Notes on the Texans' 2013 schedule, which was announced on Thursday at 7 p.m. CT:
1. Texans schedule, Twitter-style: The Texans' schedule in 140 characters or less: @ SD(MNF), TEN, @ BAL, SEA, @ SF(SNF), STL, @ KC, BYE, IND(SNF), @ ARI, OAK, JAC, NE, @ JAC(TNF), @ IND, DEN, @ TEN
2. West Coast opener: The Texans' season opener at San Diego kicks off at 9:20 p.m. CT. If that seems unusually late, that's because it is. It's the latest kick and first West Coast Monday night game in team history. It's also the first primetime opener for the Texans since their inaugural game against Dallas in 2002, which was a Sunday night game at Reliant Stadium. Accounting for an overnight flight and two-hour time change, the Texans likely won't get back to Reliant Stadium after the game until Tuesday at 7 or 8 a.m.
3. Road opener: This will be just the second time in eight years under Gary Kubiak that the Texans open on the road. The only previous time was at Pittsburgh in 2008, a 38-17 loss.
4. 4 primetime, 1 at home: The Texans have four primetime games in 2013, a year after they had five nationally televised matchups (four in primetime, one on Thanksgiving Day). Just like in 2012, only one of their primetime games is at home (Indianapolis, Week 9).
5. Flex possibilities: The Texans' home games against the New England Patriots (Week 13, 3:25 p.m. kickoff) and Denver Broncos (Week 16, noon) are prime candidates to be flexed into a later time slot. Flex scheduling begins in Week 11, which means the Texans' games vs. Oakland (Week 11), vs. Jacksonville (Week 12), at Indianapolis (Week 15) and at Tennessee (Week 17) also could be moved.
6. Patriots part deux: The Texans also played the Patriots in Week 13 last season. They lost 42-14 to drop their record to 11-2, the start of a 1-3 skid that knocked them out of the top seed in the AFC. They lost 41-28 to New England in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Both of those games were on the road; this time, the Texans get Tom Brady at Reliant Stadium.
7. Tough stretch 1: Weeks 3-5. The Texans have road games at both of last year's Super Bowl participants (Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers) sandwiched around a home game against the Seattle Seahawks, who went 11-5 in 2012 and were a missed field goal away from playing in the NFC Championship Game.
8. Tough stretch 2: Weeks 13-17. The Texans finish the season with three of four games on the road against division opponents. The only home game in that stretch is against Peyton Manning and the Broncos, last year's top seed in the AFC. The game before that stretch is against the Patriots.
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