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Mark Stoops would speak publicly prior to the Texans heading on the road for their Week Four game against the Carolina Panthers. Stoops would make it clear that the set of players had currently had working on the active roster were showing a level of commitment that he had hadn't seen from a set of players in the National Football League before and that he felt that he felt that this year could be the year that the Texans finally feature in an AFC Championship game. Stoops would make it clear that he was incredibly pleased to have beaten all the AFC South divisional rivals once already, and felt that Dak Prescott had very much cemented himself as a key playmaker for the Texans. Stoops would make it clear that he was incredibly pleased with the manner in which the receiving unit was working with Dak and that with a solid defence he was hopeful the Texans would falter in the same way they had last season.
The trip to Carolina would not be an easy contest, although the Texans would have a very positive start to the game as the first half would see Judge Sanborn convert two field goals, whilst Hamler would make yet another receiving touchdown for the season and would be joined by Cohen with a rushing TD, with the Panthers only scraping one field goal of their own ending the half at 20-3. It would be a tale of two halves though, with the Panthers playing with a much more positive attitude in the second half. Halliday would convert a FG, whilst Fromm would score a running touchdown for Carolina that would be followed up by Froom finding Moore with a passing touchdown which would tie the score at 20-20. Randall Hyder though would score a critical receiving touchdown for the Texans that would edge them in front once more. The game would end with the Texans being 4th & 15 on the halfway line with about twenty seconds left on the clock, but clearly not looking to risk turning over the ball. So much to everyone's surprise Tarik Cohen would fool the Panthers by looking to run forward, only to turn on his heel and run back in the opposite way and would find himself tackled for a team safety with time having run out of the clock in a very high IQ move from the former Aggies player.
27 - 22
Houston Texans
10
10
0
7
27
Carolina Panthers
0
3
10
9
22
The Texans would return home for Week Five to play the New England Patriots for the first time in a number of seasons looked as if they might have finally started to become seen as relevant since the retirement of Tom Brady many seasons ago and with Belichick no longer involved in any capacity. The Texans would start the same well scoring sixteen unanswered points in the first half with Sanborn scoring a hat trick of field goals and Tarik Cohen scoring a receiving touchdown, before Patriots QB Rosen would finally put some points on the board for the Pats as he would throw a short 4yard pass to Moss at the end of the first half with the Patriots trailing 7-16.
(Josh Rosen - New England Patriots QB1)
The third quarter would see Rosen throw his second passing touchdown of the game as he would find Harry for another short pass with New England now only trailing by two points, only for the gap to increase again by three as Sanborn would score his fourth field goal of the game take the score to 14-19 with just one quarter remaining. The Texans wouldn't lose the lead again though as Sanborn would score his fifth and sixth FG of the game with the Patriots only managing to score one of their own in-between the Texans scores.
17 - 25
New England Patriots
0
7
7
3
17
Houston Texans
6
10
3
6
25
Danielle Hunter would be recognised for his performance against the Patriots as he would be named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week with 5 Tackles and 3 Sacks in the game.
(Danielle Hunter - Houston Texans Left End)
Following the game Texans second year kicker Judge Sandborn would be quoted saying this after the game: "When I was drafted by the Texans I knew that the kind of football games that Stoops and Stormberd like to play, often means they don't like to risk making plays on the 4th down and instead hope for either positive yardage from a punter or successful conversion from the kicker so having score six in one game, today really felt like it meant a lot. The game against Jacksonville where I score five also felt like a really positive day for me, and I am extremely happy the team decided to go with me as the 1st choice kicker this season. Go Texans!"
Week Six would hold similarities to Weeks 3, 4 & 5 as it too would prove to also be a one score game with the Texans really having to battle on the field once more. It would be the Falcons though who would plays with early aggression with Mullens throwing two passing touchdown to Cooks and AJ Brown giving Atlanta an early 0-14 lead, with the Texans having to rely on Mr. Reliable Judge Sanborn who would convert field goals that would see Houston trailing 6-14 at the end of the half.
The second half would see Cohen make a reception for the Texans first touchdown of the game, although they would deploy the special teams unit to the field only to fail to convert the two point conversion trailing the Falcons by two at 12-14. The fourth quarter would be where it really got interesting though as Prescott would throw the ball to Hooper who would break through tackler for a 31 yard recieving touchdown with the Texans taking the lead for the first time in the game at 18-14, and would choose to gamble and this time convert the two point conversion increasing their lead now to 20-14. The gap would be bridge once again though as Mullens would throw his third touchdown of the game for Cooks' second receiving touchdown, but the Falcons would attempt and fail the 2PAT with the score level at 20-20.
(Austin Hooper - Houston Texans Tight End)
The game would come to a close with the Texans finding themselves within comfortable field goal range with 90 seconds on the clock, and it was clear that some clock management was taking place to run down the clock down as much as possible before sending out Judge Sanborn to finish the game off. However, as the Texans continued to move the chain forward they would go for a gamble that would see Dak Prescott sneak forward to score a rushing touchdown of his own that would prove to be the winning stroke for the Texans.
27 - 20
Houston Texans
0
6
6
15
27
Atlanta Falcons
7
7
0
6
20
(Nate Burleson - former WR Vikings, Seahawks, Lions, Brown - 2003-2014)
Speaking on 'Good Morning Football' Nate Burleson would make a point that football fan should be much more excitement about the Texans start to the season this year than they had been last year. Burleson would remind the fans that at this point last year the Texans had also been undefeated at 6-0, but had been going through a different contractual talk with Deshaun Watson. Now with Dak Prescott and group of players that clearly wanted to be part of the Houston setup and therefore he felt that it was highly unlikely that the Texans were going to crumble and that there was realistically no chance that Houston wouldn't have at least eleven wins in the regular season.
(John Collinson) It would be revealed by the National Football league would be forced to reveal that John Collinson was currently in talk with four franchises and that at this stage in negotiations because of Collinsons intent of relocating the franchise he took over that the Bengals, Panthers, Giants and Ravens were there four team that been given permission for talks to continue further.
The last time the Texans had played the Browns it had been last season in Cleveland and been Houston's first loss of the season as they narrowly lost 24-27 after Browns' kicker McManus had scored a field goal on the last play of the game. This time however in Week Seven it with home field advantage and with and on an unbeaten run it was clear that the Texans didn't want to falter this time round. This time round though the game would prove to be a one-sided affair.
(Baker Mayfield - Cleveland Browns QB1)
Unfortunately for the Texans all the traffic would go against them with Mark Stoops suffering his first career shut out, with Baker Mayfield throwing three passing touchdowns and Brown kicker Anderson converting twice. The real fault of the game would seem to be Dak Prescott and his offensive line-men as Prescott would find himself up ending the game with a 54% completion rate (18/33) and would throw three interception and be sacked six times. For the second time in as many season the Texans unbeaten start to the season would end at the hand of the Cleveland Browns, the reigning Super Bowl Champions.
27 -0
Cleveland Browns
7
10
10
0
27
Houston Texans
0
0
0
0
0
Marks Stoops and Stormberd were visibly less than impressed by the being shutout by the Browns, but considering the calibre of team that the Browns had become in recent years if you were going to be shut out by anyone then that was the team to do it. During the rest of the weekend, Dallas Cowboys QB Matthew Buckley would suffer a major injury and Dallas would find themselves with out a competent QB for the rest of season.
(Jay Gruden - Dallas Cowboys Head Coach)
Mark Stoops would pick up on this and spot an opportunity for the Texans as a massive trade deal had been offered. The Texans would trade away second string QB Morgan Gifford (Rating 80) as well as a second round pick in the 2029 draft in exchange for a pair of wide receivers in Brandon Fowler (Rating 76) and Amari Cooper (Rating 78).
(Amari Cooper - Wide Reciever)
A point would be raised that Dak Prescott had worked with Cooper and Fowler previously at the Cowboys, so both mean would offer good options coming off the sidelines as backup options for the Texans. It could also suggest that certain members of the receiving team might be in their final year of contract with the Texans. Mark Stoops would also make the point that it was important that good relations were present present the Texans, The Cowboys & The Express and that the state of Texas had to look after each other during times of trouble. Stoops would also make the point that he personally had a lot of time for Gruden and he felt Jay was one of smarter coaches in the league.
The Texans would remain at home for Week Eight were they would play host to the Buffalo Bills, fortunately for Houston fans this would be a much more positive game for Mark Stoops' team. The first half would see Houston score 21 unanswered points as Dak Prescott would clearly have turned around the corner of having had a horrible game the week previous and would throw three passing touchdowns to Hyder, Fulller and finally Amari Cooper who would score his first touchdown as a Texans after his trade in the middle of the week, with Cooper sliding straight into the setup and clearly understanding how to work in a scheme involving Dak Prescott. The second half would see the Bill put more points on the game and would see Allen throw two passing touchdowns for the Bills, with the Texans only able to pin on an extra field goal but with the points margin the Texans would take the game, and at the halfway point in the season go to 7-1 for the season.
13 - 24
Buffalo Bills
0
0
7
6
13
Houston Texans
7
14
0
3
24
The Texans would have a much better start to the second half of the season than last season as Houston would run riot as they played hosted to the New Orleans Saints (Week Nine) and would see Tarik Cohen have his best game day performance as a Houston Texan, so much so that he would be pencilled as the AFC Offensive Player of the Week before it was even awarded.
(Tarik Cohen - Houston Texans Running Back)
Cohen would have a monster game which would consist of 19 carries for 323 rushing yards with six rushing touchdowns with the only other point for the Texans coming about by a receiving touchdown from KJ Hamler and two field goals from Sanborn. The Saints defence was clearly the reason for New Orleans loss, but their offensive would actually perform at a high level as Tua Tagovailoa would throw three passing touchdowns of his own to accompany a lone field goal from the Saints.
(Tua Tagovailoa - New Orleans Saints QB1)
24 - 57
New Orleans Saints
7
7
0
10
24
Houston Texans
7
21
9
20
57
After an massive win and standout performance from Tarik Cohen the Texans would find themselves at 8-1 for the season and finding themselves in an incredibly strong position considering last season they had won the AFC South with a record of 9-7 although it looked high unlikely that the Texans were going to suffer that sort of collapse anytime soon. The Texans would luckily enjoy a rest as Week Ten would be their assigned Bye Week.
Week Eleven would be massive week for Mark Stoops as it would be the first time since his termination that he would return to Las Vegas to play the Raiders. The franchise where Stoops had won his first Super Bowl in 2021 as well as twice winning Head Coach of the year consecutively 2020-2021. The man who had replaced Stoops, Mike Tomlin though had retired at the end of last season so the Raiders would now be led by rookie coach Stephen Crandall. It was clear that Stoops was unwilling to bad mouth the Raiders, and it had been well documented that he had find himself fire from his role as head coach after losing to Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card Round in 2022. One thing was clear though at the Allegiant Stadium and that was the Raiders fans would show a lot of appreciation for Stoops, as man members of the Raider Nation felt that if Stoops hadn't been terminated the franchise could have become multiple Super Bowl winners during the last decade.
The contest would begin with the midseason acquisition Amari Cooper showing his true stock value as he would receive the ball for 15 yards to score Houston's first touchdown of the game and also become Stoops first touchdown against his former team. The pressure on the Raiders would continue as the teams moved into the second quarter as Dak Prescott would throw for two more passes finding Tarik Cohen and Will Fuller V with the Texans finding themselves leading 21-0 on the road. Josh Jacobs would offer a bit of push back for the Raiders though as he would rush for 13 yards to get some points on the board for the Raiders with the first half ending with Houston unable to get enough distance down the park so resorting to a field goal converted by Sanborn.
(Josh Jacobs - Las Vegas Raiders Running Back)
The second half would start with far more intensity with 22nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft kicker Jonathan Song converting an important field goal for the Raiders, only for Randall Hyder to top up the Texans balance by taking a short pass for 7 yards to give Houston their fourth touchdown of the game. Keke Coutee (who had formerly played for Stoops at the 49ers) would score the final points of the game with a receiving touchdown from Deshaun Watson as Mark Stoops would have returned to Las Vegas with a win over his former team.
31 - 17
Houston Texans
7
17
7
0
31
Las Vegas Raiders
0
7
3
7
17
For the second consecutive week a Texan would win the AFC Offensive Player of the Week with this time Dak Prescott being recognised for his 4 touchdowns for 323 with a 26/35 completion rate and having only been sacked twice. The win over Las Vegas had been Houston 9th of the season.
(Will Full V & DeSean Hamilton - Houston Texans Wide Receivers)
It would be announced during the build up to the Week Twelve game at home against Tampa Bay that that senior wide receivers Will Fuller V (Rating 70) & DeSean Hamilton (Rating 69) would not have their contracts renewed and that this would be their final season with the franchise. This news wasn't seen as a total surprise considering the recent trade deal that had been Amari Cooper & Brandon Fowler recently join the Texans setup. The game against the Buccaneers would be much harder than Houston might have expected with the Tampa's 5-5 record as Tampa Bay would score three unanswered touchdowns and have a completely solid defence that would shutout the Texans for the first three quarters. The Texans would only manage to score a consolation touchdown with 2026 third round pick Grayson Callaway scoring a receiving touchdown in what had proven to be quite a disappointed game for Houston.
21 - 7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
7
7
7
0
21
Houston Texans
0
0
0
7
7
Week Thirteen would prove to be unlucky for the Texans as they would travel to New York to play the Jets. The game would begin with a fairly quiet first half with the Jets only managing to convert two field goals taking a 0-6 lead at the end of the first half. New York would then mount on the pressure as their RB Bonds would crash over for a rushing touchdown to further extend their lead, although they would fail a two point conversion but find themselves 0-12. Will Fuller V who had recently found out he was playing out his final season as a Texan would show Stoops potentially what he was missing out on as he would catch the ball deep in the Texans half and score an impressive touchdown that would move his team 75 yards down the pitch. Grayson Callaway would score his second receiving touchdown in consecutive weeks for the Texans to be followed up by a Judge Sanborn field goal as the Texans had turned the game on its head and now found themselves leading 18-12. To the total distress of the Texans though, there defence wouldn't be able to hold as Sam Darnold would throw a touchdown late to Cephes with the Jets scoring a touchdown with just 0:10 left on the clock, only to convert the point after to win the game by just one point.
18 - 19
Houston Texans
0
0
7
11
18
New York Jets
3
3
6
7
19
Houston for the first time had lost two game in a row now holding a record of 9-3 and would find themselves knowing their next game would be against the Miami Dolphins, the team that had eliminated them from last season's playoffs during the Divisional Round. This time round though the Dolphins were having a much more challenging season with a 4-8 record and have fallen massively in comparison to least season 13-3 performance. The Week Fourteen game though would prove to be a very close game with the Dolphins clearly motivated by playing one of better teams of the 2027 season.
The first half would see both side seemingly mirror each other with George Kittle scoring the Dolphins first points of the game with a 22yard catch from Burrows for the touchdown, only for Will Fuller to balance the sheets with a reception of his own. Kittle though would score his second touchdown of the game at the start of the second quarter only for for Antonio Gibson to score a rushing touchdown for the Texans with the scores being tied up 14-14 at the end of the first half.
(George Kittle - Miami Dolphins Tight End)
George Kittle was really having a great game and had really evolved as a player after having been traded away to the Dolphins during Stoops' tenure at the 49ers, as Stoops had favoured trading for Brycen Hopkins at the time. Kittle though had solidified himself as arguably the Dolphins best player and was showing his worth once again against the man who traded him away, almost as if this was personal for him. The second half though would be less exciting with the third quarter being scoreless. Sanborn would put the Texans in the lead for the first time in the fourth quarter only for Myers to convert a field goal of his own for the Dolphins with the score tied level at 17-17 with very little time on the clock. Sanborn though with very little time would make a 57 yard kick for the Texans to give Houston their tenth victory of the year.
20 - 17
Houston Texans
7
7
0
6
20
Miami Dolphins
7
7
0
3
17
The Texans were in the knowledge that they now had three game remaining, with all of these being played against their AFC South Divisional Rivals with a home field game against the Colts before going on the road to face the Jaguars and the Titans.
AFC SOUTH
WINS
LOSSES
Houston Texans
10
3
Indianapolis Colts
8
5
Tennessee Titans
7
6
Jacksonville Jaguars
5
8
The Texans would know going into their final home game of the regular season that a win over the Colts would confirm themselves with a playoff spot by winning the division. Mark Stoops would make it clear just exactly what his feelings were with just three games left to go of the regular season.
"This football team has really put in the hard work this season and the brand of being a Texan is something that people are really starting to take notice of. We are football team whose reach is extending outside of the state and a global following is beginning to emerge and that is why it is vital that we rewarded those that support us. The target this season has to be being involved in the AFC Championship game - we have to overcome the hurdle of the divisional round and I have full confidence that we will be able to do this. We are still on course for my three year plan, and so realistically I do see this great franchise playing in next season's Super Bowl, but who knows maybe we are going to achieve that goal a year earlier than planned for."
The Week Fifteen encounter would be a season defining game for the Indianapolis Colts with the x4 Super Bowl Champions knowing that if they lost this key AFC South game they would have to rely on other result to earn a wild card slot in this years playoffs. For the Texans the pressure was still present, just not at the same volume. To make matters more challenging the Texans would come across one of the leagues quarterback that Houston seemed to always have problems with Andrew Luck.
(Andrew Luck - Indianapolis Colts QB1)
The first point of the game though would come from Grayson Callaway the second year Tight End who was proving to be a very competent understudy to Austin Hooper with Callaway make a short catch for a 6 yard touchdown giving the Texans an important early lead. The Colts though muster back their own offensive work as Luck would throw to Sermon in the second quarter, and with both team having a very cagey first half the scores would be tied at seven apiece. The third quarter would see both sides looking to turn up the heat a little bit more with KJ Hamler scoring a second touchdown for the Texans only for the play field to be levelled once again with Luck find Ross to tie up the ball game 14-14. The fourth quarter though would be where the real separation would become present with the work rate and fitness difference being made slightly more clear. The Texans would push deep into the Colts red zone, but although they would secure a vital TD they would be in comfortable kicking range for Sanborn to edge the Texans ahead. Then in impressive fashion Tanner Cash (2nd String QB) on 4th and Goal would pull off a trick play and instead of holding the ball for Sanborn would catch the Colts defence totally off guard and spring forward for an unexpected rushing touchdown.
14 - 24
Indianapolis Colts
0
7
7
0
14
Houston Texans
7
0
7
10
24
With the Texans having claimed the AFC South for the second year row, but in a much strong position than last year they would be in the knowledge that all they needed was one more win to guarantee themselves a top two ranking and avoid the Wild Card Weekend and move directly into the Divisional Round. In Week Sixteen however the Jaguars knowing their season was already over seemed to determine put on a solid performance in front of their home fans which led to a real tight scrap taking place between the division rivals. Jacksonville would opening up the scored by making light of a bad throw form Prescott as they would rush for 51 yards to score a defensive touchdown to take an early lead much to the joy of the home crowd. Will Fuller V though would show that he was still committed to the team had spent the last twelve years with despite being on his way out with a massive 49 yard distance to even up the the game at 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. Randall Hyder would continue to show why he had become the Texans lead man in the receiving unit as he would catch short for Prescott second passing touchdown of the game in creasing the Texans lead, with Jacksonville only able to convert a FG with Houston narrowly leading 14-10 at the break.
The third would would see the Jaguars continue to pill on the pressure constantly knocking on the Texans door until Westbrook would run a slant route and be picked up to knock the Jaguars in the lead with Jacksonville seemingly intent on ruining Texans hopes of home field advantage. Within the two minute warning period Judge Sanborn would be successful though for the yet another field goal for the season that would result in the game being sent to overtime. Much to the Jaguars dismay though the Over Time period wouldn't last very long as Tarik Cohen would blast through the D-Line and sprint for a massive 75 yards to score a game winning touchdown and confirming the Texans as the #1 seeds in the AFC.
23 - 17 (OT)
Houston Texans
7
7
0
3
6 (OT)
23
Jacksonville Jaguars
7
3
7
0
0 (OT)
17
The win would take the Texans to 12-3 for the season meaning they were know equal to their best season finish ever of 12-4 which took place in 2012 under Gary Kubiak. The win would also be Mark Stoops 100th career win which was a notable achievement for any head coach in the National Football League.
Mark Stoops: 100 Wins / 43 Losses / 1 Tie - Win 0.694%
Mark Stoops would make quite clear ahead of the final game of the season away at the Titans that all 1st string players would be rested with 3rd Strings, 2nd String and backups dependent on the position would start the game and would be given Week Seventeen's game as an opportunity to show him and the rest of the Houston coaching team how they were able to compete during a regular season game. The Texans would perform much better than would have been expected of them with Grayson Callaway really shining with more time on the field and would score both the Texans receiving touchdowns of the game which would be thrown by Tanner Cash. Cash who was no stranger to the team having been involved in a number of trick plays through the season on 4th down would throw for a 58% completion with only 1 interception. It was unlikely that Tanner Cash was going to become the Texans 1st String QB anytime soon, but he had good progression for a potential backup and Special Teams player.
17 -24
Houston Texans
7
7
3
0
17
Tennesse Titans
0
10
7
7
24
AFC SOUTH
WINS
LOSS
%
Points Difference
Houston Texans
12
4
0.563
+33
Indianapolis Colts
9
7
0.500
+10
Jacksonville Jaguars
7
9
0.438
-17
Tennessee Titans
7
9
0.438
-51
(Randall Hyder - Houston Texans WR1)
Randall Hyder would be recognised by the Houston Texans as their Player of the Season, and although Hyder might not have been topping the league in touchdown scored he had been consistently one of the most reliable player for the Texans throughout the majority of the regular season and was the man that had proven to be safest option for Dak Prescott to throw the ball too, especially during 3rd down.
The Colts, Tampa Bay and Detroit would all pick up win on their return trip to the playoffs with a range of time differences between how long some of them had been present at the post season. Unfortunatley the Seahawks, Steelers, Jets and Cardinals would get to enjoy a return to the playoffs in the same fashion. The point would be raised that only three team that had been present in 2026 playoffs had earned progressed to the playoffs in 2027: The Las Vegas Raiders (would lost to the Browns in the Divisional Round), The Houston Texans (would lost to the Dolphins in the Divisional Round) and the Cleveland Browns who had been Super Bowl LXI champions meaning only these three franchise had managed to retain form and all three team were part of the AFC, which mean no matter what a new NFC Champion would be crowned.
For Houston this game was going to be a real test of their strength and determination, as in their short history they had never advanced further than the Divisional Round. To make this game even more intense the Houston Texans (12-4) would discover they would be facing off against their AFC South Rivals - the Indianapolis Colts (9-7). The only real positive that the Texans could take go into the contest was that they had beaten the Colts home and away during the regular season, but as all football fans know the playoffs is a whole different game altogether.
Both teams would look nervous as the ball game would begin, with both teams seeming to be spending much more of their focusing on holding a strong defence and they seemed unwilling to take risks whist going forward in what became a slow battle of attrition. The Colts though would be the only team to score in Q1 with a field goal from Ellis, with Q2 also being lowering scoring with Sanborn levelling the scores with a FG for the Texans only for Ellis to score a second for Indianapolis as the Colts would take a narrow 6-3 at the end of the first half.
(Andrew Luck - Indianapolis Colts QB1)
Andrew Luck would start to shine and show some real intent going forward and would start to gain more positive territory for the Colts than Prescott seemed able to do for the Texans, although neither team would be able to add any points of their own in the third quarter. Luck though would finally throw a missile that would be caught by Sermon as the Colts would increase their lead with seven minutes left on the board at 13-3 and the Texans looking on course to once again failing to make it past the Divisional Round. Tarik Cohen would step up to the mark though as he would puncture a hole through the Colts defence as he would dash for 20 yards to score Houston's first touchdown of the game with five minutes left to go closing the gap to 13-10.
(Tarik Cohen - Houston Texans Running Back)
The pressure though would really mount on the Texans as they would decide against the onside kick and have to hope to keep the Colts from scoring so that they could recover the ball, which they were able to do but would have less than two minutes but all three of their timeouts to get themselves within Judge Sanborn's kicking range. Stoops though clearly had other plans as even when Houston found themselves in kicking range, they carried on pushing up the field when finally as if a gift from the Gods Prescott would throw a ball to Randall Hyder for 28 yards that would loop over the top of the defenders allowing Hyder to cross over the pain and score a touchdown with just 19 seconds left on the clock which would put the Texans ahead by four and the Colts simply wouldn't have enough time available or the means of scoring a touchdown of their own as the final whistle would be blown after a few plays following the restart.
13 - 17
Indianapolis Colts
3
3
0
7
13
Houston Texans
0
3
0
14
17
The win over the Colts would become the biggest achievement in the franchise history as they would know find themselves just one game away from the Super Bowl in what would be Houston's first ever AFC Championship, with the Texans now having to wait to see who they would play between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns.
Following the win a clearly emotional Cal McNair who had not been scared of talking to press would have this to say: "This is without a doubt the best day in the history of the Houston Texans. As a franchise we always had this shadow lingering over us, as we were the only team in the entire league to have never played in a conference championship, but from this day forward we will never have to worry about anyone hanging that title over our heads ever again. Mark Stoops promised me he was a man that could turn this franchise into a championship winning team, and part of me doubted whether this was even feasible and I apologies for doubting. Mark is staying true to his letter of his three year plan of Houston reaching the Super Bowl, but if we win next week he might of reached the crown join in just two. He won his first Super Bowl in his third season with the Raiders and his second Super Bowl in his first season with the 49ers, so who is to say that can't win it in his second season with the Houston Texans! Yeehaaaaaawwwww!"
Results from the Divisional Round: Detroit Lions31 - 28 New York Giants
Las Vegas Raiders 7 - 28 Cleveland Browns
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17 - 21 San Fransisco 49ers
The matches would be setup with The Texans knowing they would have to beat the the reigning Super Bowl champions the Cleveland Browns if they wanted to achieve the ultimate goal of reaching a Super Bowl for the first time in their history. On the other side in the National Football Conference the Lions would be set to face the 49ers. If the Lions won they would have the chance of playing in their first ever Super Bowl, although they would have to beat the x6 Super Bowl winners the San Fransisco 49ers who had last won the trophy in four season ago. What made all of this even more interesting for football fans is that there was a chance that Mark Stoops could find himself playing against the team that he had help built into a championship winning team if both the 49ers and Texans were able to win next week.
The Texans would go into the AFC Championship knowing that they would have to not only beat the reigning Super Bowl Champions to advance to the Super Bowl themselves, but also be aware that that in Week Seven the Browns completely shutout the Texans at the NRG 27-0 in what had been Stoops first career shutout, so this was already looking to be the hardest test that Mark Stoops and the Houston Texans had faced on two separate ways. Meanwhile the Browns clearly needed to win this game as a playing in a second consecutive Super Bowl could really solidify them arguably the most dominant team of the decade.
The Texans would have a much more positive start than their previous game against the Browns as Tarik Cohen would score an early 18 yard touchdown, very much preventing the means of the Texans being whitewashed again by the Browns. What really was apparent though was that the Houston defence seemed to be very secure and was very much targeting Baker Mayfield at every opportunity, whilst at the same time Houston focused on running yards as their was a strong recognition that the Browns had a strong ability to defend the ball in the air. The second quarter would see the Texans continue to use the rush to their advantage with Wimbley (Full Back) scoring his first touchdown of the season for a 7 yard run only for Antonio Gibson to score a third for the Texans with a rushing TD of his own and the Houston found them in an unexpected position of 0-21. Cleveland's kicker Andersen would convert a FG late in the first half, but it was clear that no one could quite believe the lead that Houston had built up already.
The focus for the Houston was clearly a strong defence now that they had points on the board, and that in turn meant that they would continue to avoid throwing the ball as much as they could. The third quarter would be incredibly low scoring with the only points being scored coming from a second Andersen FG, however with just one quarter left to play and the score at 6-21 the Browns need two touchdown and at least one 2 point conversion to just level the scores. However, it was the Texans would suffer with some drama as the Browns would hit Dak Prescott hard forcing a team safety, but Prescott would actually be forced to leave the field injured very much being a nightmare situation as the Texans without Prescott was an entirely different setup altogether.
(Dak Prescott - Houston Texans QB1)
Tanner Cash would find himself slotting in as the team quarterback in the historic must win game, with the 2nd year QB only have played on full game in his career in the Week Seventeen game against the Titans and was generally only used as part of Special Teams. It was clear that Tanner had been instructed to take on a very low risk approach to the game, so much so that Tanner one a number of 2nd down would actually just choose to utilise the QB kneel with it becoming incredibly clear that Mark Stoops wanted Houston to run down the clock. This approach would see the young punter Jimmy Bowden being used as a key tool as the Texans would almost be building their offence around punting away the ball, choosing to use their defence as their main weapon. This strategy proved to be very effective and the Browns would only manage to score once in the fourth quarter by way of Mayfield rushing touchdown.
15 - 21
Cleveland Browns
0
3
3
9
15
Houston Texans
7
14
0
0
21
(Lamar Hunt Trophy - AFC Championship)
The win for Houston would see the Texans win the Lamar Hunt Trophy for the first time in the franchise's history, but also technically make the Texans undefeated in Conference Championship games, whilst Stoops would now hold a 60% win record in conference championship games as a Head Coach. The result mean that the Texans would now feature in the franchise first ever Super Bowl game, and mean that now it was just the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Detroit Lions who were the only two teams in the National Football League to have never reached the Super Bowl.
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
21 - 23
The win for San Fransisco would mean that Super Bowl 62 would see the 49ers face the Texans in what would be quite a rivalry, considering it was was Stoops former team.
(Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens QB1) Lamar Jackson would be recognised as the season Most Valuable Player, which would mean for the second year in a row the league MVP had not featured in playoffs - which was becoming a bit of a puzzling concept. Mark Stoops though would win his 4th Head Coach of the Year award and had started to cement himself as one of the great head coaches of a generation, although considering he was the only man to lead two different teams to the Super Bowl and had a chance of turning that record into three if Houston won in a week time in Dallas.
With a record of 11-5 the San Fransisco 49ers had reached their first Super Bowl whilst under the guidance of new Head Coach Doug Marrone, who had strangely enough been the man who had been chosen take Mark Stoops position whilst Stoops had still be in contract. So on that basis alone it was clear that their was a certain level of animosity between both men.
(Doug Marrone - San Fransisco 49ers Head Coach)
In Mark Stoops two previous Super Bowls he had fought in close scoring games with Super Bowl LVI being one score game of 26-20 in the Raiders vs. The Bears whilst Super Bowl LVIII had been even closer with the 49ers only winning the game by two at 11-9 against The Browns. The Texans though would not suffer from the same fate as they would have a truly excellent start to game. Austin Hooper would score a short 1 yard pass to opening up the game with its first touchdown in the first quarter, only for Tarik Cohen to follow up in Q2 with a rushing touchdown of his own from 33 yards out. Judge Sanborn would even manage to convert a field goal, as the first half would end without the 49ers having score a single point on the board at 0-17.
The 49ers would score have a more positive start to the second half to the second half as Dante Pettis would score an important touchdown thrown by Perry Thurmond to put on the first point on the board for San Fransisco.
(Dante Pettis - San Fransisco 49ers Wide Receiver)
Any sort of a comeback though would be halted as Austin Hooper would make his second receiving touchdown of the game to increase Houston's lead with San Fransisco now need to score three touchdowns in order to get back into the contest, and it would prove to be a climb to far for the 49ers as neither team would score another point in the game as the Texans defence would shut out the 49ers to take the game.
7 - 24
San Fransisco 49ers
0
0
7
0
7
Houston Texans
7
10
7
0
24
Dak Prescott would be awarded the MVP of the game with 16/19 passes at a 84% completion rate and two passing touchdowns. It would also mark Mark Stoops third Super Bowl crown with his third team cementing him as the great multi team Head Coach ever in the history of the National Football League.
It would be confirmed during the offseason that the 2028 season which would also be Stoops tenth season in the National Football League, would also be Mark Stoops final season as a Head Coach. It however would surface that Cal McNair had made an executive decision and that Stoops' assistant coach Jarno Stormberd had been offered a two year contract and would take on his first head coach role following Stoops' departure at the end of this season. Stormberd who had proven himself over the years as being an expert of the free agency market would be given the keys to the private jets as he would spend the offseason securing a number of high calibre players needed to strengthen the Texans lineup. The following players were signed up by Stormberd.
Player
Position
Rating
Matt Hennessy
Centre
79
Devin White
Middle Linebacker
94
Kendall Fuller
Cornerback
84
Jalen Ramsey
Cornerback
89
Jake Bailey
Punter
71
Brycen Hopkins
Tight End
90
Jameis Winston
Quarterback
72
Dewayne Hodges
Strong Safety
79
(Devin White MLB & Jalen Ramsey CB)
Devin White and Jalen Ramsey were two of three men that had been unexpected signings as both men were in peak condition, but had found themselves in positions with a really lack of progression in their career. It was clear that both saw a future in Texas that had been present in their previous teams.
Brycen Hopkins would be reunited with Stoops, and Hopkins third team in his career would also be Stoops although it would be confirmed that Hopkins was very much part of Stormberd's long-term plan for years to come. Hopkins would reveal that "I loved playing for the offensive scheme in Las Vegas and the same scheme was present in San Fransisco, and I noticed the structure was very similar during the Super Bowl contest so I knew that I would be able to come to Houston and slide into place. I also feel that as an offensive minded tight end, the Texans are the best choice for me to try and accomplish my goal of being one of the highest scoring tight ends of all time."
A number of very important trades took place that would also see some massive changes to the Texans depth chart. After just one season in Houston senior Strong Safety Jonathan Abrams (Rating 79) found himself being traded away to the Seahawks in exchange for a third round pick as it was clear that Abrams was moving into the twilight year of his career. Another man who was starting to show sign of regression was Tight End Austin Hooper (79 Rating) who was also traded for a third round pick with the Green Bay Packers, with it not being a surprise considering Hopkins signing and Grayson Callaway proving himself a strong 2nd String player last season.
It would also emerge that Tarik Cohen (Rating 80) had been traded in exchange for Reggie McGill (Rating 79) MLB formerly of the Titans, with it being viewed as a strange decision to send Cohen away in exchanged for a 2nd String Linebacker option, so it wasn't surprising when a second trade would be announced as the Texans would trade MLB Paddy Fisher (Rating 79) with the Carolina Panthers in exchanged for their Running Back Christian McCaffrey (Rating 90) who was now in the latter stages of his career but still looking incredible strong, but had actual become the Panthers second string RB at the end of last season.
(Christian McCaffrey)
2028 Draft Pick
Player / Position
University
Rating
Round 1 #32
LaMichael Rose (FS)
Cincinnati
71
Round 3 #16
Ian Chapman (WR)
Louisville
69
Round 3 #22
Vondre Steed (CB)
Florida
69
Round 3 #32
Chandler Tait (P)
North Dakota State
69
Round 4 #32
AJ Pierre (FB)
Nevada
72
Round 5 #32
Solomon Burke (WR)
North Dakota State
66
Round 6 #32
Ellis Beal (SS)
Arkansas State
65
Round 7 #32
Shawn Short (MLB)
UL Monroe
60
Mark Stoops would make a point following the draft that a number of key player were already signed to the franchise and that players would really have to prove themselves in preseason to prevent themselves being sent to the practise squad, and that he would make the point that he wouldn't be surprised if some members of this draft class found themselves playing for another franchise before the the midseason point was reached.
The Houston Texans would start the season with the knowledge that this would be Marks Stoops' tenth and final season as a Head Coach in the National Football League, but also be aware that Stoops' longtime assistant Jarno Stormberd would be running the franchise as their new Head Coach for a minimum of two seasons. The Texans found themselves in a strange position as they would begin the season as the reigning Super Bowl Champions and for their first time in their short history being seen in a very different light than previous seasons. Although, considering some of the high profiles signing including Devin White - MLB (Rating 94) Jalen Ramsey - CB (Rating 89) & Brycen Hopkins TE (Rating 90) the Texans actually looked as if they had a much stronger lineup than they had the season previously.
(Devin White - Houston Texans Middle Linebacker)
And it would be fair to say that the Texans would have the most fantastic start to the season as they would pick up four victories in a row in the opening month of the season with victories over the Colts (28-34), the Broncos (11-36), the Packers (28-12) & the Jets (17-24). What would become really noticeable in the first month of the season was that the Texans' defence was noticeably stronger and tighter than it had been last season with players like K'Lavon Chaisson (LOLB), Devin White (MLB), Jahir Irons (CB) and Jadeveon Clowney (Defensive End) really shining through and proving a strong cornerstone to Houston's defence each and every week.
(Brycen Hopkins - Houston Texans Tight End)
Brycen Hopkins currently in his ninth year in the league though was truly proving to be the man of the moment as his athleticism both as a guard and as a receiver were really starting to shine through and show why he was such an important signing for the Texans as he would slot perfectly into the offensive scheme and became one of the most reliable players for Dak Prescott to slot the ball too. It was also clear that Hopkins had great chemistry with Hyder, Cooper, Fowler and Callaway to the point that the receiving unit showed signs of being one of the most effective in the league in regards to gain territorirty in the air, which of course only made Dak Prescott's job as the franchise's QB1 just that much easier.
The impressive form of the Texans would continue, which was proving very little surprise to everyone else in the league much to their annoyance as comparisons were now being made to the spell of dominance that had once been held by the New England Patriots. As the Texans would crush the Colts in Indianapolis (35-3), followed by a Bye Week before continuing on their unbeaten run beating the Vikings (17-42), the San Antonio Express in an all Texas derby (42-10) and the Las Vegas Raiders (9-17) to take Mark Stoop's Texans to 8-0 in the midpoint of the season.
(Dak Prescott - Houston Texans QB1)
Prescott was having a truly immense start to the season as was currently having the best start of any QB in the league having thrown for 2,108 yards with a completion of 70% (163/234) for 9 interceptions for a truly massive 26 passing touchdowns, with the closest highest scoring QB being Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens) with 20 touchdowns. His receiving unit share of the pass were Brycen Hopkins (11 TD), KJ Hamler (4 TD), Randall Hyder (3 TD), Amari Cooper (3 TD), Brandon Fowler (2 TD) & Grayson Callaway (2 TD) with all six men focused on the team doing as well as possible without worrying about their own personal accomplishments.
McCaffrey meanwhile was proving to be really important member of the offence currently having the most rushing yards out of any player in the NFL with a 820 yards but for only 2 touchdown. Ezekiel Elliot (Indianapolis Colts) had recovered 19 yards less than McCaffrey but had score 8 touchdowns for the season, but it was clear that the Texans' RB was serving a purpose that was essential to aiding Prescott in having all the 1st downs he needed to throw vital passing touchdowns.
AFC SOUTH
WINS
LOSSES
TIES
Houston Texans
8
0
0
Indianapolis Colts
4
4
0
Jacksonville Jaguars
5
4
0
Tennesse Titans
2
6
1
Marks Stoops would make himself very clear during a midseason press conference that he felt that the Texans realistcally could achieve the impossible and have a perfect season of 16-0 if they were to not suffer any major injuries, although Stoops would make it clear that he felt that even 2nd String and Backups in various positions were of a high enough level that even that wouldn't be a major problem. He would expand by saying - "This football club has real potential for the future and I know that when Jarno takes over next season, all the hard work we have both done is going to continue into future season. I can't think of anyway to finish my coaching career than for this franchise to have a perfect regular season and then successfully retain the Super Bowl. This is the aim of this franchise and I know I speak for everyone when I say, that is our only objective. Retain our crown."
The second half the regular season would be a rough start for the Texans despite Prescott throwing a massive seven touchdowns in one game as the Texans would crush the Detroit Lions 13-52 to continue their impressive steak to 9-0 with yet another victory at the NRG Stadium. Unfortunately, the Texans would suffer two major injuries that had the potential of seriously ruining the Texans chances of defending their crown. Christian McCaffrey would find himself leaving the field injured with a realistic expectation returning at the earliest during Week 16 whilst QB1 Prescott would also have injured himself and would be out for four weeks of action. This would mean that Texan would have to call up Jameis Winston to play as starting QB, with Winston having only been used in a number of a trick plays and not throwing one single play in the QB for the entirety of the season and now finding the whole fate of the franchise resting on his shoulders.
(Jameis Winston - QB2 Houston Texans)
Much to most people surprise, but clearly not Stoops and Stormberd otherwise Winston would have been signed as the back up the Texans would continue their winning ways claiming more victories and maintaining their unbeaten streak by defeating Jacksonville (3-34), the Chicago Bears (38-9), Tennessee Titans (28-12) in a game where Judge Sanborn would kick an impressive seven field goals in a game that would seemingly prove to be the Texans most challenging contest of the season so far. The victory would take them to 12-0 for the season, which would result in them winning the AFC South for the third successive season.
Week Fourteen would prove to be most challenging game of the season for the Texans as the Kansas City Chiefs would really pile on the pressure with Patrick Mahomes directly his team with his high powered game brain and it was clear that Mahomes was unwilling to allow Houston to bully the Chiefs in the same fashion they had other team during the season. And for the most part the Chiefs would keep close contact with the Texans only for Houston to show why they were by far the strongest team in the league this season with late touchdown from Hopkins and a season first for Fullback Wimbley taking a 30-19 victory in Kansas that would take the Texans to 13-0 for the season.
Mark Stoops would receive good news that with three games left to go in the season Dak Prescott had been cleared and would be available once again. Stoops though would offer high praise for for Jameis Winston who had thrown eleven passing touchdown in four games and scored two rushing touchdowns and make the point that Winston had done everything he expected of a veteran backup QB to bring to a team. Stoops would then make it clear that he had never won more than 13 games in a regular season, and still very much felt that Houston were capable of having a perfect season but would make it quite clear that he was incredibly nervous about the next fixture at home against the Titans.
Stoops though would have nothing to worry about however as despite the game being a close cut affair with the Texans winning by their smallest margin of the season (27-35), however going to 14-0 for the season wouldn't also go down in the record books as Stoops best performance in the regular season but it would also see a member of his playing roster achieve a massive personal achievement.
Hopkins 100th career touchdown was really important as it proved that Stoops had been correct in utilising Brycen in a manner that Mike Tomlin and Doug Marrone had been unable to do after Stoops respective departure from the Raiders and the 49ers. It was also clear by Hopkins had been so interested in following Stoops when trades offers and free agency signing had become available. The Texans would continue on their winning run to wrap up their season with a second victory over the Jaguars at (38-19) and confirm the sixteenth win by beating the infamous Cleveland Browns (34-15).
Houston would now join the 1972 Miami Dolphins and 2007 New England Patriots as the third team in history to have a perfect regular season.
The regular season would see the Houston Texans have a stacked number of statistics to mark the end of the season. Dak Prescott would end the season having thrown 3,262 yards (255/265) for a 70% completion rate in which he had thrown 44 touchdowns. Many analysts felt that if Prescott hadn't missed 25% of the season because of injury he would could very easily have had a 50+ touchdown season considering the form he had been in. The point would also be made, that because Dak had missed a number of games it would be harder for him to be awarded the league MVP despite his incredible involvement in the Texans 16-0 season.
(Dak Prescott - Houston Texans QB1)
Prescott's distribution with the ball (alongside Jameis Winston 11 passing touchdowns) meant that the receiving until found themselves in the position of having a massive haul for the regular season. KJ Hamer netted 12 TDs, Hyder 11 TDs, Amari Cooper 5 TDs, Bret Fowler 4 TDs, Callaway 2 TDs & Wimbley 1 TD. The special mention though must be given to the man of moment Brycen Hopkins who was the season receiving touchdown high scorer with 20 touchdowns, in what was the 4th most touchdown in one season. Brycen Hopkins now has 102 touchdown to his name, finding himself 10th in the All Time List for Receiving Touchdowns.
Devin White also had an outstanding first season with the Texans for a total of 141 tackles (109 individual / 32 assisted), whilst Clowney successfully made 13.5 sacks for the season.
The Steelers would clearly have felt some confidence after beating the Ravens, but would find themselves being absolutely spanked by the Texans. Prescott would throw four passing touchdown finding Cooper x2, Hyder x1 & Hopkins x1 with Christian McCaffrey also scoring a rush touchdown as the Texans would win their second divisional round game in consecutive season 3-35 with Mark Stoops' Texans moving to 17-0 for the season.
Results From the Divisional Round: Arizona Cardinals 27 - 24 Los Angeles Rams
Indianapolis Colts 28 - 27 Miami Dolphins
Dallas Cowboys 22 - 15 Green Bay Packers
17 - 35
The Texans would win their second AFC Championship in a row and have the opportunity to defend their Super Bowl crown at Super Bowl 63. In a game where Prescott and Winston would score three rushing QB touchdowns between them, as well as Antonio Gibson rushing over and a Pick 6 from Devin White saw the Texans absolutely dominate their AFC South rival moving on to 18-0 for the season, being just one win away from not only winning back to back Super Bowl crowns but also one win away from a complete perfect season. To make Mark Stoops final match as a Head Coach even more interesting it would be revealed that it would be an all Texan affair as the Cowboys beat the Cardinals 27-35.
SUPER BOWL LXIII
MARK STOOPS RETIREMENT GAME
For the second year in a row Lamar Jackson would be recognised as the league MVP, although there would be much debate from analysts as why Dak Prescott hadn't been awarded the honor despite him having been injured. Meanwhile, Mark Stoops would win Head Coach of the Year for the 5th time in his career, which was a shock to absolutely no one considering 16-0 regular season performance.
17 - 25
