| Team: | Houston Texans |
| Year: | 2022 |
| Record: | 3–13–1 |
| Division Place: | 4th AFC South |
| Coach: | Lovie Smith |
| Off Coach: | Pep Hamilton |
| Owner: | Janice and D. Cal McNair |
| General Manager: | Nick Caserio |
| Stadium: | NRG Stadium |
| Playoffs: | Did not qualify |
| Pro Bowlers: | OT Laremy Tunsil |
| Uniform: | File:Houston Texans Uniforms 2022.png |
| Shortnavlink: | Texans seasons |
The 2022 season was the Houston Texans' 21st in the National Football League (NFL) and their only season under Lovie Smith, following the firing of David Culley at the end of the 2021 season.[1]
For the first time since 2016, long-time quarterback Deshaun Watson was not on the roster, as he was traded to the Cleveland Browns on March 18.[2]
The Texans recorded their first tie in franchise history against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.[3] However, the Texans struggled as they had their worst start since 2005. Houston was eliminated from playoff contention in Week 13, marking the third consecutive year the Texans were the first team to be eliminated.[4] The Texans failed to improve upon their 4–13 record from the previous year, and posted a 9-game losing streak from Week 7 to Week 15, their worst losing streak since 2013. They failed to win a home game in 2022, going 0–7–1 at NRG Stadium.[5] Hours after their season-ending win against the Colts, the Texans parted ways with head coach Lovie Smith after only one season with the organization, marking the third consecutive year that the team fired its head coach.[6]
See main article: 2022 NFL draft.
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | |||||
| 13 | Traded to Philadelphia | from Cleveland | |||
| 15 | from Miami via Philadelphia | ||||
| 2 | 37 | ||||
| 44 | from Cleveland | ||||
| 3 | 68 | Traded to Cleveland | |||
| 75 | Alabama | from Denver | |||
| 80 | Traded to Denver | from New Orleans | |||
| 4 | 107 | from Detroit via Cleveland | |||
| 108 | Traded to Cleveland | ||||
| 124 | Traded to Cleveland | from Philadelphia | |||
| 137 | Traded to Carolina | from LA Rams | |||
| 5 | 148 | Traded to Chicago | |||
| 150 | from Chicago | ||||
| 162 | Traded to Denver | from Philadelphia | |||
| 166 | Traded to Chicago | from Arizona via Philadelphia | |||
| 170 | Oregon State | from Tampa Bay via New England | |||
| 6 | 183 | Traded to New England | |||
| 205 | LSU | from Green Bay | |||
| 207 | Traded to Chicago | from San Francisco via NY Jets | |||
| 7 | 224 | Traded to New England | |||
| 228 | Traded to Green Bay | from Chicago | |||
| 245 | Traded to New England | from Dallas | |||
| Name | Position | College | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Myron Cunningham | OT | Arkansas | [7] |
| Damion Daniels | DT | Nebraska | |
| Drew Estrada | WR | Baylor | |
| Jacobi Francis | DB | Memphis | |
| Seth Green | TE | Minnesota | |
| Jake Hansen | LB | Illinois | |
| Kolby Harvell-Peel | DB | Oklahoma State | |
| Kurt Hinish | DL | Notre Dame | |
| Johnny Johnson III | WR | Oregon | |
| Tristin McCollum | DB | Sam Houston State | |
The Houston Texans fired first-year head coach David Culley on January 13, 2022, who most notably led the Texans to a win at AFC No. 1 seed Tennessee Titans.[8]
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Orleans Saints | W 17–13 | 1–0 | NRG Stadium | Recap | ||
| 2 | at Los Angeles Rams | W 24–20 | 2–0 | SoFi Stadium | Recap | ||
| 3 | San Francisco 49ers | W 17–0 | 3–0 | NRG Stadium | Recap |
| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | September 11 | Indianapolis Colts | T 20–20 | 0–0–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 2 | September 18 | at Denver Broncos | L 9–16 | 0–1–1 | Empower Field at Mile High | Recap | |
| 3 | September 25 | at Chicago Bears | L 20–23 | 0–2–1 | Soldier Field | Recap | |
| 4 | October 2 | Los Angeles Chargers | L 24–34 | 0–3–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 5 | October 9 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 13–6 | 1–3–1 | TIAA Bank Field | Recap | |
| 6 | Bye | ||||||
| 7 | October 23 | at Las Vegas Raiders | L 20–38 | 1–4–1 | Allegiant Stadium | Recap | |
| 8 | October 30 | Tennessee Titans | L 10–17 | 1–5–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 17–29 | 1–6–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap | ||
| 10 | November 13 | at New York Giants | L 16–24 | 1–7–1 | MetLife Stadium | Recap | |
| 11 | November 20 | Washington Commanders | L 10–23 | 1–8–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 12 | November 27 | at Miami Dolphins | L 15–30 | 1–9–1 | Hard Rock Stadium | Recap | |
| 13 | December 4 | Cleveland Browns | L 14–27 | 1–10–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 14 | December 11 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 23–27 | 1–11–1 | AT&T Stadium | Recap | |
| 15 | December 18 | Kansas City Chiefs | L 24–30 | 1–12–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 16 | at Tennessee Titans | W 19–14 | 2–12–1 | Nissan Stadium | Recap | ||
| 17 | January 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | L 3–31 | 2–13–1 | NRG Stadium | Recap | |
| 18 | January 8 | at Indianapolis Colts | W 32–31 | 3–13–1 | Lucas Oil Stadium | Recap | |
This was the first tie in franchise history.[3]
This was played the same day as Game 5 of the 2022 World Series between the Houston Astros and the Philadelphia Phillies, moved back by one day due to rain in Philadelphia earlier in the week. Estimates from Nielsen Media Research show the baseball game drew an average of five million more viewers, with a share of at least 50 in both Philadelphia and Houston. Meanwhile, the football game, originally scheduled to air on the Fox affiliates in both markets per NFL rules, moved to the MyNetworkTV affiliates in both markets.[9] [10]
Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson made his first start since January 3, 2021 when he still played for Houston. Both offenses struggled throughout the game, with the game's only offensive touchdown coming with 1:57 left on a 6-yard Kyle Allen pass to wide receiver Nico Collins. However, Cleveland would score two defensive touchdowns and a special teams touchdown. With the loss, the Texans dropped to 1–10–1 and were mathematically eliminated from playoff contention for the third season in a row.
The Texans held a 23–17 lead entering the fourth quarter but fell apart in the final minutes of the game. Cornerback Tremon Smith intercepted a Dak Prescott pass and returned it 7 yards to the Dallas 4-yard line; however, the offense failed to score a touchdown and turned the ball over on downs. Starting at their own 2-yard line, the Cowboys marched 98 yards down field with Ezekiel Elliott getting the go-ahead score on a 2-yard run with 0:41 left. Houston attempted to respond, making it as far as the Dallas 44-yard line, but two false start penalties on Laremy Tunsil pushed the Texans back to their own 46-yard line and a Davis Mills Hail Mary pass was intercepted in the end zone by Israel Mukuamu, sealing the victory for Dallas.
A fumble lost by David Mills in overtime led to the game winning touchdown by the Chiefs.
Kickoff was originally scheduled for 12:00 p.m. CST, but was delayed an hour due to rolling blackouts in the Nashville area.[11]
With the win, combined with a loss from the Chicago Bears, the Texans lost their first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.[12]
| Category | Total yards | Yards per game | NFL rank | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Passing offense | 3,344 | 196.7 | 25th | |
| Rushing offense | 1,476 | 86.8 | 31st | |
| Total offense[13] | 4,820 | 283.5 | 31st | |
| Passing defense | 3,558 | 209.3 | 10th | |
| Rushing defense | 2,894 | 170.2 | 32nd | |
| Total defense[14] | 6,452 | 379.5 | 30th |
| Category | Player | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offense | |||
| Passing yards | 3,118 | ||
| Passing touchdowns | Davis Mills | 17 | |
| Rushing yards | 939 | ||
| Rushing touchdowns | Dameon Pierce | 4 | |
| Receiving yards | 699 | ||
| Receiving touchdowns | 5 | ||
| Defense | |||
| Tackles | 99 | ||
| Sacks | 9 | ||
| Interceptions | Jalen Pitre | 5 | |