Predicting The Texans’ 2020 Record

Everyone has known for months each team’s opponents for the 2020 NFL season. The unknown was the order, the time, the dates...the intricacies and specifics of the 2020 NFL season. This is a mystery no longer. Last week the NFL announced the schedule for the 2020 NFL season.

Like every year, once the schedule is released, it’s time for fans and professional football media people to go through schedules and make their own predictions.

Personally, I find the whole thing silly. It’s difficult enough to predict a game entering the week it’s going to be played, when you know injuries, starters, and how teams are playing, let alone five months out. Regardless, this is what I do this time of year, especially since this is sports now.

Right now, this is how I see the Texans faring in 2020.

Sept. 10: at Kansas City Chiefs—Loss

Sept. 20: vs. Baltimore Ravens—Loss

Sept. 27: at Pittsburgh Steelers—Loss

Oct. 4: vs. Minnesota Vikings—Win

Oct. 11: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars—Win

Oct. 18: at Tennessee Titans—Loss

Oct. 25: vs. Green Bay Packers—Win

Nov. 1: Bye

Nov. 8: at Jacksonville Jaguars—Win

Nov. 15: at Cleveland Browns—Win

Nov. 22: vs. New England Patriots—Loss

Nov. 26: at Detroit Lions—Win

Dec. 6: vs. Indianapolis Colts—Win

Dec. 13: at Chicago Bears—Win

Dec. 19 or 20: at Indianapolis Colts—Loss

Dec. 27: vs. Cincinnati Bengals—Win

Jan. 3: vs. Tennessee Titans—Win

This has Houston finishing with a 10-6 record. I don’t love it. Here in May, I tend to see them somewhere around 8-8 because of their pass defense. They have a nearly identical pass defense to the one they had in 2019, which finished 26th in DVOA; the Texans are betting on health and development for improvement. I see that as a lot of hopes and prayers.

Offensively, Houston is going to be worse off without DeAndre Hopkins from a talent perspective. Even then, I don’t see the trade as a disaster. The offense should be fine and could improve in 2020 if Tim Kelly and Bill O’Brien stop ESTABLISHING THE RUN and consistently push the ball downfield. There’s also the 9-3 record in possession games that carried the Texans in 2019; that will probably be worse in 2020.

Although the offseason was bizarre and filled with confounding decisions, the Texans have a high floor with Deshaun Watson at quarterback. He can carry the team on his own, as he’s shown time and time again.

Leave your Texans’ 2020 schedule predictions in the comments below. Make your case for what you are currently seeing in 2020 way back here in May.