A postseason berth remains well within reach for the Texans. But...if the season ended today, the Texans would not be in the playoffs.
Houston, the Jaguars and the Colts all have records of 8-6. The Texans went to Nashville and won, 19-16, in overtime on Sunday. It pushed their record to 8-6, and the Titans were officially eliminated from the playoffs with their ninth loss of 2023.
Jacksonville lost to the Ravens on Sunday Night Football, while the Colts took care of the Steelers on Saturday evening.
The Jaguars still have the AFC South lead.
Cleveland is the lead Wild Card team because they're 9-5.
Four teams in addition to the Jaguars have 8-6 records. The Colts are one of them. They they beat Houston at NRG Stadium in Week 2 and are ahead of the Texans in the Wild Card spot.
Here's where it gets weird. Even though the Texans beat the Bengals on the road, and have a better record versus division and conference opponents, Cincinnati owns the tiebreaker because the Texans lost their tie-breaker to Indianapolis.
The Bengals, meanwhile, beat Indianapolis, which gives them the tie-breaker.
Ultimately, though, the Texans will get into the playoffs by winning. They host the Browns on Sunday at noon. They host the Titans at noon on December 31. They face the Colts in Indianapolis in the regular season finale. Victories in all three contests would get them into the postseason.
