| Team: | Houston Texans |
| Year: | 2020 |
| Record: | 4–12 |
| Division Place: | 3rd AFC South |
| Coach: | Bill O'Brien (fired Oct. 5, 0–4 record) Romeo Crennel (interim, 4–8 record) |
| Off Coach: | Tim Kelly |
| Def Coach: | Anthony Weaver |
| Owner: | Janice and D. Cal McNair |
| General Manager: | Bill O'Brien (fired Oct. 5) Jack Easterby (interim) |
| Stadium: | NRG Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | QB Deshaun Watson OT Laremy Tunsil |
| Shortnavlink: | Texans seasons |
The 2020 season was the Houston Texans' 19th season in the National Football League (NFL) and their seventh and final season under head coach Bill O'Brien. Following their week 10 loss to the Cleveland Browns, they failed to match/improve their 10–6 record from last year and failed to win 10 or more games for the first time since the 2017 season. They were eliminated from playoff contention after a Week 14 loss to the Chicago Bears and suffered their first losing season since 2017. This was also the first season since 2012 that DeAndre Hopkins was not on the roster, as he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason.[1] This was the Texans' final season with Deshaun Watson as the starting quarterback, as he would sit out the next season amidst sexual misconduct allegations as well as demanding to be traded. Watson's final game as a Texan was on January 2, 2021, a 38–41 loss to the Tennessee Titans, and would be traded to the Cleveland Browns a year later, on March 18, 2022.[2]
Following their first 0–4 start since 2008 and the trade of DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals, the Texans fired O'Brien on October 5, 2020.[3] Romeo Crennel was later named as interim head coach and broke the record for oldest NFL head coach in history at 73 years and 112 days old.[4] [5] The season was stained with drama primarily consisting of trade rumors about Deshaun Watson and J. J. Watt and locker room issues. The Texans would lose many close games this year, with 8 of their 12 losses being decided by one score, mimicking their run in 2013 season where they finished with an abysmal 2-14 record after a playoff berth, in which 9 of their 14 losses fell within one score.
See main article: 2020 NFL draft.
Draft trades
The Texans' preseason schedule was announced on May 7, but was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[15]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Venue | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Minnesota Vikings | U.S. Bank Stadium | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |
| 2 | Seattle Seahawks | NRG Stadium | ||
| 3 | at New Orleans Saints | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | ||
| 4 | Dallas Cowboys | NRG Stadium |
The Texans' 2020 schedule was announced on May 7.[15]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 10 | at Kansas City Chiefs | L 20–34 | 0–1 | Arrowhead Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 20 | Baltimore Ravens | L 16–33 | 0–2 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 3 | September 27 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | L 21–28 | 0–3 | Heinz Field | Recap | |
| 4 | October 4 | Minnesota Vikings | L 23–31 | 0–4 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 11 | Jacksonville Jaguars | W 30–14 | 1–4 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 6 | October 18 | at Tennessee Titans | L 36–42 | 1–5 | Nissan Stadium | Recap | |
| 7 | October 25 | Green Bay Packers | L 20–35 | 1–6 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | Bye | ||||||
| 9 | November 8 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 27–25 | 2–6 | TIAA Bank Field | Recap | |
| 10 | November 15 | at Cleveland Browns | L 7–10 | 2–7 | FirstEnergy Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 22 | New England Patriots | W 27–20 | 3–7 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | November 26 | at Detroit Lions | W 41–25 | 4–7 | Ford Field | Recap | |
| 13 | December 6 | Indianapolis Colts | L 20–26 | 4–8 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 13 | at Chicago Bears | L 7–36 | 4–9 | Soldier Field | Recap | |
| 15 | December 20 | at Indianapolis Colts | L 20–27 | 4–10 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | December 27 | Cincinnati Bengals | L 31–37 | 4–11 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 17 | January 3 | Tennessee Titans | L 38–41 | 4–12 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
NFL Kickoff GameWith the loss, the Texans began the season at 0–1 for the fourth consecutive season.
With the loss, the Texans dropped to 0–2 for the first time since the 2018 season.
The Texans held a 21–17 lead at halftime, but were shutout in the second half to lose 21–28. With the loss, Houston fell to 0–3 for the first time since 2018.
With this loss, the Texans dropped to 0–4 for the first time since the 2008 season. The following day, head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien was fired.
With the win, the Texans improved to 1–4 and 1–0 under interim head coach Romeo Crennel.
With the loss, the Texans dropped to 1–5 and 1–1 under Crennel.
With the loss, the Texans fell to 1–6 and 1–2 under Crennel.
With the close victory, the Texans improved to 2–6 and 2–2 under Crennel. This was also their sixth consecutive win against the Jaguars.
The game was delayed moments before kickoff due to severe weather, with the weather delay lasting for 37 minutes.[16] The heavy rains affected filed conditions while the gusty winds in the area made passing and kicking the ball difficult. Early in the 2nd quarter, facing a 4th and 2 from the Cleveland 2-yard line, Houston went for it, but Deshaun Watson was sacked by Myles Garrett for a 2-yard loss. Later in the quarter, the Browns would also turn the ball over on downs when a Baker Mayfield pass intended for Jarvis Landry fell incomplete in Houston territory. Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn attempted a 46-yard field goal late in the 3rd, but the gusty winds pushed the ball wide left; Cleveland would score the game's first touchdown on the following drive with a 9-yard run from Nick Chubb. The two teams would trade punts on their next respective drives before Houston would score its first points of the game on a 90-yard drive that ended with a 16-yard pass from Watson to tight end Pharaoh Brown with 4:59 left in the game. On the ensuing kickoff, Donovan Peoples-Jones muffed the punt on his own 2-yard line and recovered it for a 1-yard gain before being taken down by Buddy Howell. The Texans had a chance to get the ball back late in the game with the Browns facing a 3rd and 3 at their own 40-yard line with 1:07 left to play, but Chubb broke free for a 59-yard run before intentionally running out of bounds at the Houston 1-yard line. Cleveland would take a knee twice to end the game.
With the close loss, the Texans fell to 2–7 and 2–3 under Crennel.
Days prior to the game, New England head coach Bill Belichick stated that Romeo Crennel is the best coach he ever worked with. The two previously worked together with the New York Giants in the 80s, while Crennel served as Belichick's defensive coordinator on the Patriots from 2001 to 2004. This is the second time Crennel will face off against his former team as a head coach.[17] At the time of kickoff, Belichick and Crennel will set a record for the oldest head coaching matchup in NFL history at 68 and 73 years old, respectively, for a combined age of 141 years.[18] [19]
With the win, the Texans improved to 3–7 and 3–3 under Crennel.
Thanksgiving Day gamesWith the win, the Texans improved to 4–7 and 4–3 under Crennel. The day following the game, it was announced that receiver Kenny Stills would be cut from the team. The move was a mutual decision between Stills and the team.[20]
With the loss, the Texans fell to 4–8 and 4–4 under Crennel.
With this loss, the Texans were eliminated from playoff contention for the first time since 2017. The Texans fell to 4–9 and 4–5 under Crennel.
After the loss, J. J. Watt was seen at the postgame poastal during his interview very angry about how the season had gone up to that point. With the loss, the Texans fell to 4–11.
With the loss, the Texans finished their season at 4–12 and were swept by the Titans for the first time since 2007. This was also Deshaun Watson's final game as the Texans starting quarterback, as he sat out the entire 2021 season due to a trade demand and multiple allegations of sexual assault, which then led to him being traded to the Cleveland Browns just before the 2022 season.
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 4,538 | 283.6 | 4th | |
| Rushing offense | 1,466 | 91.6 | 31st | |
| Total offense[21] | 6,004 | 375.3 | 13th | |
| Passing defense | 4,104 | 256.5 | 24th | |
| Rushing defense | 2,564 | 160.3 | 32nd | |
| Total defense[22] | 6,668 | 416.8 | 30th |
| Category | Player | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Passing yards | 4,823 | ||
| Passing touchdowns | Deshaun Watson | 33 | |
| Rushing yards | 691 | ||
| Rushing touchdowns | David Johnson | 6 | |
| Receiving yards | 1,150 | ||
| Receiving touchdowns | 8 | ||
| Defense | |||
| Tackles | 106 | ||
| Sacks | 5 | ||
| Interceptions | 1 | ||