- Super Bowl Championships: 0
- Last Super Bowl Appearance: N/A
- Claim to Fame: They are the only post-merger expansion team to win their first game
- Claim to Shame: Houston is the only NFL franchise to have never played in a conference championship
The Texans are the second NFL franchise to call Houston home. After the Houston Oilers relocated to Tennessee, entrepreneur Bob McNair launched a bid to bring a new expansion franchise back to Houston.
The franchise was awarded to the city in 1999 and began play in the 2002 season. The 2011 year would mark the Texans’ first division title, winning the AFC South with a 10-6 record.
One of the highlights for the franchise in its rather short existence is WR Andre Johnson. In 2017, Houston honored the team’s all-time receiving leader by making him the first player to be inducted into the Texans’ Ring of Honor. Johnson had 13,597 receiving yards for the team over 12 seasons.
Unfortunately, the celebrations ended quickly in 2017, as the season was derailed due to injuries to rookie QB Deshaun Watson and three-time Defensive Player of the Year JJ Watt.
With 19 TDs and 1,699 passing yards, Watson was looking like an early candidate for Rookie of the Year honors. But that ended after he tore his ACL in practice ahead of Week 9. Without Watson under center, Houston would average just 13.7 points per game in the final nine games of the season.
With both Watt and Whitney Mercilus sidelined for 11 games each, the Texans defense allowed the most points in the league. All this led to a rough 4-12 season (7-9 ATS).
But 2018 saw a healthy Watson and Watt lead the team back to (relative) glory, as Houston went 11-5 and won the South again. Heading into 2019, former first-overall pick Jadeveon Clowney may be on the trading block, but their arch-rival, the Indianapolis Colts, are losing a much bigger piece thanks to the retirement of Andrew Luck.
Houston figures to be in the mix for the division crown yet again, and Watson remains an outside contender for NFL MVP.
