Texans on 2023 regular season schedule: 'H-Town, it's [going to] be a party'

The Houston Texans unveiled the schedule for their first season with head coach DeMeco Ryans on Thursday.

“H-Town, it's [going to] be a party,” the team tweeted along with a video to celebrate the much-awaited release of the dates and times for all 17 games of the 2023 campaign.

The opponents were made known immediately after the Texans 2022 season-ending 32-31 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Barring any setbacks, top first-round selections C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. will officially begin their National Football League (NFL) careers in Baltimore, Maryland, where the Texans have a Week 1 tilt against the Ravens on Sept. 10 at noon.

Week 2 is slated as the season’s first game at NRG Stadium on Sept. 17 at noon, with the Texans hosting American Football Conference (AFC) South Division rival Jacksonville.

The home opener is traditionally designated as the Liberty Whiteout Game in which the team dons all-white uniforms.

Since Houston is in the midst of a rebuild, it won’t make any nationally televised appearances in 2023.

Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning, told CBS Sports that the Texans’ lone hope of appearing on Sunday Night Football (SNF), Monday Night Football (MNF) or even a widely watched Sunday afternoon slot would be flex scheduling.

“If [they’re] frisky and relevant late in the year we'd love to find a window where we can reintroduce them to the nation,” North said.

According to a report on the Texans’ website, the team’s opponents have a combined winning percentage of .427, or a 123-163-2 last year.

Five matchups – including the season opener in Baltimore and the usual home and away against the incumbent division champion Jaguars – will be against 2022 playoff participants, the Texans said.

Texans owner Cal McNair called the latest crop of players “a better roster,” Houston NBC affiliate KPRC reported.

“[They’re] very competitive,” McNair said in the report. “And you want to have competition at each of the spots on the roster, which we’re getting there.”

“So, I see a lot of progress, a lot of good things on the way,” he added. “We think we had a good offseason.”

The Texans won a combined 11 games since the 2020 season.