Houston Texans Schedule 2026: Printable PDF, Times, TV Channels
The Houston Texans schedule 2026 begins for real on Sunday, September 13. Houston hosts the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium at 1:00 PM ET on CBS. Preseason is over, the 53 man roster is set, and every regular season date below is unchanged from the May release.
Houston went 0-3 in August, though those games told you little. C.J. Stroud played one series all preseason. The real news landed off the field: a season ending knee injury to a starting receiver, a trade to replace him, and a stadium that answers to its original name again.
Every date, kickoff time and TV channel is below, plus a free printable schedule and a wall calendar sized for US Letter paper.
Jump to: Week 1 | Preseason Results | TV Schedule | Printable Schedule | Wall Calendar | Injuries | Bye Week
Houston Texans Schedule 2026 Quick Facts
| Season and home opener | Sun, Sept 13 vs Buffalo Bills, 1:00 PM ET (CBS) |
| Season span | September 2026 through January 2027 |
| Stadium | Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX (72,220 seats) |
| Head coach | DeMeco Ryans (4th season) |
| Quarterback | C.J. Stroud (4th season) |
| Division | AFC South |
| Home / road games | 8 / 9 |
| Bye week | Week 8, weekend of November 1 |
| Prime time games | 4 (1 at home) |
| International game | Week 6 at Jacksonville, Wembley Stadium, London, Oct 18 |
| Holiday game | Christmas Eve at Philadelphia, Dec 24 |
| 2026 preseason | 0-3 |
| 2025 season | 12-5, lost the divisional round at New England |
| Milestone | 25th season in franchise history |
Houston Texans Schedule 2026: Every Game, Date and TV Channel
All 17 games with kickoff times in Eastern. Home games are marked “vs” and road games “at.” Nothing has moved since the schedule was released in May.
| Week | Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun, Sept 13 | vs Buffalo Bills | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 2 | Sun, Sept 20 | vs Cincinnati Bengals | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 3 | Sun, Sept 27 | at Indianapolis Colts | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 4 | Sun, Oct 4 | vs Dallas Cowboys | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 5 | Sun, Oct 11 | at Tennessee Titans | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | at Jacksonville Jaguars (London) | 9:30 AM | NFL Network |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | vs New York Giants | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 8 | BYE WEEK | |||
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | at Los Angeles Chargers | 4:05 PM | CBS |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | at Cleveland Browns | 1:00 PM | FOX |
| 11 | Thu, Nov 19 | vs Indianapolis Colts | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 12 | Sun, Nov 29 | vs Baltimore Ravens | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 13 | Sun, Dec 6 | at Pittsburgh Steelers | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | at Washington Commanders | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 15 | Sun, Dec 20 | vs Jacksonville Jaguars | 1:00 PM | CBS |
| 16 | Thu, Dec 24 | at Philadelphia Eagles | 8:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 17 | Mon, Jan 4 | at Green Bay Packers | 8:15 PM | ESPN |
| 18 | TBD | vs Tennessee Titans | TBD | TBD |
Week 18 against the Tennessee Titans is the only unset date. The league assigns it after Week 17 finishes, with three Saturday windows and the rest on Sunday.
Sunday afternoon kickoffs can also move under flexible scheduling from Week 5 on, so treat the 1:00 PM and 4:05 PM slots as provisional until game week.
Texans Week 1: Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium
Kickoff is Sunday, September 13 at 1:00 PM ET, noon in Houston. CBS has the national broadcast and KHOU 11 carries it locally. Radio is 95.7 The Fan.
The Texans are wearing Liberty White and the club is asking the crowd to wear white for the opener, branded Kickoff presented by Hyundai. It is only the second season opener between these two teams and the first since 2005, when the Buffalo Bills won 22-7 in Orchard Park.
Buffalo arrives under a new head coach. Joe Brady was promoted from offensive coordinator, and first year defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard has switched the Bills to a 3-4 base. Josh Allen is 1-3 in his career against Houston, and Buffalo has not won in this building since 2006.
Texans Preseason Results 2026
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thu, Aug 13 | vs Los Angeles Chargers | L 7-27 |
| 2 | Thu, Aug 20 | vs Las Vegas Raiders | L 20-22 |
| 3 | Fri, Aug 28 | at Carolina Panthers | L 13-16 |
Houston finished 0-3, and the record is close to meaningless. C.J. Stroud took exactly one series all August, going 4 of 6 for 27 yards against Las Vegas on a drive that ended in a Woody Marks touchdown. Davis Mills started the other two games. Both head coaches held their starters out of the finale in Charlotte.
The cost was real, though. Rookie receiver Jayden Higgins tore an ACL in a joint practice with the Raiders and is out for the season, and backup quarterback Graham Mertz tore an ACL in the opener. Seventh round linebacker Aiden Fisher and receiver Jared Wayne played their way onto the roster.
Texans TV Schedule 2026: What Channel Is the Game On
Six networks carry Houston games this season. CBS holds half the slate, which is normal for an AFC club.
| Network | Games | Weeks |
|---|---|---|
| CBS | 8 | 1, 2, 3, 5, 9, 12, 14, 15 |
| FOX | 3 | 4, 7, 10 |
| Prime Video | 2 | 11, 16 (Thursday Night Football) |
| NBC | 1 | 13 (Sunday Night Football) |
| ESPN | 1 | 17 (Monday Night Football) |
| NFL Network | 1 | 6 (London) |
| TBD | 1 | 18 |
- Four prime time games, only one at home. The Indianapolis Colts visit on Thursday Night Football in Week 11. The other three are road trips to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Green Bay.
- The season ends with three straight national night games. Sunday night at Pittsburgh, Christmas Eve at Philadelphia, then Monday Night Football at Lambeau Field on January 4, 2027.
- Both Prime Video games get a local simulcast over the air in the Houston market, so you do not need a subscription to watch them at home.
Out of market viewers can pick up Sunday afternoon games through NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube. Most local CBS and FOX broadcasts are free with a digital antenna. On radio, 95.7 The Fan is the flagship and Mega 101 FM carries the Spanish call.
Texans Kickoff Times in Every Time Zone
| Eastern | Central | Mountain | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:30 AM (London) | 8:30 AM | 7:30 AM | 6:30 AM |
| 1:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 4:05 PM | 3:05 PM | 2:05 PM | 1:05 PM |
| 8:15 PM | 7:15 PM | 6:15 PM | 5:15 PM |
| 8:20 PM | 7:20 PM | 6:20 PM | 5:20 PM |
Houston sits in Central time, so local fans subtract one hour from every Eastern time above. Seven of the nine road games leave the Central zone. Six head east, one goes west to Los Angeles, and only Nashville and Green Bay share Houston’s clock.
Arizona viewers, one exception. Arizona skips daylight saving time, so subtract three hours from Eastern instead of two through Week 7. Daylight saving ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026, and from Week 9 the Mountain column reads correctly.
Free Printable Houston Texans Schedule 2026 Download (PDF)
The whole season on one page: three preseason games plus all 18 regular season weeks with dates, opponents, kickoff times and TV channels, and a blank result column so you can log scores as the season runs. A facts strip across the top carries the home and road split, the Week 8 bye, Reliant Stadium and DeMeco Ryans. Sized for US Letter paper. Free, with no sign up or email required.
Want every team on one page? Get the full 2026 NFL schedule with all 32 teams, week by week.
Texans 2026 Wall Calendar Printable (PDF)
Prefer a month grid? This version runs August 2026 through January 2027. Reliant Stadium dates are filled in navy, road dates are outlined in red, and each square carries the opponent and kickoff time. Preseason days are tagged PRE, the empty first weekend of November shows the Week 8 bye, and the January page marks the Monday night trip to Lambeau. Also US Letter, also free.
Printing tip: pick “Actual size” or “100%” instead of “Fit to page” so the small type stays sharp.
Texans 2026 Roster News and Injuries
DeMeco Ryans enters a fourth season with his staff intact. Nick Caley returns for a second year as offensive coordinator and Matt Burke begins a fourth as defensive coordinator. Houston went 12-5 in 2025, won 30-6 at Pittsburgh in the wild card round, then lost 28-16 at New England. That was a third straight playoff trip, a first for the franchise.
Who is out to start the season:
- Jayden Higgins, wide receiver. Torn ACL in an August joint practice. Out for the season.
- Tank Dell, wide receiver. On injured reserve with a return designation, so he can come back later in the year rather than being lost for it.
- Braden Smith, right tackle. Injured reserve with a foot problem. Trent Brown starts in his place.
- E.J. Speed, linebacker, opens on the physically unable to perform list. Backup quarterback Graham Mertz is on season ending injured reserve.
Houston answered the Higgins injury by trading safety Jaylen Reed to New England for receiver Kayshon Boutte on August 25. Nico Collins remains the clear number one target, with Boutte, Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Jared Wayne behind him. The club kept just five receivers, two quarterbacks and three running backs.
David Montgomery is the lead back after arriving from Detroit in March. The pass rush is the real strength: Will Anderson Jr. signed a three year, 150 million dollar extension in April after a first team All-Pro season, Danielle Hunter was second team All-Pro in 2025, and Jadeveon Clowney returned in August on a one year deal seven years after Houston traded him away. Rookie Kai Kroeger won the punting job.
One storyline to watch early: general manager Nick Caserio set Week 1 as the cutoff for contract extension talks with C.J. Stroud. If nothing is signed by kickoff, it waits until the offseason.
Reliant Stadium 2026: New Name and What Is New for Fans
The building has its original name back. NRG Energy announced the change in April and the Reliant signage went up in August, reversing the 2014 rebrand and restoring the name the venue carried when it opened in 2002. NRG still holds the naming rights through 2032 and chose to make the switch anyway after a survey found about 90 percent local support. The timing lines up with the 25th season, and with the removal of NRG branding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when the venue hosted seven matches as Houston Stadium.
Inside, there are around 80 new food and drink items this year. El Tiempo returns on levels 1 and 5, with Hugo’s and Craft Pita on the club level. Nachos and beer prices are unchanged. A new 6,000 square foot BMW Lone Star Ballroom opens along with the M Club Blue premium space.
Reliant Stadium seats 72,220 and was the first NFL venue built with a retractable roof. Eight regular season home dates run through it, and the 25th season celebration itself lands in Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys on October 4, the same opponent Houston hosted in its first regular season game here in 2002.
Texans in London: Week 6 at Wembley Stadium
Houston faces the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on Sunday, October 18 at 9:30 AM ET on NFL Network. That is 8:30 AM in Houston and 2:30 PM in London, by far the earliest start of the season.
It is only the third international game in franchise history and the first since 2019. The earlier two were a 27-20 loss to Oakland in Mexico City in 2016 and a 26-3 win over these same Jaguars at Wembley in November 2019.
Jacksonville is the designated home team, so this counts as one of Houston’s nine road dates. The club site labels the matchup “vs” while NFL.com and jaguars.com both list Houston as the visitor, and the road designation is the correct one.
When Is the Texans Bye Week in 2026?
Week 8, the weekend of November 1. It lands directly after the London trip, giving the roster two weeks between Wembley and the November 8 visit to the Chargers.
Houston then plays 10 straight weeks to finish the regular season. Compare every club on our NFL bye weeks page.
Houston Texans Tickets 2026
Single game tickets are sold through the official Texans ticket page and Ticketmaster, with verified resale on StubHub, SeatGeek and Vivid Seats. Season tickets run through a membership waitlist.
With only eight home dates, the 25th season game against Dallas in Week 4 and the Thursday night division game against Indianapolis in Week 11 are the hardest to get. Hold off on the Week 18 finale against Tennessee until the league sets its date after Week 17.
Houston Texans Schedule 2026 FAQ
When do the Texans play their first game in 2026?
Sunday, September 13, 2026 against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium, 1:00 PM ET on CBS, with KHOU 11 carrying it locally. It is only the second time Houston has opened a season against Buffalo and the first since 2005.
What channel are Houston Texans games on in 2026?
CBS carries eight games, FOX three, Prime Video two, and NBC, ESPN and NFL Network one each. Week 18 is still TBD. Both Prime Video games get a free over the air simulcast in the Houston market. On radio, 95.7 The Fan is the flagship and Mega 101 FM handles the Spanish call.
Which Texans players are out to start the 2026 season?
Wide receiver Jayden Higgins is out for the year with a torn ACL and backup quarterback Graham Mertz is on season ending injured reserve. Wide receiver Tank Dell is on injured reserve with a return designation, right tackle Braden Smith is on injured reserve with a foot injury, and linebacker E.J. Speed opens on the physically unable to perform list. C.J. Stroud is healthy and starts.
Where can I get a free printable Houston Texans schedule 2026?
Use the download buttons above. The printable is a one page US Letter PDF with all three preseason games, all 18 regular season weeks and a blank result column. There is also a wall calendar version covering August 2026 through January 2027. Both are free with no sign up or email required.
When is the Texans bye week in 2026?
Week 8, the weekend of November 1. It falls immediately after the London game, giving Houston two weeks before the Week 9 trip to the Los Angeles Chargers. The Texans then play 10 consecutive weeks to close the regular season.
Where do the Texans play in London in 2026?
Wembley Stadium, against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, October 18 at 9:30 AM ET on NFL Network. Jacksonville is the designated home team, so it counts as a Houston road game. It is the third international game in club history and the first since a 26-3 win over the Jaguars at Wembley in November 2019.
Why is NRG Stadium now called Reliant Stadium?
The venue reverted to its original name in August 2026, announced by NRG Energy in April. It opened as Reliant Stadium in 2002 and was renamed NRG Stadium in 2014. NRG still holds the naming rights through 2032 but chose the switch after a survey showed about 90 percent local support. The timing matches the Texans 25th season and the removal of NRG branding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when the venue hosted seven matches as Houston Stadium.
The Houston Texans schedule 2026 opens with a real test and gets no easier: nine road games, seven of them outside Central time, a 9:30 AM kickoff in London, and three straight national night games to close.
Houston starts it short two receivers and a starting right tackle, but with the deepest pass rush of the Ryans era and a stadium celebrating 25 years under its founding name.
Grab the free printable PDF above, and check back for kickoff times as flexible scheduling moves the later dates. Every other club is on our 2026 NFL schedule hub.
Last Updated: September 6, 2026
