When the Houston Texans dropped their third consecutive game to begin the 2025 NFL season, their odds of making the Playoffs, according to ESPN's Football Power Index, were just 14%. This seemed generous considering since the NFL went to a 14-team playoff format in 2020, none of the 19 teams that started 0-3 went onto make the postseason.
But even when things seemed bleak back in late September, the Texans never wavered. Since that pivot point of the season, Houston has won 5 of 7 games and is only a game out of the final Wild Card spot in the AFC.