven games.
That's not where anyone expected the Texans to be at this point in the year. Many viewed this Houston roster to have one of the league's best defenses and a much-improved offense to rank towards the top of the AFC, but Houston now is just hoping that they can hang onto a spot in the Wild Card.
So now, the pressure is on for the Texans to kick it into high gear after the bye, and put some wins together and climb out of the deep hole they've since dug themselves into. Only four more losses would guarantee Houston finishes the year under .500, and pretty much ends any hopes of being one of the final playoff teams in the conference.
But just how well might the Texans fare through their next four games on the schedule? Is there any hope that Houston can run the table for a perfect 4-0 stretch? Or is that post-bye-week success just wishful thinking?
Let's pass some of the time through the Texans' Week 8 bye by predicting how each of Houston's next four games on the schedule could go, and what their record could end up looking like coming out of that Week 12 matchup:
Dec 27, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) passes the ball as. Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) applies the pressure during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Texans have no choice but to take care of business in this game against the currently winless Chargers. And even while taking the long road trip to the West Coast, it feels like Houston should still be able to do so.
They'll be well-rested after the bye, with guys such as Jalen Pitre, Reed Blankenship, and David Montgomery possibly returning , and have an ideal matchup against a struggling Chargers offense for their defense to have a bounceback from the woes they encountered against the New York Giants.
The Chargers currently average the lowest points per game in the NFL (15.0), are bottom five in total yards per game (287.2), and are one of two teams to have not recorded 10 touchdowns or more through the first seven weeks of the season.
If the Texans can't get their defense right against this team, it'll be hard to find a better matchup for them to do so.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) throws on third down during the fourth quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Deshaun Watson revenge game... maybe?
The Texans have only faced off against their former quarterback once since they shipped him to the Cleveland Browns in 2022, and it was in that one matchup that Watson actually got the last laugh in a 27-14 victory over Houston back in December of 2022.
Fast forward to 2026, and Watson gets another chance to face his former team. And there's no question that both sides will be looking significantly different than they did from that last meeting four years ago.
Each team has cycled through some head coaches. C.J. Stroud will get his first opportunity to face the Texans' former signal-caller, and the Browns are surprisingly coming together for one of their more solid seasons in recent memory with a 5-2 record through seven weeks.
Heading into the season, many probably would've picked the Texans to take home a victory here pretty convincingly. However, considering how each of these teams has kicked off the first half of their schedule, and how inconsistent Houston has been on both sides of the ball, it's a whole lot harder to have that same confidence here.
Based on what we've seen through seven games, the Browns might just have the upper hand with a respectable defense, strong coaching, and momentum on their side to give Watson a 2-0 record against Houston.
Prediction: Texans Lose, 20-21
Sep 27, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) drops back to pass against the Houston Texans in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
We'll keep this one quick. The Texans, at this point in the season, would be desperate to cling onto a victory against the Colts to try and go on a late-season run, especially after having dropped their last meeting against Indianapolis to find themselves 0-3.
The Colts have been the trade deadline's biggest sellers thus far with moves to already send out Quenton Nelson and DeForest Buckner. And with two more weeks to go, this roster could be down even more key contributors like Josh Downs, or even Jonathan Taylor.
The Texans have little excuse not to split the season series against Indianapolis. It was a shock that Houston couldn't claw out a victory in Week 3 after Daniel Jones had committed a total of three turnovers through the day, and it'd be even more surprising to see the Colts get another win here with a worse roster for meeting number two.
Houston should win this one rather convincingly on their home field, and perhaps even in a bit of a blowout fashion. It'd certainly be a plus for team morale.
Prediction: Texans Win, 33-10
Oct 4, 2026; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) drops back to pass during the first half against the Tennessee Titans at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
There's no doubt that this game is the toughest Houston has on the schedule through the next four weeks: Houston gets to host Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens on their home field at Reliant Stadium with their backs against the wall to try and avoid another loss on the books.
Perhaps the Texans have a fighting chance in this one. If their offense can pick up a bit more steam compared to what they showcased against the Giants, and the defense looks healthy and at least a little bit closer to their 2025 status, Houston can pull out a much-needed win against a tough Ravens opponent.
But the Texans' defense hasn't exactly shown to be a reliable force when it comes to stopping some of the best quarterbacks on their schedule right now. They've fallen flat against Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Dak Prescott, and Jackson finds himself right on the same caliber as those guys.
Last year, the Texans dominated the Ravens in their Week 5 matchup, 44-10 . But that was without Lamar Jackson on the field, paired with what was then a dominant defense that was just starting to catch its stride. For this season's matchup against Baltimore, the situation could look a whole lot different.
When combining Houston's recent troubles against opposing quarterbacks, along with their struggles against the run (plus tackling) against an evasive offense led by Lamar and Derrick Henry, I have my reservations about the Texans being able to get a home victory here.
Prediction: Texans Lose, 18-24
This would not be the most ideal outcome for the Texans, all things considered. At 3-1, or even running the table at 4-0, there starts to be a whole lot more optimism in play that Houston can turn their season around for a late bid into the postseason.
But with seven losses in 12 weeks, the Texans would have to essentially win out through the rest of their schedule to have a chance at a Wild Card appearance.
However, that's simply the price to be paid for the Texans' slow start to the season. Margin for error becomes a whole lot thinner, and only a couple of losses across their next four games could be just enough to bury their hopes of clawing into the postseason for a fourth-straight season, let alone win the AFC South.
Of course, there are a lot more games to go, and anything can happen throughout the next 10 weeks. If this is the end result for Houston following Week 12, though, it's going to be hard to feel a whole lot better about the Texans' odds to make a late-season run from what things look like right now.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Predicting Texans' Next 4 Games After Disappointing 2-5 Start .
