The Houston Texans are 3-5 again after beating the Chargers 44-22, and C.J. Stroud's team still has real playoff odds in the AFC wild card race. A year ago the Texans were also 3-5. They won their last 9 games, finished 12-5 and won a playoff game at Pittsburgh 30-6. After Sunday's win in Los Angeles, with Stroud throwing for 384 yards and 5 touchdowns and the defence sacking the Chargers 8 times, Houston is 11th in the AFC. It is 1.5 games behind the New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns for the 7th seed, with a game in hand on both. Before kickoff, DraftKings had the Texans at minus 240 to miss the playoffs, roughly a 1 in 3 shot to get in. One playoff model had them at 34 percent after the win. History gives 3-5 teams a chance too: since 1999, 18 of 156 NFL teams that were 3-5 after eight games made the playoffs, and since the seventh seed arrived in 2020, 7 of 35 did, including the 2025 Texans. The number to chase is 10 wins, the lowest total of any AFC playoff team in each of the last three seasons. From 3-5, Houston needs to go 7-2 the rest of the way, starting at Cleveland on Sunday, then Indianapolis on a Thursday night and Baltimore at home on November 29. Its plus 17 point differential is ahead of every team between it and the seventh seed. Chapters 0:00 Can C.J. Stroud's Texans still make the playoffs 0:51 How often 3 and 5 NFL teams make the playoffs 2:29 Why 10 wins is the AFC playoff line 4:01 Why Texans plus 17 point differential looks different 6:08 Texans remaining schedule vs Browns, Ravens, Raiders, Patriots 7:01 Texans at Cleveland, Colts Thursday, then Ravens 9:03 Can Texans catch Jaguars in AFC South #Texans #HoustonTexans #NFLPlayoffs Tags --- Texans Digest is a YouTube channel that brings you the latest news, trades, reports, and rumors about the Houston Texans. We provide detailed coverage of game highlights, player performances, and in-depth analysis of team strategies. Our channel discusses key players like C.J. Stroud, Joe Mixon, Will Anderson Jr., and Jalen Pitre, along with insights from Head Coach DeMeco Ryans and General Manager Nick Caserio. Stay tuned for exciting updates and engaging content on everything Texans! Have you ever wanted to break into sports media as a write or content creator? Apply to join the Digest Media team today here: https://digestmedia.ca/join-us/ for_digest_redistribution --- Unchanged --- NFL Trade Rumors, NFL Free Agency, NFL Draft, Super Bowl Predictions, Fantasy Football Advice, NFL Betting Odds, NFL Jersey Review, Player Performance Breakdown, DraftKings NFL Picks, FanDuel NFL Strategy, Football Analytics, NFL Highlights, NFL News Update, NFL Stats, NFL Roster Moves, NFL Predictions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Nov 12 202613 mins