Will the Houston Texans be a contender for a spot in the postseason next fall? That seems to be the plan, barring a colossal implosion of the defense under fourth-year coach DeMeco Ryans.
Will the two-time AFC South champions be any closer to winning their first Lombardi Trophy? Vegas right now isn’t too keen on that becoming a reality.
According to BetMGM, Houston enters next season as the favorite to win the AFC South following a 12-5 campaign that still led to a wild-card berth last fall +160. The Jacksonville Jaguars, who finished with a division-leading 13 wins, follow close behind at +175, while the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans round out the division at +350 and +600, respectively.
That was expected since Houston returns 10 starters under contract on defense entering the offseason and should be better equipped on the offensive side to improve with the return of wideout Tank Dell. So long as C.J. Stroud can avoid the dreaded multi-turnover game, Houston should be at least a 10-win roster next fall.
But the odds for 2026’s run to Los Angeles are far from favorable for Houston’s liking entering February. To win the AFC as a whole, Houston opens with the eighth-best odds at +1000. To win it all, it opens tied for the 12th-best odds at +2000.
The Seattle Seahawks (+800) enter as the favorites to repeat with a majority of their roster returning next season. The Los Angeles Rams (+900), Baltimore Ravens (+1200), Buffalo Bills (+1200), Green Bay Packers (+1400), Kansas City Chiefs (+1400), Philadelphia Eagles (+1400), Detroit Lions (+1500), Los Angeles Chargers (+1500) and New England Patriots (+1500) round out the top 10, while the Texans remain tied with the Denver Broncos and Jacksonville for odds as free agency looms.
Surprisingly, Houston has better odds than Jacksonville to win the division and the Super Bowl, but worse odds to win the conference. The Jaguars were one spot ahead of the Texans at (+950) to win the conference, along with the Broncos.
Here is BETMGM odds for every team to win it all next season at SoFi Stadium following the end of the regular season:
2026 Super Bowl odds
The Texans own eight picks in the upcoming NFL draft, including four in the top 70. Entering free agency, Houston only has -1.48 million in cap space.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans odds: One betting site provides perplexing numbers on Houston
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
