Houston Texans 2026 Schedule: How many primetime games should Houston get?

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The 2026 NFL schedule is set to be released Thursday night and while the schedule leaks have already begun, the Texans are slated to face one of the easiest schedules in the league next season.

Before the full schedule is released, take a look at each team's strength of schedule for 2026.

: NFL Schedule Release – Thursday at 8pm ET on ESPN/NFLN pic.twitter.com/eChBp3QMVa

— NFL (@NFL) May 11, 2026

Last season the Texans were awarded four primetime games, two Monday Night Football, one Sunday Night Football, and a Thursday Night Football matchup. The Texans were then given a Saturday day game against the LA Chargers

Last year’s Primetime games:

• Week 2: MNF (vs Buccaneers) – Loss
• Week 7: MNF (at Seattle) – Loss
• Week 12: TNF (vs Bills) – Win
• Week 14: SNF (at Kansas City) – Win
• Week 17: Saturday (at LAC) – Win

With Houston’s vaunted defense finally receiving the national attention it deserves this offseason, fans will be eager to watch the Texans swarm opposing offenses all year long.

To project how many primetime games Houston could receive, it helps to look at last season’s schedule for context. The Kansas City Chiefs led the league with eight primetime appearances, including an international matchup. The league average sat at 3.5 primetime games per team, though the Saints, Browns, and Titans received none. Meanwhile, 10 teams appeared in at least five primetime contests, with the Cowboys ranking second behind Kansas City with six appearances.

We already know the Texans will travel overseas to face the Jacksonville Jaguars. While that game will not count as a primetime matchup, it will still serve as a marquee showdown between the AFC South’s two playoff representatives from the 2025 season.

I predict the Texans will have five primetime matchups in 2026, featuring multiple NFC East and AFC North opponents.

• Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys – Monday Night Football
• Houston Texans at Philadelphia Eagles – Sunday Night Football
• Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers – Thursday Night Football
• Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens – Sunday Night Football
• Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers – Monday Night Football

Home Matchups:​

• Indianapolis Colts
• Tennessee Titans
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Baltimore Ravens
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Buffalo Bills
• Dallas Cowboys
• New York Giants

Away Matchups​

• Indianapolis Colts
• Tennessee Titans
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Cleveland Browns
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• LA Chargers
• Philadelphia Eagles
• Washington Commanders
• Green Bay Packers

As for predicting the full slate of games, Week 18 is solely reserved for AFC South rivals. The Houston Texans have either played the Colts or the Titans the last week of the season since 2019, with the Jags being the opponent in 2018. Considering Jacksonville and Houston were the two AFC South representatives in the playoffs, I predict the NFL schedule creators will pit the two team against each other to end the season.

The Texans will play eight games against playoff teams, including two against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The schedule is fairly manageable because the Texans came in second in the AFC South, which means they face the second-ranked AFC teams from last year along with the Green Bay Packers as their 17th game.

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