Houston Texans Trivia
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8correct to beat the crowd
50 free Houston Texans trivia questions with answers — sports quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Houston Texans trivia quiz covers the whole short history of the NFL's youngest franchise: how Bob McNair won the 32nd team after the Oilers left for Tennessee, the 2002 opening-night upset of the Cowboys, David Carr's 76 sacks, and the long climb to a first AFC South title in 2011. It then runs through the stars and the seasons that followed — Andre Johnson, Arian Foster's undrafted rushing title, J. J. Watt's three Defensive Player of the Year awards and Hurricane Harvey fundraising, DeAndre Hopkins, Deshaun Watson, the 24–0 collapse in Kansas City, and the DeMeco Ryans and C. J. Stroud era that finally brought a road playoff win — plus the bull logo, Toro, Battle Red and 'Bulls on Parade'. Questions run from easy to hard with the difficulty shown on each one. Every answer has been checked against a primary reference and each question carries its citation.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01In which season did the Houston Texans begin play?
2002
The league awarded Houston the 32nd franchise in October 1999; the team was founded that year but did not kick off until 2002.
Q 02The Texans replaced which previous Houston NFL franchise, which had left for Nashville?
The Oilers
The Oilers played in Houston from 1960 to 1996 before moving to Tennessee and becoming the Titans in 1999; the Adams family retained the rights to the old name.
Q 03Who founded the Texans and owned the team until his death in 2018?
Bob McNair
Bob McNair, who sold his power company Cogen Technologies to Enron in 1999, paid the expansion fee and ran the Texans until his death in November 2018.
Q 04How much did the NFL charge for the expansion franchise awarded to Houston on October 6, 1999?
$700 million
The $700 million fee was a record for an NFL expansion franchise, far above the $140 million each that Carolina and Jacksonville had paid in 1993.
Q 05Which team did the Texans beat in their inaugural regular-season game?
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys fell 19–10 at Reliant Stadium in the Texans' first regular-season game, a Sunday-night opener; Houston finished that debut year 4–12.
Q 06Who was the Texans' first head coach?
Dom Capers
Dom Capers, previously the expansion Carolina Panthers' first coach, led the Texans for their first four seasons and was fired after the last of them.
Q 07What unwanted NFL record did the Texans' first-ever draft pick, David Carr, set as a rookie?
Most times sacked in a season
Most times sacked in a season became Carr's record when he went down 76 times as a rookie behind an expansion line; he was sacked 68 times more in 2005.
Q 08Whom did the Texans surprisingly take first overall in 2006 over Reggie Bush and Vince Young?
Mario Williams
Mario Williams, the NC State defensive end, went first overall in April 2006 and made two Pro Bowls in Houston before leaving for Buffalo in 2012.
Q 09Which native Houstonian coached the Texans from 2006 to 2013, leading them to their first two division titles?
Gary Kubiak
Gary Kubiak, a Houston native who quarterbacked at Texas A&M, coached the Texans from 2006 until his dismissal in December 2013, then won Super Bowl 50 with Denver.
Q 10In which season did the Texans win their first AFC South title and reach the playoffs for the first time?
2011
The 2011 Texans went 10–6 with Wade Phillips's new defense and rookie J. J. Watt, then beat Cincinnati 31–10 in the wild-card round.
Q 11Which wide receiver, drafted third overall in 2003, was the first Hall of Fame inductee primarily as a Texan?
Andre Johnson
Andre Johnson, a Miami Hurricane taken third in 2003, was the first inductee into the Texans' Ring of Honor in 2017 and entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2024.
Q 12Which undrafted running back out of Tennessee, signed by Houston, led the NFL in rushing in 2010?
Arian Foster
Arian Foster ran for 1,616 yards in 2010, celebrated touchdowns with a namaste bow, and made four Pro Bowls with the Texans.
Q 13J. J. Watt was drafted 11th overall out of which college?
Wisconsin
Watt started at Central Michigan as a tight end, then walked on at Wisconsin, where he won the 2010 Lott Trophy as a defensive end before going 11th overall to Houston.
Q 21In the 2019 divisional round the Texans led Kansas City 24–0 before losing by what score?
51–31
Kansas City outscored Houston 51–7 the rest of the way after trailing 24–0 and won 51–31 on 12 January 2020, then went on to win Super Bowl LIV.
Q 22Which quarterback signed a big four-year deal with Houston in 2016, then was benched?
Brock Osweiler
Brock Osweiler, signed for $72 million over four years, was benched for Tom Savage, returned to start the playoff win over Oakland when Savage was concussed, then threw multiple interceptions in a 34–16 divisional loss at New England.
Q 23Which HBO series featured the Texans in 2015?
Hard Knocks
Hard Knocks spent its 2015 training-camp season with Houston; that year the Texans started 2–5, released Ryan Mallett after he missed a team flight, and yet won the AFC South before a 30–0 wild-card loss to Kansas City.
Q 14How many times was J. J. Watt named AP Defensive Player of the Year in his first five seasons?
Three
Three awards — for 2012, 2014 and 2015 — came in Watt's first five seasons, matching Lawrence Taylor's career total; he was also the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year.
Q 15J. J. Watt became the first player in NFL history to do what?
Record two 20-sack seasons
Record two 20-sack seasons: Watt posted 20.5 in both 2012 and 2014, something no player had managed since sacks became an official statistic in 1982, and he also scored receiving touchdowns in 2014.
Q 16After Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston in 2017, J. J. Watt's fundraiser brought in roughly how much?
$41.6 million
The total reached $41.6 million after Watt set an initial goal of just $200,000; the effort earned him the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Q 17Which Clemson receiver, drafted 27th by the Texans in 2013, was traded to Arizona in a much-criticised 2020 deal?
DeAndre Hopkins
DeAndre Hopkins went to the Cardinals in March 2020 for running back David Johnson and a second-round pick, a year after his third straight first-team All-Pro selection.
Q 18Which quarterback did the Texans trade up to take 12th overall in 2017?
Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson, fresh from Clemson's national title, went 12th after Houston traded up; a torn ACL in practice ended his rookie season after six starts and 19 touchdown passes.
Q 19The Texans traded Deshaun Watson to which team for a haul including three first-round picks?
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns gave up first-round picks in consecutive drafts plus additional selections for Watson, who then missed 11 games under an NFL suspension while facing civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct.
Q 20The Texans started 0–3 in 2018 and then did what, an NFL first for a team with that start?
Won nine straight games
Won nine straight games is exactly what they did, starting with a 37–34 overtime win at Indianapolis in Week 4; the run carried Houston to an 11–5 record and the AFC South title.
Q 24Which former Texans linebacker became the team's sixth head coach in January 2023?
DeMeco Ryans
DeMeco Ryans, the Texans' 2006 Defensive Rookie of the Year, arrived from the 49ers, where he had been defensive coordinator, and won the AFC South in his first season.
Q 25C. J. Stroud was drafted second overall in 2023 out of which school?
Ohio State
Stroud started two seasons at Ohio State, finishing as a Heisman finalist both years, before going second overall and winning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Q 26Rookie C. J. Stroud set a single-game rookie record in 2023 with how many passing yards?
470
Stroud threw for 470 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions against Tampa Bay in Week 9, breaking Andrew Luck's single-game rookie record of 433.
Q 27Which defensive end did Houston trade up to take third overall in 2023, later Defensive Rookie of the Year?
Will Anderson Jr.
Will Anderson Jr., the Alabama edge rusher, came at the cost of a trade-up from 12th to third with Arizona and won Defensive Rookie of the Year after a seven-sack debut season.
Q 28The 2023 Texans became the first NFL team to win their division under what combination?
A rookie head coach and rookie QB
A rookie head coach and rookie QB led Houston from last in the AFC South the previous year to a 10–7 division title; Stroud then became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game.
Q 29Which team did the Texans beat 30–6 in 2025 for their first road playoff win?
Pittsburgh Steelers
They had been the only franchise never to win on the road in the postseason; the run ended a week later at New England after four first-half Stroud interceptions.
Q 30Which Texans linebacker was named 2009 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year?
Brian Cushing
Brian Cushing, a 2009 first-round pick from USC, won Defensive Rookie of the Year and kept the award when the AP held an unprecedented re-vote after his 2010 suspension.