# 2017 Houston Texans season

The 2017 season was the Houston Texans' 16th in the National Football League (NFL) and their fourth under head coach Bill O'Brien. With the Texans' loss at the Titans in Week 13, Houston exceeded their loss total (7) from 2014, 2015 and 2016. The Texans clinched their first losing season since 2013 (and their first under Bill O'Brien), and finished in last place in the AFC South for the first time since 2013. The Texans also missed the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
The team were with high hopes with Deshaun Watson as their starting quarterback who broke rookie records in his starts. However, after a loss in Week 8, Watson tore his ACL during practice that ruled him out for the rest of the season. The team was forced to turn to backup Tom Savage to replace Watson. Savage could not fill the void and the Texans limped to a 4–12 finish, tied for second-worst in the AFC standings with the Indianapolis Colts. The team was also affected by the loss of defensive end J. J. Watt, who for the second consecutive season was lost early, this time after suffering an injury in Week 5.
This was also the last full season under the ownership of Bob McNair, who died during the 2018 season.

## Draft

2017 Houston Texans draft :
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | College | Notes |
| 1 | 12 | Deshaun Watson * | QB | Clemson | from Philadelphia via Cleveland |
| 2 | 57 | Zach Cunningham | LB | Vanderbilt | |
| 3 | 89 | D'Onta Foreman | RB | Texas | |
| 4 | 130 | Julién Davenport | OT | Bucknell | |
| 4 | 142 | Carlos Watkins | DT | Clemson | Compensatory pick, from Cleveland |
| 5 | 169 | Treston Decoud | CB | Oregon State | |
| 7 | 243 | Kyle Fuller | C | Baylor | |
| Made roster † Pro Football Hall of Fame * Made at least one Pro Bowl during career ||||||
Notes
* The Texans acquired a fourth-round compensatory selection (No. 142 overall) from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for Houston's sixth-round selection (No. 188 overall), 2018 second-round selection, and quarterback Brock Osweiler.
* The Texans acquired an additional sixth-round selection (No. 188 overall) in a trade that sent tight end Khari Lee to the Chicago Bears.
* The Texans traded their original sixth-round selection (No. 209 overall), along with their first-round selection in 2016 (22nd) to the Washington Redskins in exchange for the Redskins' first-round selection in 2016 (21st).

## Coaching changes

On January 16, the Texans and offensive coordinator George Godsey mutually parted ways after the team finished 29th in total yards for the 2016 season. Two days later the Texans announced that defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel had been promoted to assistant head coach while linebackers coach Mike Vrabel would become the team's new defensive coordinator. On January 31, it was announced that Wes Welker had been hired as an offensive/special teams assistant coach for the Texans.

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 9 | at Carolina Panthers | L 17–27 | 0–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 19 | New England Patriots | W 27–23 | 1–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 26 | at New Orleans Saints | L 0–13 | 1–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 4 | August 31 | Dallas Cowboys | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey† | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey† | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey† | Cancelled due to Hurricane Harvey† |
† The game was originally scheduled for August 31, and to be moved from its original venue, NRG Stadium, to the Cowboys' AT&T Stadium, due to public safety concerns regarding flooding in the Houston area from the remnants of Hurricane Harvey. However, the game was later cancelled in order to allow Texans' players and coaches to return to Houston after the storm.

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 10 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 7–29 | 0–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 14 | at Cincinnati Bengals | W 13–9 | 1–1 | Paul Brown Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 24 | at New England Patriots | L 33–36 | 1–2 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | Tennessee Titans | W 57–14 | 2–2 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 34–42 | 2–3 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 6 | October 15 | Cleveland Browns | W 33–17 | 3–3 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 8 | October 29 | at Seattle Seahawks | L 38–41 | 3–4 | CenturyLink Field | Recap |
| 9 | November 5 | Indianapolis Colts | L 14–20 | 3–5 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 12 | at Los Angeles Rams | L 7–33 | 3–6 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Recap |
| 11 | November 19 | Arizona Cardinals | W 31–21 | 4–6 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 12 | November 27 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 16–23 | 4–7 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 3 | at Tennessee Titans | L 13–24 | 4–8 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
| 14 | December 10 | San Francisco 49ers | L 16–26 | 4–9 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 17 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | L 7–45 | 4–10 | EverBank Field | Recap |
| 16 | December 25 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 6–34 | 4–11 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 31 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 13–22 | 4–12 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 3 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 29 |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,710
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon, James Lofton and Steve Tasker
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
JAX – Jason Myers 42-yard field goal, 12:12. Jaguars 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 51 yards, 2:52.
Second quarter
JAX – Jason Myers 25-yard field goal, 14:52. Jaguars 6–0. Drive: 10 plays, 77 yards, 5:11.
JAX – Leonard Fournette 1-yard run (kick failed), 2:02. Jaguars 12–0. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 5:29.
JAX – Dante Fowler 53-yard fumble recovery (Jason Myers kick), 0:49. Jaguars 19–0. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 1:13.
Third quarter
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 4-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 9:09. Jaguars 19–7. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 5:51.
JAX – Tommy Bohanon 1-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Jason Myers kick), 4:14. Jaguars 25–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:55.
Fourth quarter
JAX – Jason Myers 38-yard field goal, 3:15. Jaguars 29–7. Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 0:16.
Top passers
JAX – Blake Bortles – 11/21, 125 yards, TD
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 12/23, 102 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
JAX – Leonard Fournette – 26 carries, 100 yards, TD
HOU – Lamar Miller – 17 carries, 65 yards
Top receivers
JAX – Allen Hurns – 3 receptions, 42 yards
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 7 receptions, 55 yards, TD
Top Tacklers
JAX - Myles Jack - 8 tackles, 6 assists
HOU - Benardrick McKinney - 4 tackles, 7 assists :
The Texans' offensive line played poorly in the game, giving up a total of 10 sacks. Tom Savage started at quarterback for Houston and was sacked 6 times for a total loss of 33 yards. Savage was benched at halftime, finishing the game 7/13 with 62 yards and fumbled twice. Rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson entered the game in the second half and ended the first drive on a 4-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins. Watson didn't fare much better behind the poor offensive line play, being sacked 4 times for a total loss of 21 yards with one fumble. Watson finished the game 12/23 for 102 yards with one touchdown and an interception along with 2 rushes for 16 yards.
Linebacker Brian Cushing was suspended 10 games without pay following the game for violating the NFL's PED policy.

#### Week 2: at Cincinnati Bengals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Bengals | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
at Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 8:25 p.m. EDT/7:25 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 69 °F (21 °C), mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 52,942
* Referee: Clete Blakeman
* TV announcers (NFLN): Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth and Heather Cox
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 26-yard field goal, 1:32. Texans 3–0. Drive: 6 plays, 12 yards, 3:04.
Second quarter
CIN – Randy Bullock 39-yard field goal, 13:48. Tied 3–3. Drive: 5 plays, 43 yards, 2:44.
HOU – Deshaun Watson 49-yard run (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 0:50. Texans 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 94 yards, 3:40.
CIN – Randy Bullock 29-yard field goal, 0:06. Texans 10–6. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 0:48.
Third quarter
CIN – Randy Bullock 30-yard field goal, 6:30. Texans 10–9. Drive: 15 plays, 63 yards, 8:24.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 42-yard field goal, 2:01. Texans 13–9. Drive: 13 plays, 66 yards, 6:19.
Top passers
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 15/24, 125 yards
CIN – Andy Dalton – 20/35, 224 yards
Top rushers
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 5 carries, 67 yards, TD
CIN – Joe Mixon – 9 carries, 36 yards
Top receivers
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 7 receptions, 73 yards
CIN – A. J. Green – 5 receptions, 67 yards
Top Tacklers
HOU - Kareem Jackson - 5 tackles, 3 assists, sack
CIN - Vincent Rey - 6 tackles, 5 assists :
Deshaun Watson started his first NFL game for the Texans against the Bengals on Thursday Night Football. Watson scored the team's only touchdown of the game on a 49-yard run while the Bengals failed to score a touchdown.

#### Week 3: at New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 10 | 10 | 7 | 6 | 33 |
| Patriots | 7 | 14 | 7 | 8 | 36 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
* Date: September 24
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 84 °F (29 °C), Sunny
* Game attendance: 65,878
* Referee: John Parry
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
NE – Rob Gronkowski 5-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 10:33. Patriots 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 2:59.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 39-yard field goal, 7:22. Patriots 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 57 yards, 3:11.
HOU – Bruce Ellington 29-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 1:51. Texans 10–7. Drive: 2 plays, 44 yards, 0:40.
Second quarter
NE – Chris Hogan 7-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:25. Patriots 14–10. Drive: 1 plays, 12 yards, 0:32.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 40-yard field goal, 7:01. Patriots 14–13. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 5:24.
HOU – Jadeveon Clowney 22-yard fumble recovery (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 6:15. Texans 20–14. Drive: 2 plays, -3 yards, 0:46.
NE – Chris Hogan 47-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 3:58. Patriots 21–20. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:17.
Third quarter
NE – Brandin Cooks 42-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:45. Patriots 28–20. Drive: 5 plays, 81 yards, 2:15.
HOU – Ryan Griffin 12-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 7:12. Patriots 28–27. Drive: 10 plays, 70 yards, 5:33.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 31-yard field goal, 12:13. Texans 30–28. Drive: 12 plays, 67 yards, 4:29.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 36-yard field goal, 2:28. Texans 33–28. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 3:31.
NE – Brandin Cooks 25-yard pass from Tom Brady (Tom Brady–Brandin Cooks pass), 0:23. Patriots 36–33. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:01.
Top passers
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 22/32, 301 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
NE – Tom Brady – 25/35, 378 yards, 5 TD
Top rushers
HOU – Lamar Miller – 14 carries, 56 yards
NE – Mike Gillislee – 12 carries, 31 yards
Top receivers
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 7 receptions, 76 yards
NE – Brandin Cooks – 5 receptions, 131 yards, 2 TD
Top Tacklers
HOU - Jadeveon Clowney - 6 tackles, 2 sacks
NE - Kyle Van Noy - 9 tackles, 2 assists :
Trying to get their first ever win in New England and only their second ever win against the Patriots, the Texans led 33-28 with 2:28 remaining, but Tom Brady threw the game winning touchdown to Brandin Cooks with 23 seconds remaining. With the loss, the Texans fell to 1-2. They also fell to 1-9 all time against the Patriots, and 0-6 against them in Foxborough.

#### Week 4: vs. Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Titans | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Texans | 14 | 16 | 7 | 20 | 57 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,804
* Referee: Jeff Triplette
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Lamar Miller 2-yard run (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 12:13. Texans 7–0. Drive: 4 plays, 43 yards, 1:48.
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 8-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 5:09. Texans 14–0. Drive: 11 plays, 76 yards, 5:07.
Second quarter
HOU – Will Fuller 16-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 14:54. Texans 21–0. Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 3:47.
TEN – Marcus Mariota 34-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 11:44. Texans 21–7. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 3:10.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 50-yard field goal, 6:06. Texans 24–7. Drive: 12 plays, 43 yards, 5:38.
TEN – Marcus Mariota 2-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 1:50. Texans 24–14. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:11.
HOU – Deshaun Watson 1-yard run (kick failed), 1:19. Texans 30–14. Drive: 1 play, 58 yards, 0:31.
Third quarter
HOU – Will Fuller 10-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 6:51. Texans 37–14. Drive: 14 plays, 75 yards, 8:09.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Lamar Miller 8-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 11:19. Texans 44–14. Drive: 9 plays, 73 yards, 5:27.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 40-yard field goal, 8:44. Texans 47–14. Drive: 5 plays, 20 yards, 2:11.
HOU – Dylan Cole 25-yard interception return (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 8:31. Texans 54–14. Drive: 1 play, 0 yards, 0:08.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 33-yard field goal, 3:39. Texans 57–14. Drive: 3 plays, 0 yards, 1:24.
Top passers
TEN – Marcus Mariota – 6/10, 96 yards, 2 INT
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 25/34, 283 yards, 4 TD, INT
Top rushers
TEN – Marcus Mariota – 4 carries, 39 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Lamar Miller – 19 carries, 75 yards, TD
Top receivers
TEN – Delanie Walker – 3 receptions, 51 yards
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 10 receptions, 107 yards, TD
Top Tacklers
TEN - Jurrell Casey - 5 tackles, 2 assists, sack
HOU - Dylan Cole - 3 tackles, 2 assists, INT :
The Texans never punted during the first half, with four drives ending in a touchdown and one in a 50-yard field goal from Kaʻimi Fairbairn. On Houston's last possession of the half, a Deshaun Watson pass was intercepted by Kevin Byard. Andre Hal intercepted two Marcus Mariota passes during the half. The Texans' first punt came on their second possession of the second half, with 3:27 left in the 3rd quarter. The 30 points scored in the first half are the second most in franchise history. Houston defeated Tennessee by a score of 57–14, the most points scored in a single game in franchise history.

#### Week 5: vs. Kansas City Chiefs

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chiefs | 3 | 20 | 0 | 19 | 42 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 6 | 21 | 34 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,835
* Referee: Ronald Torbert
* TV announcers (NBC): Al Michaels, Cris Collinsworth and Michele Tafoya
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
KC – Harrison Butker 35-yard field goal, 6:57. Chiefs 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 64 yards, 8:07.
Second quarter
KC – Harrison Butker 42-yard field goal, 11:28. Chiefs 6–0. Drive: 11 plays, 65 yards, 6:21.
KC – Charcandrick West 8-yard pass from Alex Smith (Harrison Butker kick), 5:45. Chiefs 13–0. Drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 4:52.
KC – Harrison Butker 41-yard field goal, 4:21. Chiefs 16–0. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 0:51.
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 6-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 1:49. Chiefs 16–7. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:28.
KC – Charcandrick West 4-yard pass from Alex Smith (Harrison Butker kick), 0:34. Chiefs 23–7. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:15.
Third quarter
HOU – Will Fuller 9-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (pass failed), 3:20. Chiefs 23–13. Drive: 7 plays, 78 yards, 3:58.
Fourth quarter
KC – Harrison Butker 35-yard field goal, 14:05. Chiefs 26–13. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 4:15.
HOU – Will Fuller 48-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 12:00. Chiefs 26–20. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards, 2:01.
KC – De'Anthony Thomas 10-yard pass from Alex Smith (pass failed), 8:57. Chiefs 32–20. Drive: 6 plays, 70 yards, 3:03.
KC – Tyreek Hill 82-yard punt return (Harrison Butker kick), 7:22. Chiefs 39–20.
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 34-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (pass failed), 3:05. Chiefs 39–26. Drive: 3 plays, 37 yards, 0:16.
KC – Harrison Butker 49-yard field goal, 1:13. Chiefs 42–26. Drive: 4 plays, 5 yards, 1:49.
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 1-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Deshaun Watson run), 0:00. Chiefs 42–34. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 1:08.
Top passers
KC – Alex Smith – 29/37, 324 yards, 3 TD
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 16/31, 261 yards, 5 TD
Top rushers
KC – Kareem Hunt – 29 carries, 107 yards
HOU – Lamar Miller – 15 carries, 74 yards
Top receivers
KC – Travis Kelce – 8 receptions, 98 yards
HOU – Stephen Anderson – 2 receptions, 63 yards
Top Tacklers
KC - Ron Parker - 5 tackles, 3 assists
HOU - Marcus Gilchrist - 7 tackles, 2 assists :
Coming back from a blowout win against Tennessee, the Texans went to face an undefeated Chiefs team. However, tragedy struck when DE J. J. Watt suffered a season ending leg injury in the first quarter that was later revealed to be a tribal plateau fracture to his left leg. OLB Whitney Mercilus also suffered a season ending pectoral injury. Taking advantage of the Watt injury, the Chiefs jumped out to a 16-0 lead 26 minutes into the game. Houston came within 6 points of the lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Texans defense could not keep up with the Chiefs offense. The Chiefs won by 8 points and the Texans fell to 2-3 on the season.
Watt and Mercilus ended up having a major impact on the team, the team going 2-10 without them (including the Chiefs game) and 2-2 with them.

#### Week 6: vs. Cleveland Browns

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Browns | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
| Texans | 10 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 33 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: October 15
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,815
* Referee: Brad Allen
* TV announcers (CBS): Andrew Catalon and James Lofton
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 40-yard field goal, 10:57. Texans 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 52 yards, 4:03.
CLE – Zane Gonzalez 41-yard field goal, 3:15. Tied 3–3. Drive: 4 plays, 4 yards, 1:34.
HOU – Will Fuller 39-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 0:41. Texans 10–3. Drive: 5 plays, 87 yards, 2:34.
Second quarter
HOU – Johnathan Joseph 82-yard interception return (kick failed), 11:08. Texans 16–3. Drive: 9 plays, 53 yards, 4:33.
HOU – Braxton Miller 1-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Ryan Griffin pass), 4:05. Texans 24–3. Drive: 6 plays, 71 yards, 2:49.
Third quarter
HOU – Penalty on Kevin Hogan enforced in CLE end zone for a safety, 10:10. Texans 26–3. Drive: 3 plays, -3 yards, 1:28.
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 3-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 4:05. Texans 33–3. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 6:05.
Fourth quarter
CLE – Jason McCourty 56-yard interception return (Zane Gonzalez kick), 13:27. Texans 33–10. Drive: 4 plays, 21 yards, 1:53.
CLE – Seth DeValve 3-yard pass from Kevin Hogan (Zane Gonzalez kick), 1:03. Texans 33–17. Drive: 4 plays, 50 yards, 0:46.
Top passers
CLE – Kevin Hogan – 20/37, 140 yards, TD, 3 INT
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 17/29, 225 yards, 3 TD, INT
Top rushers
CLE – Isaiah Crowell – 12 carries, 58 yards
HOU – D'Onta Foreman – 12 carries, 59 yards
Top receivers
CLE – Kasen Williams – 4 receptions, 41 yards
HOU – Will Fuller – 2 receptions, 62 yards, TD
Top Tacklers
CLE - Joe Schobert - 5 tackles, 7 assists
HOU - Benardrick McKinney - 7 tackles, assist :
The Texans started the year 3-3, however this was their high point of the season. They suffered another major injury in week 9 and went 1-9 from week 7 onwards.

#### Week 8: at Seattle Seahawks

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 14 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 38 |
| Seahawks | 14 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 41 |
at CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 3:05 p.m. CDT/1:05 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 56 °F (13 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 69,025
* Referee: Terry McAulay
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Dana Jacobson
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Will Fuller 59-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 12:38. Texans 7–0. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:22.
SEA – Earl Thomas 78-yard interception return (Blair Walsh kick), 10:08. Tied 7–7. Drive: 4 plays, 27 yards, 1:19.
HOU – Lamar Miller 3-yard run (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 6:08. Texans 14–7. Drive: 8 plays, 82 yards, 4:00.
SEA – Paul Richardson 20-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Blair Walsh kick), 2:11. Tied 14–14. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:57.
Second quarter
HOU – Will Fuller 20-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 9:34. Texans 21–14. Drive: 11 plays, 84 yards, 5:06.
SEA – Paul Richardson 7-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Blair Walsh kick), 6:02. Tied 21–21. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:32.
Third quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 31-yard field goal, 7:08. Texans 24–21. Drive: 10 plays, 63 yards, 4:19.
SEA – Blair Walsh 21-yard field goal, 4:39. Tied 24–24. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:29.
SEA – Blair Walsh 21-yard field goal, 2:27. Seahawks 27–24. Drive: 5 plays, 5 yards, 1:21.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Lamar Miller 2-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 9:09. Texans 31–27. Drive: 5 plays, 71 yards, 2:16.
SEA – Jimmy Graham 1-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Blair Walsh kick), 5:37. Seahwaks 34–31. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:32.
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 72-yard pass from Deshaun Watson (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 5:01. Texans 38–34. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 0:48.
SEA – Jimmy Graham 18-yard pass from Russell Wilson (Blair Walsh kick), 0:21. Seahawks 41–38. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 1:18.
Top passers
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 19/30, 402 yards, 4 TD, 3 INT
SEA – Russell Wilson – 26/41, 452 yards, 4 TD, INT
Top rushers
HOU – Deshaun Watson – 8 carries, 67 yards
SEA – Russell Wilson – 4 carries, 30 yards
Top receivers
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 8 receptions, 224 yards, TD
SEA – Tyler Lockett – 6 receptions, 121 yards
Top Tacklers
HOU - Kareem Jackson - 4 tackles, assist
SEA - K. J. Wright - 9 tackles, 6 assists :

#### Week 9: vs. Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Colts | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,709
* Referee: John Parry
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
IND – T. Y. Hilton 45-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett (Adam Vinatieri kick), 8:33. Colts 7–0. Drive: 7 plays, 92 yards, 4:00.
Second quarter
IND – Adam Vinatieri 22-yard field goal, 4:37. Colts 10–0. Drive: 10 plays, 51 yards, 4:53.
HOU – Lamarr Houston 34-yard fumble recovery (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 0:56. Colts 10–7. Drive: 7 plays, 14 yards, 0:56.
Third quarter
IND – T. Y. Hilton 80-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett (Adam Vinatieri kick), 1:56. Colts 17–7. Drive: 6 plays, 91 yards, 3:45.
Fourth quarter
IND – Adam Vinatieri 53-yard field goal, 9:17. Colts 20–7. Drive: 7 plays, 60 yards, 3:46.
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 34-yard pass from Tom Savage (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 6:11. Colts 20–14. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:01.
Top passers
IND – Jacoby Brissett – 20/30, 308 yards, 2 TD
HOU – Tom Savage – 19/44, 219 yards, TD
Top rushers
IND – Frank Gore – 17 carries, 51 yards
HOU – Lamar Miller – 10 carries, 57 yards
Top receivers
IND – T. Y. Hilton – 5 receptions, 175 yards, 2 TD
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 6 receptions, 86 yards, TD
Top Tacklers
IND - Matthias Farley - 6 tackles, 2 assists
HOU - Kevin Johnson - 5 tackles :
The Texans suffered a serious blow when quarterback Deshaun Watson tore his ACL during practice and was lost for the season. Tom Savage was named the starter for Houston with T. J. Yates and Matt McGloin being signed as backups.
The Texans only had 96 yards of total offense in the first half with Savage completing 7 passes on 19 attempts for 76 yards. The Colts scored on their first drive with Jacoby Brissett finding T. Y. Hilton for a 45-yard touchdown pass. In the 2nd quarter, Houston kicker Kaʻimi Fairbairn missed his first field goal of the season on a 39-yard attempt. The Texans got their first score after Eddie Pleasant sacked Brissett at the Indianapolis 34 yard line. Brissett fumbled the football on the sack with it being recovered by Lamarr Houston who returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. The first half ended with Brissett being sacked by Pleasant again for a loss of 6 yards and a -1 yard run from Frank Gore. Savage threw his first NFL touchdown pass on a 34-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins in the 4th quarter.
* Note: In the third quarter, the Sutherland Springs church shootings happened during a commercial break in which CBS cut to a special news report during the commercial break. Greg Gumbel, after the commercial break, said a prayer before Indianapolis kicked off after scoring.

#### Week 10: at Los Angeles Rams

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Rams | 3 | 6 | 21 | 3 | 33 |
at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
* Date: November 12
* Game time: 3:05 p.m. CST/1:05 p.m. PST
* Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 60,032
* Referee: Pete Morelli
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 27-yard field goal, 11:14. Rams 3–0. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:22.
Second quarter
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 33-yard field goal, 10:22. Rams 6–0. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 3:04.
HOU – Bruce Ellington 26-yard pass from Tom Savage (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 6:31. Texans 7–6. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:46.
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 50-yard field goal, 0:23. Rams 9–7. Drive: 10 plays, 43 yards, 1:21.
Third quarter
LAR – Robert Woods 94-yard pass from Jared Goff (Greg Zuerlein kick), 9:23. Rams 16–7. Drive: 2 plays, 96 yards, 0:33.
LAR – Sammy Watkins 17-yard pass from Jared Goff (Greg Zuerlein kick), 1:33. Rams 23–7. Drive: 3 plays, 36 yards, 1:18.
LAR – Robert Woods 12-yard pass from Jared Goff (Greg Zuerlein kick), 1:14. Rams 30–7. Drive: 1 play, 12 yards, 0:10.
Fourth quarter
LAR – Greg Zuerlein 33-yard field goal, 7:38. Rams 33–7. Drive: 9 plays, 74 yards, 6:21.
Top passers
HOU – Tom Savage – 18/36, 221 yards, TD, 2 INT
LAR – Jared Goff – 25/37, 355 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
HOU – Lamar Miller – 11 carries, 60 yards
LAR – Todd Gurley – 11 carries, 68 yards
Top receivers
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 7 receptions, 111 yards
LAR – Robert Woods – 8 receptions, 171 yards, 2 TD
Top Tacklers
HOU - Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson - 4 tackles, assist each
LAR - Alec Ogletree - 4 tackles, 3 assists :

#### Week 11: vs. Arizona Cardinals

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Texans | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: November 19
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,680
* Referee: Ed Hochuli
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber and Kristina Pink
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
No scoring plays
Second quarter
HOU – Lamar Miller 7-yard pass from Tom Savage (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 14:12. Texans 7–0. Drive: 12 plays, 89 yards, 6:58.
ARI – Larry Fitzgerald 20-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert (Phil Dawson kick), 7:20. Tied 7–7. Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards, 0:47.
ARI – Ricky Seals-Jones 11-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert (Phil Dawson kick), 1:53. Cardinals 14–7. Drive: 2 plays, 15 yards, 0:29.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 34-yard field goal, 0:09. Cardinals 14–10. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 1:48.
Third quarter
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 28-yard pass from Tom Savage (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 11:02. Texans 17–14. Drive: 7 plays, 74 yards, 3:58.
ARI – Ricky Seals-Jones 28-yard pass from Blaine Gabbert (Phil Dawson kick), 4:41. Cardinals 21–17. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:45.
Fourth quarter
HOU – D'Onta Foreman 3-yard run (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 13:13. Texans 24–21. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:28.
HOU – D'Onta Foreman 34-yard run (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 6:26. Texans 31–21. Drive: 1 play, 34 yards, 0:07.
Top passers
ARI – Blaine Gabbert – 21/33, 237 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
HOU – Tom Savage – 22/32, 230 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
ARI – Adrian Peterson – 14 carries, 26 yards
HOU – D'Onta Foreman – 10 carries, 65 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
ARI – Larry Fitzgerald – 9 receptions, 91 yards, TD
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 4 receptions, 76 yards, TD
Top Tacklers
ARI - Deone Bucannon - 9 tackles, 4 assists
HOU - Benardrick McKinney - 7 tackles, 2 assists :
After struggling for the past 2 weeks, the Texans' offense improved against the Cardinals, scoring 4 touchdowns. Tom Savage threw 2 touchdowns in the game: a 7-yard pass to Lamar Miller in the 1st quarter and a 28-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins in the 3rd quarter. Rookie running back D'Onta Foreman rushed for 2 touchdowns on a 3-yard run and a 34-yard run. Foreman was carted off the field after his 2nd touchdown with a lower leg injury.
Savage turned the ball over twice in the game, fumbling after being sacked by Budda Baker and throwing an interception to Patrick Peterson. Arizona scored a touchdown following both Houston turnovers. Blaine Gabbert threw 2 interceptions: one to Eddie Pleasant and one to Andre Hal.

#### Week 12: at Baltimore Ravens

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 7 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
| Ravens | 0 | 17 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Maryland
* Date: November 27
* Game time: 8:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 50 °F (10 °C), fair
* Game attendance: 70,357
* Referee: Brad Allen
* TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Lamar Miller 4-yard run (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 8:49. Texans 7–0. Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 5:25.
Second quarter
BAL – Javorius Allen 10-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 11:10. Tied 7–7. Drive: 7 plays, 50 yards, 3:12.
BAL – Alex Collins 8-yard run (Justin Tucker kick), 6:44. Ravens 14–7. Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 2:26.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 25-yard field goal, 1:52. Ravens 14–10. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 4:56.
BAL – Justin Tucker 53-yard field goal, 0:12. Ravens 17–10. Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards, 1:41.
Third quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 36-yard field goal, 4:40. Ravens 17–13. Drive: 13 plays, 65 yards, 6:20.
Fourth quarter
BAL – Justin Tucker 31-yard field goal, 10:59. Ravens 20–13. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 5:27.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 37-yard field goal, 8:40. Ravens 20–16. Drive: 7 plays, 56 yards, 2:18.
BAL – Justin Tucker 49-yard field goal, 2:58. Ravens 23–16. Drive: 6 plays, 18 yards, 1:51.
Top passers
HOU – Tom Savage – 22/37, 252 yards, 2 INT
BAL – Joe Flacco – 20/32, 141 yards
Top rushers
HOU – Lamar Miller – 17 rushes, 51 yards, TD
BAL – Alex Collins – 16 rushes, 60 yards, TD
Top receivers
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 7 receptions, 125 yards
BAL – Mike Wallace – 5 receptions, 48 yards
Top tacklers
HOU – Kevin Johnson – 7 tackles
BAL – C. J. Mosley – 12 tackles :

#### Week 13: at Tennessee Titans

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 3 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Titans | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: December 3
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 60 °F (16 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 62,758
* Referee: Clete Blakeman
* TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green and Jamie Erdahl
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 23-yard field goal, 9:25. Texans 3–0. Drive: 9 plays, 36 yards, 3:39.
Second quarter
HOU – Stephen Anderson 4-yard pass from Tom Savage (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 10:40. Texans 10–0. Drive: 7 plays, 87 yards, 3:17.
TEN – Marcus Mariota 9-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 4:18. Texans 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:22.
TEN – Ryan Succop 43-yard field goal, 0:04. Tied 10–10. Drive: 4 plays, 37 yards, 0:35.
Third quarter
TEN – Delanie Walker 24-yard pass from Marcus Mariota (Ryan Succop kick), 0:03. Titans 17–10. Drive: 10 plays, 80 yards, 5:17.
Fourth quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 42-yard field goal, 4:42. Titans 17–13. Drive: 12 plays, 57 yards, 6:49.
TEN – Derrick Henry 75-yard run (Ryan Succop kick), 0:46. Titans 24–13. Drive: 3 plays, 80 yards, 0:22.
Top passers
HOU – Tom Savage – 31/49, 365 yards, TD, INT
TEN – Marcus Mariota – 15/23, 150 yards, TD
Top rushers
HOU – Lamar Miller – 15 carries, 56 yards
TEN – Derrick Henry – 11 carries, 109 yards, TD
Top receivers
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 8 receptions, 80 yards
TEN – Delanie Walker – 5 receptions, 63 yards, TD
Top Tacklers
HOU -
TEN - :

#### Week 14: vs. San Francisco 49ers

Battle Red Day
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| 49ers | 0 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 26 |
| Texans | 3 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: December 10
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,802
* Referee: John Hussey
* TV announcers (Fox): Dick Stockton, Mark Schlereth and Shannon Spake
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 55-yard field goal, 9:08. Texans 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 30 yards, 4:16.
Second quarter
SF – Robbie Gould 52-yard field goal, 6:36. Tied 3–3. Drive: 5 plays, 31 yards, 2:34.
SF – Carlos Hyde 2-yard run (Robbie Gould kick), 2:32. 49ers 10–3. Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 3:05.
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 7-yard pass from T. J. Yates (kick failed), 0:54. 49ers 10–9. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 1:38.
SF – Robbie Gould 35-yard field goal, 0:02. 49ers 13–9. Drive: 6 plays, 62 yards, 0:52.
Third quarter
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 29-yard pass from T. J. Yates (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 12:11. Texans 16–13. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:49.
SF – Robbie Gould 25-yard field goal, 8:15. Tied 16–16. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 3:59.
SF – Garrett Celek 6-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo (Robbie Gould kick), 1:53. 49ers 23–16. Drive: 6 plays, 85 yards, 3:33.
Fourth quarter
SF – Robbie Gould 41-yard field goal, 3:54. 49ers 26–16. Drive: 4 plays, 9 yards, 1:46.
Top passers
SF – Jimmy Garoppolo – 20/33, 334 yards, TD, INT
HOU – T. J. Yates – 14/26, 175 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
SF – Carlos Hyde – 14 carries, 78 yards, TD
HOU – Lamar Miller – 18 carries, 54 yards
Top receivers
SF – Marquise Goodwin – 6 receptions, 106 yards
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 11 receptions, 149 yards, 2 TD
Top Tacklers
SF -
HOU - :
Tom Savage left the game in the 2nd quarter with a concussion. Savage took a hard hit from Elvis Dumervil and his hands were visibly shaking and had trouble rolling over on his side. After throwing two incomplete passes on the ensuing drive, Savage was further evaluated and taken into the locker room. Savage's return was heavily criticized by fans, media members, and concussion experts, including Chris Nowinski. Savage finished the game 6-of-12 for 63 yards. T. J. Yates came in at quarterback on the Texans' next drive, leading a 9 play, 75 yard touchdown drive, ending with a 7-yard pass to DeAndre Hopkins.
With the loss, the Texans fell to 4–9, ensuring their first losing season under head coach Bill O'Brien. Houston was eliminated from playoff contention the following day after the Miami Dolphins defeated the New England Patriots.

#### Week 15: at Jacksonville Jaguars

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 24 | 7 | 7 | 45 |
at EverBank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: December 17
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST/12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C)
* Game attendance: 64,701
* Referee: Carl Cheffers
* TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
JAX – Tommy Bohanon 1-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 3:54. Jaguars 7–0. Drive: 13 plays, 78 yards, 6:52.
Second quarter
JAX – Jaydon Mickens 5-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 14:51. Jaguars 14–0. Drive: 5 plays, 59 yards, 1:59.
JAX – Jaydon Mickens 14-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 10:18. Jaguars 21–0. Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 2:59.
JAX – Josh Lambo 38-yard field goal, 0:56. Jaguars 24–0. Drive: 8 plays, 25 yards, 0:56.
JAX – Keelan Cole 9-yard pass from Blake Bortles (Josh Lambo kick), 0:30. Jaguars 31–0. Drive: 2 plays, 45 yards, 0:11.
Third quarter
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 25-yard pass from T.J. Yates (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 8:17. Jaguars 31–7. Drive: 8 plays, 81 yards, 4:30.
JAX – Tommy Bohanon 1-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 7:16. Jaguars 38–7. Drive: 3 plays, 74 yards, 0:59.
Fourth quarter
JAX – Corey Grant 8-yard run (Josh Lambo kick), 10:30. Jaguars 45–7. Drive: 4 plays, 45 yards, 2:07.
Top passers
HOU – T.J. Yates – 12/31, 128 yards, TD, INT
JAX – Blake Bortles – 21/29, 326 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
HOU – Alfred Blue – 12 carries, 55 yards
JAX – Corey Grant – 10 carries, 69 yards, TD
Top receivers
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 4 receptions, 80 yards, TD
JAX – Keelan Cole – 7 receptions, 186 yards, TD
Top tacklers
HOU – Marcus Gilchrist – 5 tackles, 1 assist
JAX – Calais Campbell – 5 tackles, 2 sacks :
With another blowout loss to the Jaguars, the Texans were swept by Jacksonville for the first time since 2013 and fell to 4–10.

#### Week 16: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

NFL on Christmas Day
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Steelers | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 34 |
| Texans | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
at NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
* Date: December 25
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 71,842
* Referee: Bill Vinovich
* TV announcers (NBC/NFLN/Amazon Video): Mike Tirico, Kurt Warner and Heather Cox
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
PIT – Chris Boswell 34-yard field goal, 10:40. Steelers 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 4:20.
PIT – Justin Hunter 5-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 6:59. Steelers 10–0. Drive: 6 plays, 54 yards, 2:04.
Second quarter
PIT – Roosevelt Nix 1-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 4:14. Steelers 17–0. Drive: 11 plays, 80 yards, 6:07.
PIT – Chris Boswell 36-yard field goal, 0:53. Steelers 20–0. Drive: 6 plays, 10 yards, 1:52.
Third quarter
PIT – Le'Veon Bell 10-yard run (Chris Boswell kick), 1:48. Steelers 27–0. Drive: 7 plays, 42 yards, 3:55.
Fourth quarter
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins 3-yard pass from T. J. Yates (pass failed), 12:30. Steelers 27–6. Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:18.
PIT – JuJu Smith-Schuster 18-yard pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Chris Boswell kick), 9:26. Steelers 34–6. Drive: 5 plays, 79 yards, 3:04.
Top passers
PIT – Ben Roethlisberger – 20/29, 226 yards, 2 TD
HOU – T. J. Yates – 7/16, 83 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
PIT – Le'Veon Bell – 14 carries, 69 yards, TD
HOU – Alfred Blue – 16 carries, 108 yards
Top receivers
PIT – JuJu Smith-Schuster - 6 receptions, 75 yards, TD
HOU – DeAndre Hopkins – 4 receptions, 65 yards, TD
Top tacklers
PIT – Sean Spence and Vince Williams - 6 Solo, 2 Assisted
HOU – Zach Cunningham - 7 Solo, 3 Assisted :

#### Week 17: at Indianapolis Colts

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Texans | 3 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Colts | 0 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 22 |
at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
* Date: December 31
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 60,557
* Referee: Gene Steratore
* TV announcers (CBS): Tom McCarthy, Steve Tasker and Steve Beuerlein
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 52-yard field goal, 8:15. Texans 3–0. Drive: 10 plays, 41 yards, 5:26.
Second quarter
IND – Jack Doyle 6-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett (Adam Vinatieri kick), 14:55. Colts 7–3. Drive: 15 plays, 75 yards, 8:20.
HOU – Alfred Blue 2-yard run (Kaʻimi Fairbairn kick), 6:55. Texans 10–7. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 8:00.
HOU – Kaʻimi Fairbairn 46-yard field goal, 1:44. Texans 13–7. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards, 4:37.
Third quarter
IND – Marlon Mack 1-yard run (Adam Vinatieri kick), 6:51. Colts 14–13. Drive: 13 plays, 83 yards, 6:39.
Fourth quarter
IND – T. J. Yates sacked in end zone by Hassan Ridgeway for a Safety, 12:07. Colts 16–13.
IND – Adam Vinatieri 54-yard field goal, 8:47. Colts 19–13. Drive: 7 plays, 20 yards, 3:20.
IND – Adam Vinatieri 22-yard field goal, 0:31. Colts 22–13. Drive: 12 plays, 49 yards, 6:06.
Top passers
HOU – T. J. Yates – 14/24, 137 yards, INT
IND – Jacoby Brissett – 15/25, 114 yards, TD
Top rushers
HOU – Alfred Blue – 18 carries, 39 yards, TD
IND – Frank Gore – 24 carries, 100 yards
Top receivers
HOU – Alfred Blue – 4 receptions, 36 yards
IND – Jack Doyle – 4 receptions, 38 yards, TD
Top tacklers
HOU – Zach Cunningham - 4 tackles, 7 assists
IND – Antonio Morrison - 4 tackles, assist :
This is the Texans’ first loss in the Bill O'Brien era when they had a lead at halftime. They finished 4-12 and via head-to-head tiebreaker finished dead last in the AFC South.

### Standings
#### Division

AFC South :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(3)}$ Jacksonville Jaguars | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 417 | 268 | L2 |
| $^{(5)}$ Tennessee Titans | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | 334 | 356 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | 263 | 404 | W1 |
| Houston Texans | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 338 | 436 | L6 |

#### Conference

AFCvte :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| Division leaders ||||||||||||
| 1 | New England Patriots | East | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .484 | .466 | W3 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh Steelers | North | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 6–0 | 10–2 | .453 | .423 | W2 |
| 3 | Jacksonville Jaguars | South | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .434 | .394 | L2 |
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .477 | .481 | W4 |
| Wild Cards ||||||||||||
| 5 | Tennessee Titans | South | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .434 | .396 | W1 |
| 6 | Buffalo Bills | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .492 | .396 | W1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason ||||||||||||
| 7 | Baltimore Ravens | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .441 | .299 | L1 |
| 8 | Los Angeles Chargers | West | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .457 | .347 | W2 |
| 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | North | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 3–3 | 6–6 | .465 | .321 | W2 |
| 10 | Oakland Raiders | West | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .512 | .396 | L4 |
| 11 | Miami Dolphins | East | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .543 | .531 | L3 |
| 12 | Denver Broncos | West | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .492 | .413 | L2 |
| 13 | New York Jets | East | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .520 | .438 | L4 |
| 14 | Indianapolis Colts | South | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .480 | .219 | W1 |
| 15 | Houston Texans | South | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .516 | .375 | L6 |
| 16 | Cleveland Browns | North | 0 | 16 | 0 | .000 | 0–6 | 0–12 | .520 | – | L16 |
| Tiebreakers ||||||||||||
| 1 2 New England claimed the No. 1 seed over Pittsburgh based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 Jacksonville claimed the No. 3 seed over Kansas City based on conference record. 1 2 3 4 Tennessee finished ahead of Buffalo, Baltimore and Los Angeles Chargers based on conference record, claiming the No. 5 seed. Buffalo and Baltimore finished ahead of Los Angeles Chargers based on conference record. Buffalo claimed the No. 6 seed over Baltimore based on strength of victory. 1 2 Oakland finished ahead of Miami based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 Denver finished ahead of the New York Jets based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 Indianapolis finished ahead of Houston based on head-to-head sweep. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest ranked remaining team from each division. ||||||||||||

## Statistics
### Team

| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank (out of 32) |
| Passing offense | 3,278 | 204.9 | 21st |
| Rushing offense | 1,842 | 115.1 | 14th |
| Total offense | 5,120 | 320.0 | 20th |
| Passing defense | 3,799 | 237.4 | 24th |
| Rushing defense | 1,747 | 109.2 | 13th |
| Total defense | 5,546 | 346.6 | 20th |

### Individual

| Category | Player | Total |
| Offense |||
| Passing yards | Deshaun Watson | 1,699 |
| Passing touchdowns | Deshaun Watson | 19 |
| Rushing yards | Lamar Miller | 888 |
| Rushing touchdowns | Lamar Miller | 3 |
| Receiving yards | DeAndre Hopkins | 1,378 |
| Receiving touchdowns | DeAndre Hopkins | 13 |
| Defense |||
| Tackles (Solo) | Benardrick McKinney | 62 |
| Sacks | Jadeveon Clowney | 9.5 |
| Interceptions | Andre Hal | 3 |
Source: