The Texans' emotional celebration after clinching improbable playoff berth will put a smile on your face

The Houston Texans weren’t supposed to make the playoffs yet.

Even after hiring rising star DeMeco Ryans as head coach and using early first-round picks on quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive anchor Will Anderson in the offseason, Houston’s preseason win total was one of the NFL’s lowest at 6.5. The rebuild was simply expected to take longer.

Houston defied those odds all season and completed the journey Saturday by punching its ticket to the postseason with a win over the Indianapolis Colts to clinch the AFC South division title. The locker room celebration and Ryans’ speech to the team perfectly captured the emotions of the moment.

“WE PUNCHED OUR TICKET” pic.twitter.com/grRCrm9RQl

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 7, 2024

Stroud was especially emotional after the game, thinking about all the work that went into a 10-7 season and Houston’s first playoff berth since 2019.

An emotional C.J. Stroud after leading the Houston Texans to a postseason berth pic.twitter.com/yqJcdNSMTv

— Chancellor Johnson (@ChancellorTV) January 7, 2024

It’s hard not to root for this team.