# 2016 Houston Texans season
The 2016 [Houston Texans](https://www.edgepedia.org/houston-texans) season was the franchise's fifteenth season in the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league), in which the team finished 9-7, won its second consecutive [AFC South](https://www.edgepedia.org/afc-south) division title, and won a playoff game before falling in the divisional round.[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/htx/2016.htm) • [2](https://rollcoverage.com/houston-texans/seasons) Bill O'Brien served as head coach for his third season.[3](https://www.footballdb.com/coaches/bill-obrien-obriebi02)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Record | 9-7-0, first place in the AFC South[1](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/htx/2016.htm) |
| Home / road split | 7-1 at home, 2-6 on the road[4](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2016/reg) |
| Points | 279 scored, 328 allowed, a net of -49[4](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2016/reg) |
| Division record | 5-1 against AFC South opponents[4](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2016/reg) |
| Playoffs | Won AFC Wild Card game 27-14 over the Raiders; lost the AFC Divisional round 16-34 at New England[2](https://rollcoverage.com/houston-texans/seasons) |
| Head coach | Bill O'Brien, 9-7 in the regular season and 1-1 in the postseason[3](https://www.footballdb.com/coaches/bill-obrien-obriebi02) |
| Primetime games | Five, in Weeks 3, 6, 7, 11, and 16[5](https://www.houstontexans.com/news/houston-texans-2016-schedule-announced-17025080) |
## Regular season
Houston's record rested on an extreme home-road split. The Texans went 7-1 at [NRG Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/nrg-stadium) but 2-6 away, and they were outscored by 49 points over the full season, 279 to 328.[4](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2016/reg) Within the division they were dominant, finishing 5-1, and the team's 9-7 mark tied its third-best single-season record in franchise history.[4](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2016/reg) • [6](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017-1-Houston.pdf) The 5-1 division record tied the best single-season winning percentage against the division in team history.[7](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017-6-HOU.pdf)
**Quarterback instability.** The season's defining problem was the quarterback position. Houston had signed [Brock Osweiler](https://www.edgepedia.org/brock-osweiler) away from Denver in the offseason, a move widely criticized during the year as one of the more expensive missteps of recent free agency, and the team turned to backup [Tom Savage](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-savage-american-football) for a brief two-game stretch late in the season.[8](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/texans/2016) • [9](https://as.com/us/us/2016/11/04/nfl/1478266408_390642.html) The defense also played much of the year without J.J. Watt, who was out of the lineup.[9](https://as.com/us/us/2016/11/04/nfl/1478266408_390642.html) Despite these limitations, Houston was 5-3 at midseason, unbeaten at home, and still in position for a first-round bye before the schedule tightened.[9](https://as.com/us/us/2016/11/04/nfl/1478266408_390642.html)
**Division dominance.** Houston's December 11 win completed its second consecutive season sweep of [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis) and extended its AFC South winning streak to nine games; the streak began October 18, 2015, and reached a franchise-record ten games with the 21-20 home win over Jacksonville on December 18, 2016.[10](https://as.com/us/us/2016/12/11/nfl/1481493943_008199.html) • [6](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017-1-Houston.pdf) • [17](https://www.houstontexans.com/news/texans-come-back-to-defeat-jaguars-18293248) The Jacksonville game drew 71,803 spectators.[11](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1597163312/league/uahghac8qrqq2srkpshu.pdf)
## Schedule highlights
The league released the schedule with five Houston primetime games, in Weeks 3, 6, 7, 11, and 16.[5](https://www.houstontexans.com/news/houston-texans-2016-schedule-announced-17025080) Entering the year, the Texans were 8-6 all-time in season openers and 6-4 when opening at home.[5](https://www.houstontexans.com/news/houston-texans-2016-schedule-announced-17025080)
One of the season's notable dates was November 21, when the Texans met the Raiders at [Estadio Azteca](https://www.edgepedia.org/estadio-azteca) in Mexico City, the NFL's first official regular-season game there in eleven years.[12](https://as.com/us/us/2016/09/07/nfl/1473260627_595867.html) The game also marked Osweiler's return to Denver's division rival landscape in a matchup with playoff implications; the Raiders won that meeting, one of two losses in the season series context that Houston carried into the postseason picture.[12](https://as.com/us/us/2016/09/07/nfl/1473260627_595867.html) • [13](https://as.com/us/us/2016/11/25/nfl/1480079215_061774.html)
## Playoffs
Houston entered the postseason as the AFC South champion and hosted the [Oakland Raiders](https://www.edgepedia.org/oakland-raiders) in the AFC Wild Card game on January 7, 2017, winning 27-14. Inside linebacker Benardrick McKinney and cornerback Johnathan Joseph led the team in tackles, and Joseph added a game-high three passes defended.[14](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/HOU.pdf) The victory was Houston's first postseason win since 2012 and just the third playoff win in franchise history.[15](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2021/LAC.pdf)
The win sent the Texans to [Gillette Stadium](https://www.edgepedia.org/gillette-stadium) for the AFC Divisional round on January 14, where they lost 16-34 to the [New England Patriots](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-england-patriots), the eventual [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) champion.[2](https://rollcoverage.com/houston-texans/seasons) • [15](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2021/LAC.pdf)
## Coaching context
The season completed a milestone for Bill O'Brien, who had been named the third head coach in franchise history on January 3, 2014. With the 2016 division title, his second straight, and a third consecutive winning season, a first for the franchise, O'Brien became the 14th coach in the NFL since 1978 to open his head coaching career with three consecutive winning seasons.[16](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/GR-2017-11-HOU.pdf) His 2016 line stood at 9 wins, 7 losses, and a 1-1 postseason record ending in the divisional round.[3](https://www.footballdb.com/coaches/bill-obrien-obriebi02)
## References
1. [2016 Houston Texans Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees, Injury Reports, Pro-Football-Reference.com](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/htx/2016.htm)
2. [Houston Texans Season History, Roll Coverage](https://rollcoverage.com/houston-texans/seasons)
3. [Bill O'Brien Coaching Record, The Football Database](https://www.footballdb.com/coaches/bill-obrien-obriebi02)
4. [2016 NFL League Standings, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2016/reg)
5. [Houston Texans 2016 schedule announced, HoustonTexans.com](https://www.houstontexans.com/news/houston-texans-2016-schedule-announced-17025080)
6. [Texans Notes, 2017 Week 1 game release, Huddle.org](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2017-1-Houston.pdf)
7. [texans notes](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/2017-6-HOU.pdf)
8. [2016 Houston Texans, Pro Football Rewind](https://profootballrewind.com/teams/texans/2016)
9. [El error Brock Osweiler. ¿O quizá no?, AS.com (November 4, 2016)](https://as.com/us/us/2016/11/04/nfl/1478266408_390642.html)
10. [Los Texans corren por encima de los Colts camino de playoffs, AS.com (December 11, 2016)](https://as.com/us/us/2016/12/11/nfl/1481493943_008199.html)
11. [Series Results, NFL.com](https://static.www.nfl.com/image/upload/v1597163312/league/uahghac8qrqq2srkpshu.pdf)
12. [Las fechas imposibles de perder en la temporada 2016 de NFL, AS.com (September 7, 2016)](https://as.com/us/us/2016/09/07/nfl/1473260627_595867.html)
13. [La culpa, a veces, sí es de los árbitros, AS.com (November 25, 2016)](https://as.com/us/us/2016/11/25/nfl/1480079215_061774.html)
14. [Houston Texans 2024 Media Guide, NFL.com](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2024/HOU.pdf)
15. [2021 Los Angeles Chargers Media Guide (2016 Texans game notes), NFL.com](https://static.www.nfl.com/league/apps/league-site/media-guides/2021/LAC.pdf)
16. [The Head Coaches, 2017 Houston Texans game release, Huddle.org](https://www.huddle.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/GR-2017-11-HOU.pdf)
17. [Texans come back to defeat Jaguars](https://www.houstontexans.com/news/texans-come-back-to-defeat-jaguars-18293248)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises › NFL team seasons 2010 to 2019*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license