2016 Houston Texans Schedule: Full Listing of Dates, Times and TV Info

The Houston Texans have their franchise quarterback. Or at least they think so. 

Coming off a season in which they won the AFC South despite a revolving door under center, the Texans pilfered Brock Osweiler from the Denver Broncos in free agency. They rewarded the 25-year-old with more than $10 million for every NFL start he's made, inking him to a four-year deal worth $72 million. The deal structurally works as a two-year contract, but it's clear everyone in Houston thinks they've hit a home run.

“We felt like he was a guy that everything that he brought to the table from his command at the line of scrimmage to his skill set as a passer," head coach Bill O'Brien said at the NFL owners' meetings, per Deepi Sidhu of the team's official website. "For a big guy [6'8", 240 lbs]—I’m sure you guys know his history, he played basketball—he’s a very, very good athlete. We think he’s a great fit for our offense.”

Osweiler represents one of two major additions in a revamped Texans offense, with running back Lamar Miller coming over from the Miami Dolphins. Miller will replace former Pro Bowler Arian Foster, who was limited to four games last season because of injury. 

Even if Miller and Osweiler become an average starting duo, they'll represent a step up from 2015. Last season the pupu platter of Alfred Blue and Brian Hoyer made the Texans miss the halcyon days of Ryan Fitzpatrick and Foster of a year before.

With the Texans still boasting one of the NFL's most talented defenses, a step up on offense is all that separates them from being among the AFC's elite. Will that happen in 2016? Let's take a quick look at their schedule and assess what's to come.

Schedule

Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)	TV
1	Sept. 11	Chicago Bears	1 p.m.	Fox
2	Sept. 18	Kansas City Chiefs	1 p.m.	CBS
3	Sept. 22	at New England Patriots	8:25 p.m.	CBS, NFL Network
4	Oct. 2	Tennessee Titans	1 p.m.	CBS
5	Oct. 9	at Minnesota Vikings	1 p.m.	CBS
6	Oct. 16	Indianapolis Colts	8:30 p.m.	NBC
7	Oct. 24	at Denver Broncos	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
8	Oct. 30	Detroit Lions	1 p.m.	Fox
9		Bye
10	Nov. 13	at Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.	CBS
11	Nov. 21	at Oakland Raiders	8:30 p.m.	ESPN
12	Nov. 27	San Diego Chargers	1 p.m.	CBS
13	Dec. 4	at Green Bay Packers	1 p.m.	CBS
14	Dec. 11	at Indianapolis Colts	1 p.m.	CBS
15	Dec. 18	Jacksonville Jaguars	1 p.m.	CBS
16	Dec. 24	Cincinnati Bengals	8:25 p.m.	NFL Network
17	Jan. 1	at Tennessee Titans	1 p.m.	CBS

Analysis

David J. Phillip/Associated Press

The Texans benefit from playing in what's widely regarded as perhaps the NFL's weakest division. The AFC South has had multiple teams go above .500 twice in the last six seasons, and last year Houston tied with Washington (NFC East) for the weakest record (9-7) for a division winner.

Fortunately—or rather, unfortunately for the Texans—things are looking up. The Colts will be vastly improved by having a healthy Andrew Luck around. The Jacksonville Jaguars seem like they're finally making progress in year 906 of their rebuilding project. The Tennessee Titans have Marcus Mariota—the No. 1 pick of the 2015 draft—and...well, I'm sure some other stuff too!

This is a young division. It's an improving one from Houston on down. Each team walks into 2016 thinking it's significantly better than its predecessor. The ceiling for an AFC South winner is probably still in the 11-5 range, but the bottom half of the division stands to be a lot stronger than in years past.

That's bad news for the Texans, who boast a middle-of-the-road overall schedule but one that features a few tough road games.

Houston travels to New England, Minnesota, Green Bay and Denver—all games it would have been an underdog in last season. The Broncos are weaker than the Super Bowl-winning behemoth from a year ago, and the Vikings remain reliant on an aging Adrian Peterson (31 years old). Still, Denver has most of its defensive core returning, and Adrian Peterson is Adrian Peterson; these are two tough matchups.

Couple that with a trip to Indy, and it's possible the Texans are looking at a 3-5 road record as a base. Their home slate is much more appealing. Six of their eight opponents finished .500 or worse last season, and their two toughest are the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals—not exactly road world-beaters.

In a nutshell: The Texans are going to have to do their work at home if they hope to repeat.

Pivotal Matchups

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Houston's easiest games come almost entirely against divisional opponents. Sweeping Jacksonville and Tennessee would go a long way toward locking up a playoff spot. Going 3-1 is a bare-minimum accomplishment; 2-2 and O'Brien might as well book a January vacation.

The two Colts games will obviously go the longest way in determining the division winner. Indy and Houston are far and away the favorites, with one of the two teams winning the division every year since 2009 (Colts 4, Texans 3). If one of the two somehow sweeps the other, it's winning the division. It's about that simple.

The Texans' road schedule is a gauntlet, though. They play three reigning division winners and the Green Bay Packers, who might as well be grandfathered into the conversation. All four of those teams are probably going to wind up in the playoffs again in 2016. The least likely, the Minnesota Vikings, was 6-2 at home last season and only lost to the Seattle Seahawks and Packers.

Going .500 on the road is a win for Houston. If O'Brien can push the Texans to a 6-2/4-4 split, then they're at 10-6 and looking at a playoff spot. That feels like the upper echelon of their ceiling.

Osweiler is a major question mark under center, and his performance last season doesn't speak to any major improvements. Comparatively speaking, Brian Hoyer was better in almost every way than Osweiler in 2015. He had a higher touchdown rate, a lower interception rate, averaged roughly the same amount of yards per attempt and was better by most quarterback metrics.

In standard quarterback rating, ESPN's QBR and Football Outsiders had Hoyer better. Pro Football Focus preferred Osweiler—by one spot. While it's true Osweiler was in his first stint as an NFL starter, Hoyer's not brimming with NFL experience. He made a rather marked improvement from 2014, his first year as an NFL starter, and should settle in as an above-average backup.

Point being: Osweiler didn't engender much confidence last year. If we're throwing a record out there, 8-8 feels right. The away schedule is legitimately difficult, and the Texans didn't make enough of an offensive improvement.