Houston Texans Schedulegami: Every Primetime Matchup That Has Never Happened
Updated: September 12, 2026
The Houston Texans have 93 possible primetime matchups: 31 opponents across Monday, Sunday, and Thursday night. Through 2025, 59 of them have never happened. Houston has never faced seven teams in any of the three primetime windows, and the 2026 schedule closes two more.
Since joining the league in 2002, the Texans have played 47 primetime games, regular season only.
| Missing primetime matchups | 59 of 93 |
| Teams never faced in primetime | 7 |
| Texans primetime games since 2002 | 47 |
| Record in those games | 18–29 |
How Many Texans Primetime Matchups Have Never Happened? 59 of 93
59 of 93, through the 2025 season. That is 63.4 percent, against a league average of 46.5 per team.
Houston ranks fourth among the 32 teams in missing primetime matchups. It is the youngest franchise in the league, and every game in its history falls inside the 32-team era. The league has had 496 possible matchups only since the Texans arrived in 2002, so Houston has had 24 seasons to work through its 93. The league's oldest franchises have had more than 50 seasons of Monday Night Football alone.
Over those 24 seasons, Houston has played 47 primetime games, about 2.0 per year. The most-scheduled team over the same span has played 104.
The full Texans grid, all ten windows, is on the Texans Schedulegami page.
Texans Opponents on Monday, Sunday, and Thursday Night, 2002–2026
| Opponent | Mondaynight | Sundaynight | Thursdaynight | Anyprimetime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colts | 1 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Jaguars | 1 | Never | 1 | 2 |
| Titans | 2 | Never | Never | 2 |
| Bills | Never | Never | 1 | 1 |
| Dolphins | Never | Never | 1 | 1 |
| Patriots | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Jets | 1 | Never | 1 | 2 |
| Ravens | 2 | Never | Never | 2 |
| Bengals | 1 | Never | 1 | 2 |
| Browns | Never | Never | Never | Never |
| Steelers | 1 | Never (Wk 13) | Never | 1 |
| Broncos | 1 | Never | 1 | 2 |
| Chiefs | Never | 3 | Never | 3 |
| Chargers | 1 | Never | Never | 1 |
| Raiders | 1 | Never | Never | 1 |
| Cowboys | 1 | 2 | Never | 3 |
| Giants | Never | Never | Never | Never |
| Eagles | Never | Never | 2 | 2 |
| Commanders | Never | Never | Never | Never |
| Bears | Never | 2 | Never | 2 |
| Lions | Never | 1 | Never | 1 |
| Packers | Never (Wk 17) | 2 | Never | 2 |
| Vikings | Never | Never | Never | Never |
| Falcons | Never | Never | Never | Never |
| Panthers | Never | Never | 1 | 1 |
| Saints | 1 | Never | Never | 1 |
| Buccaneers | 1 | Never | Never | 1 |
| Cardinals | Never | Never | Never | Never |
| Rams | Never | Never | Never | Never |
| Seahawks | 1 | 1 | Never | 2 |
| 49ers | Never | 1 | Never | 1 |
Three "Never" entries means Houston has never faced that opponent on Monday, Sunday, or Thursday night. One number and two "Never" entries means the matchup has reached only one of the three primetime windows.
The Seven Teams the Texans Have Never Faced in Primetime
Houston has never faced the Browns, Giants, Commanders, Vikings, Falcons, Cardinals, and Rams on Monday, Sunday, or Thursday night. One of them, the Browns, has met Houston at least 10 times without a night game.
The biggest holdout is the Browns. Houston has faced them 14 times since 2002, and all 14 were Sunday afternoons.
Houston appears in seven of the NFL's 47 matchups that have never escaped Sunday afternoon. They are Texans–Browns, Texans–Giants, Texans–Commanders, Texans–Vikings, Texans–Falcons, Texans–Cardinals, and Texans–Rams, each played only on Sunday afternoons since 2002. The full 47 are in 47 NFL Matchups Have Never Been Played Outside a Sunday Afternoon.
Missing AFC South Primetime Matchups: Colts, Titans, Jaguars
Division rivals get the most chances because Houston sees each of them twice a season. The AFC South and the Texans started the same season, 2002. That gives the Colts, Titans, and Jaguars 24 seasons of twice-a-year meetings with Houston, yet some primetime matchups are still missing.
Three of the nine AFC South primetime matchups are still missing. Houston and the Jaguars have never met on Sunday night. Houston and the Titans have never met on Sunday night. Houston and the Titans have never met on Thursday night. Venue does not create a new schedulegami. If Houston and the Titans have already met on Monday night, another Monday night game is not a first because it moves from one stadium to the other. The hub notes venue splits separately.
The 2026 Schedule Closes Two Texans Primetime Matchups
The 2026 schedule closes two Texans primetime matchups: at the Steelers on Sunday night in Week 13 and at the Packers on Monday night in Week 17. A flex move can add or remove a game in season. The team page updates the week the league announces it.
Houston Texans Primetime Games by Season, 2002–2025
| Season | Mondaynight | Sundaynight | Thursdaynight | Total | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1–0 |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2004 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0–1 |
| 2005 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0–2 |
| 2006 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2007 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1–0 |
| 2008 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1–0 |
| 2009 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0–1 |
| 2010 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0–3 |
| 2011 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0–1 |
| 2012 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 2–2 |
| 2013 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1–3 |
| 2014 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0–2 |
| 2015 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1–2 |
| 2016 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1–3 |
| 2017 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1–2 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3–0 |
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2–1 |
| 2020 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2021 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0–1 |
| 2022 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0–1 |
| 2023 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2–2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2–2 |
| Total | 17 | 16 | 14 | 47 | 18–29 |
Houston's busiest primetime seasons were 2012, 2013, 2016, 2024, and 2025, with four games each. The 2011 team went 10–6, the 2012 team went 12–4, the 2015 team went 9–7, the 2023 team went 10–7, and the 2024 team went 10–7.
The Texans had no Monday, Sunday, or Thursday night game in four seasons.
Their longest primetime drought lasted 40 regular-season games, from September 15, 2002 through November 14, 2004.
Houston has faced the Colts more than any other opponent in primetime: seven games.
By window, the Texans are 6–11 on Monday night, 7–9 on Sunday night, and 5–9 on Thursday night.
What Counts as a Texans Primetime Schedulegami
- Regular season only. Playoff games are not part of this history table.
- Home field does not matter. Texans–Bills on Monday night counts whether the game is in Houston or Buffalo.
- The window the game kicks off in is what counts. A game announced for Sunday night but flexed to the afternoon does not count as a Sunday night meeting.
- Thanksgiving, Christmas, Saturday, the Kickoff Game, international games, Friday, and Wednesday are tracked as separate windows. They are in the full grid on the team page, not in the 93.
- Franchise history follows the franchise. Houston's history starts in 2002; Oilers games belong to the Titans.
- Every number comes from the same history table that runs the Primetime & Holiday Game History tool, so the pair pages and this article never disagree.
FAQ
How many teams have the Texans never played in primetime?
Seven, through the 2025 season. None of them has met Houston on Monday night, Sunday night, or Thursday night.
How many primetime games have the Texans played?
47 since 2002: 17 Monday night, 16 Sunday night, and 14 Thursday night. Their record in those games is 18–29.
Do the Texans have a schedulegami in 2026?
Yes, two: Week 13 at the Steelers on Sunday night and Week 17 at the Packers on Monday night.
Which AFC South rival have the Texans faced least in primetime?
The Jaguars and Titans, two games each. Houston and the Jaguars have never met on Sunday night. Houston and the Titans have never met on Sunday night. Houston and the Titans have never met on Thursday night.
What is a schedulegami?
MockSlate calls it a schedulegami when two teams meet in a scheduling window they have never shared before. MockSlate coined the term as a scheduling spin on Jon Bois's scorigami. A schedulegami is decided by the two teams and the window, not the stadium.
Related team pages
Build your own mock schedule
Now put it into practice — place every game into a broadcast-accurate window and see the whole season take shape.
Open the Mock Schedule Builder →