The Texans hope that they set the stage for a brighter future at the top of this year’s NFL draft, but the league’s schedule makers don’t think they will be making a quick turnaround.
Houston took quarterback C.J. Stroud and edge rusher Will Anderson with the second and third overall picks, but their addition did not make the Texans attractive enough to land any prime-time games on the 2023 schedule. mThere is no requirement that every team in the league be scheduled for a prime-time game this year and three other teams were left out of those contests when the full 2023 schedule was announced on Thursday night.
The Cardinals, Colts, and Falcons are the other clubs. Arizona, Houston, and Indianapolis currently have the longest odds of winning the Super Bowl, which explains how they landed on the list. The Falcons have slightly better odds and the NFC South seems fairly open, but an unproven quarterback in Desmond Ridder likely played a big role in leaving them off the prime-time slate.
While there’s no prime-time action for the Colts, there will be one chance for them to play a standalone game. They will play the Patriots in Germany in Week 10, so there will be one chance for a national audience to catch the team and the opportunity to watch them will likely be more appealing if rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is leading the offense at that point.