DeMeco Ryans and the Houston Texans got a significant update from the NFL that will impact the entire league and the schedule starting as soon as next season.
The Texans and other teams are already seeing the results of the last such push from the league. This time, the powers that be have chosen to expand their efforts, and it could mean one fewer home game in any given season.
Houston has already been part of the resistance to such a policy change.
Texans Get Critical Schedule Update From NFL
GettyThe NFL made a decision that will work against what the Houston Texans have tried to do.
The Texans’ chances of hosting an international game in future seasons skyrocketed with the league’s recent decision. The Texans are 18-8 at home and 14-11 on the road under Ryans.
“The NFL on Tuesday approved the ability to play as many as 10 international games starting in 2027, up from eight previously,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler wrote on May 20. “The league also voted to strip teams’ ability to protect any home games from international play. Previously, teams could protect two games.”
Jonathan M. Alexander of the Houston Chronicle called the news “interesting” in a post on X on May 20, noting “the Texans have tried to protect their home games over the years from international games.”
No team in the league will be immune, but it will be a first for the Texans.
This season, the Texans will face the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 6 in London. The Texans are 1-1 in their past two international contests.
Houston lost to the then-Oakland Raiders in Mexico City in 2017, and they defeated the Jaguars in London in 2019. The Texans were notably the road team in both of those contests, which could make them prime candidates for a home tilt overseas.
Such a game would take place in Mexico, where the Texans hold marketing rights, along with the Raiders, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, and Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC.
There are also several NFC clubs with marketing rights in Mexico.
NFL Could Eye International Super Bowl
GettyNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has been candid about plans for more international games.
The Texans are one of the few teams around the NFL that have received consistent Super Bowl projections and/or expectations, even if based largely on their defense and in spite of their offense. There have been rumblings that the NFL could also seek to play that game abroad.
“The league’s growing international profile has led to questions about whether a Super Bowl will be played on foreign soil,” Fowler wrote, noting that it is not a top issue of discussion at this point. “Many around the league believe the league could be getting close to playing essentially one international game a week during the regular season.
“NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said 16 international games is the goal.”
Taking the final game of the season out of the continental United States would be a bold decision, let alone moving it to another continent entirely.
Of course, the greater concern for Ryans and the Texans than the Super Bowl is getting past the Divisional Round in the playoffs, where they have had their season ended in each of the past three campaigns.
The Super Bowl is supposed to be at a neutral site anyway.
However, NFL stadiums leave home-field advantage as a distinct possibility. That includes the 2026 season, as the Los Angeles Rams are among the favorites to reach the game at SoFi Arena.
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