The Texans are ready for the primetime.
The NFL thinks so anyway. When the NFL released its 2024 schedule Wednesday night, the Texans were selected to play six primetime nationally televised games this upcoming season, which is a franchise record.
But that’s what comes with increased expectations following a surprising season in which the Texans won the AFC South Division and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. It also doesn’t hurt that the franchise has a seemingly star-in-the-making young quarterback in C.J. Stroud and the Texans have loaded up some talent around him with the additions of All-Pro receiver Stefon Diggs and running back Joe Mixon.
The NFL has rewarded the Texans’ improved talent with the primetime exposure that wasn’t given to them last season. In addition to the nationally televised games, the Texans will also be featured in the NFL’s new deal with the streaming service Netflix as part of a Christmas Day package in which they will face the Baltimore Ravens.
The Texans will be featured on two Sunday night home games for the first time since 2012.
There had been speculation that the Texans would be in line for more primetime games than the one they were flexed into last season when they beat AFC South rivals the Indianapolis Colts to clinch a playoff spot. When second-year head coach DeMeco Ryans met with the media last week, he didn’t know anything for certain, but he seemed ready for the increased spotlight.
“There’s a lot of hoopla and speculation about who’s playing where, primetime,” Ryans said. “For me, when the ball is kicked off, we don’t care how many cameras are on us, we don’t care what network has the game. We’re trying to be the best football team on the field that day.
“All the outside stuff, it really doesn’t matter to us. It’s just noise. Noise for other people to talk about. But for us and how we approach it, it’s about being the best football team on the field.”
The Texans will kick off their national television slate with the preseason-opening Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Chicago Bears on Aug. 1 in Canton, Ohio.
The Texans then face the Bears again during the second week of the regular season for a Sunday night NBC game at NRG Stadium. It’s one of two Sunday night NBC games for the Texans, who also face the Detroit Lions on Nov.10 for a home game.
Another primetime game comes when the Texans hit the road to face Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets in a Thursday night game carried on Amazon Prime on Oct. 31. They also travel to Dallas to take on the Cowboys in an anticipated Texas showdown in a Monday Night Football game on ESPN on Nov.18.
The Texans have a fairly manageable early schedule that gets decidedly rougher following their Week 14 bye week. They close out the regular season with a four-game slate that has them hosting Miami and Baltimore and with road games at Kansas City and Tennessee for the finale.
HOUSTON TEXANS 2024 SCHEDULE
| Week | Day | Date | Opponent | TV Network | Kickoff Time | ||||||
| 1 | Thursday | Aug. 1 | at Chicago Bears | ESPN/ABC | 7 p.m. | ||||||
| 2 | Friday | Aug. 9 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | ABC13 | 6 p.m. | ||||||
| 3 | Saturday | Aug. 17 | NEW YORK GIANTS | ABC13 | Noon | ||||||
| 4 | Saturday | Aug. 24 | LOS ANGELES RAMS | ABC13 | Noon | ||||||
| Week | Day | Date | Opponent | TV Network | Kickoff Time | ||||||
| 1 | Sunday | Sept. 8 | at Indianapolis Colts | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 2 | Sunday | Sept. 15 | CHICAGO BEARS | NBC | 7:20 p.m. | ||||||
| 3 | Sunday | Sept. 22 | at Minnesota Vikings | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 4 | Sunday | Sept. 29 | JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 5 | Sunday | Oct. 6 | BUFFALO BILLS | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 6 | Sunday | Oct. 13 | at New England Patriots | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 7 | Sunday | Oct. 20 | at Green Bay Packers | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 8 | Sunday | Oct. 27 | INDIANAPOLIS COLTS | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 9 | Thursday | Oct. 31 | at New York Jets | Prime Video | 7:15 p.m. | ||||||
| 10 | Sunday | Nov. 10 | DETROIT LIONS | NBC | 7:20 p.m. | ||||||
| 11 | Monday | Nov. 18 | at Dallas Cowboys | ESPN | 7:15 p.m. | ||||||
| 12 | Sunday | Nov. 24 | TENNESSEE TITANS | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 13 | Sunday | Dec. 1 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | FOX | Noon | ||||||
| 14 | BYE | ||||||||||
| 15 | Sunday | Dec. 15 | MIAMI DOLPHINS | CBS | Noon | ||||||
| 16 | Saturday | Dec. 21 | at Kansas City Chiefs | NBC | Noon | ||||||
| 17 | Wednesday | Dec. 25 | BALTIMORE RAVENS | Netflix | 3:30 p.m. | ||||||
| 18 | TBD | TBD | at Tennessee Titans | TBD | TBD | ||||||
