2011 Houston Texans Schedule

Written by Steve Janus

After finishing with their first winning season (9-7) in 2009, the Houston Texans came into the 2010 NFL season with high expectations to make their first playoff appearance in franchise history. After a 4-2 start that included a 34-24 win over the Indianapolis Colts, it looked as though this team was well on its way to accomplishing that goal. The rest of the season was a disaster. Houston went just 2-8 down the stretch, and ended up finishing tied for last in the AFC South at 6-10. The problem was the Texans inability to stop anyone on the defensive side of the ball. That could all change with the new addition of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, but the move to a 3-4 scheme could take some time.

If the defense can improve just slightly, this team figures to be in the hunt for a playoff spot this season. To get a better idea of their chances of making it to the postseason, let’s take a look at their 2011-12 NFL schedule. Outside of the Texans six division games against the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars, Houston will take on the AFC North, NFC South, Oakland Raiders, and Miami Dolphins.

Houston split their six games against the AFC South in 2010. They won all three of their home games, while dropping the three on the road. While no division game is easy, in order for this team to take that next step they have to fair better than 3-3. There is no question they are happy with a split with the Colts, but they need to find a way to go at least 3-1 in their four games against the Jaguars and Titans.

In their four games against the AFC North Houston will go on the road to take on the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, while getting the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns at home. Both games against the Ravens and Steelers will really give us a good idea of where this team, as they simply can’t rely on their offenses to carry them against these two defenses. Houston should have a great shot at beating both the Browns and Bengals, but for a team that went just 2-6 on the road last year, even Cincinnati figures to be a tough win.

The Texans will also be tested in their four games against the NFC South. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, and Atlanta Falcons are all serious playoff contenders. Houston will have to go on the road to take on both the Saints and Buccaneers, two games they figure to struggle to win. That leaves two games at home against the Falcons and Carolina Panthers. They should have no trouble beating the Panthers on their home field, but getting past the Falcons at home will be a completely different story.

The final two games to look at for the Texans are their two conference games against the Dolphins and Raiders. Houston will go on the road to take on the Dolphins, who were just 1-7 at home last year, and host the Raiders, who were just 2-8 outside of the AFC West. While I’m not saying the Texans are the better team in these two games, they really need to win both of these games to have a legit shot at making the playoffs.

2011 Preseason Schedule
Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)
1	Monday, August 15	New York Jets	8:30 PM
2	Saturday, August 20	New Orleans Saints	8:00 PM
3	Saturday, August 27	@ San Francisco 49ers	8:00 PM
4	Thursday, September 1	@ Minnesota Vikings	8:00 PM
2011 Regular Season Schedule
Week	Date	Opponent	Time (ET)
1	Sunday, September 11	Indianapolis Colts	1:00 PM
2	Sunday, September 18	@ Miami Dolphins	4:15 PM
3	Sunday, September 25	@ New Orleans Saints	1:00 PM
4	Sunday, October 2	Pittsburgh Steelers	1:00 PM
5	Sunday, October 9	Oakland Raiders	1:00 PM
6	Sunday, October 16	@ Baltimore Ravens	4:05 PM
7	Sunday, October 23	@ Tennessee Titans	1:00 PM
8	Sunday, October 30	Jacksonville Jaguars	1:00 PM
9	Sunday, November 6	Cleveland Browns	1:00 PM
10	Sunday, November 13	@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1:00 PM
11	BYE WEEK
12	Sunday, November 27	@ Jacksonville Jaguars	1:00 PM
13	Sunday, December 4	Atlanta Falcons	1:00 PM
14	Sunday, December 11	@ Cincinnati Bengals	1:00 PM
15	Sunday, December 18	Carolina Panthers	1:00 PM
16	Thursday, December 22	@ Indianapolis Colts	8:20 PM
17	Sunday, January 1	Tennessee Titans	1:00 PM

More NFL Team Schedules

AFC
AFC West	AFC North	AFC South	AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs Schedule	Pittsburgh Steelers Schedule	Indianapolis Colts Schedule	New England Patriots Schedule
San Diego Chargers Schedule	Baltimore Ravens Schedule	Jacksonville Jaguars Schedule	New York Jets Schedule
Oakland Raiders Schedule	Cleveland Browns Schedule	Houston Texans Schedule	Miami Dolphins Schedule
Denver Broncos Schedule	Cincinnati Bengals Schedule	Tennessee Titans Schedule	Buffalo Bills Schedule
NFC
NFC West	NFC North	NFC South	NFC East
Seattle Seahawks Schedule	Chicago Bears Schedule	Atlanta Falcons Schedule	Philadelphia Eagles Schedule
St. Louis Rams Schedule	Green Bay Packers Schedule	New Orleans Saints Schedule	New York Giants Schedule
San Francisco 49ers Schedule	Detroit Lions Schedule	Tampa Bay Buccaneers Schedule	Dallas Cowboys Schedule
Arizona Cardinals Schedule	Minnesota Vikings Schedule	Carolina Panthers Schedule	Washington Redskins Schedule

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