Prime Time Light

Houston Texans 2014 schedule includes one of highest priced games ever, Robert Griffin III opening test

First-year Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien, an East Coast guy through and through, is certainly getting an Eastern introduction to his new job.

The Texans play three NFC East teams in the first five games of the upcoming 2014 season, including a Sept. 7 home opener vs. the Washington Redskins and the highly-anticipated regular season clash with the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 on Oct. 8. That's just part of the slate revealed in the NFL's now holiday-like schedule release — a buzzy event that's turned into another professional football TV night.

Less than two hours before the Houston Rockets would take the court for a crucial playoff game, Texans fans found out what their team's road back to relevance looks like.

The game at Jerry World will be one of the most anticipated Texans games ever.

The Texans play three of their first five games on the road and face another stretch of three road trips in four games — highlighted by an Oct. 20 Monday Night Football date in Pittsburgh — but they get to close at home with matchups against the Baltimore Ravens (and former coach Gary Kubiak) Dec. 21 and the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 28.

If the Texans are fighting for a playoff berth late in the season, that finish could be an advantage.

Having arguably the best defensive player in the NFL in J.J. Watt, one of the most exciting offensive weapons in all of football in Arian Foster and a wide receiver still putting up crazy numbers at age 32 in Andre Johnson — not to mention holding the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft — apparently still isn't enough to entice the networks too much. The Texans only get two prime time games this season — the Monday nighter against Pittsburgh and a game vs. the Indianapolis Colts on Oct. 9 in the now much more high-profile CBS Thursday Night slate.

That's less than half the total of prime time games Houston played in both 2012 and 2013. The stink of 2-14 certainly lingers some.

Still, the game at Jerry World will be one of the most anticipated Texans games ever. Patrick Ryan — co-owner of The Ticket Experience, a Houston-based ticket broker — tells CultureMap that it's going to be one of the five highest priced regular season games on the secondary market this year. Not just the Texans' highest price game. One of the highest priced games in the entire 256-game strong NFL schedule.

"I think it’s great," O'Brien says of the Cowboys matchup. "I think Texas is such a great football state. The city of Houston is a football city and any time you have the two pro teams in the state of Texas playing each other, that’s a fantastic thing for the National Football League and great for both fan bases.

"It’s an exciting time for both teams.”

Tony Romo won't be the only controversial quarterback the Texans face off against. They get Robert Griffin III, trying to pull off a comeback season, in the opener, and old friend Matt Schaub in Week 2 game at Oakland.

The Texans' complete 2014 regular season schedule:

Sunday Sept. 7 Washington Redskins Noon
Sunday Sept. 14 at Oakland Raiders 3:25 p.m.
Sunday Sept. 21 at New York Giants Noon
Sunday Sept. 28 Buffalo Bills Noon
Sunday Oct. 5 at Dallas Cowboys Noon
Thursday Oct. 9 Indianapolis Colts 7:25 p.m.
Monday Oct. 20 at Pittsburgh Steelers 7:30 p.m.
Sunday Oct. 26 at Tennessee Titans Noon
Sunday Nov. 2 Philadelphia Eagles Noon
Sunday Nov. 9 BYE
Sunday Nov. 16 at Cleveland Browns Noon
Sunday Nov. 23 Cincinnati Bengals Noon
Sunday Nov. 30 Tennessee Titans Noon
Sunday Dec. 7 at Jacksonville Jaguars Noon
Sunday Dec. 14 at Indianapolis Colts Noon
Sunday Dec. 21 Baltimore Ravens Noon
Sunday Dec. 28 Jacksonville Jaguars Noon

The Houston Texans and Andre Johnson are diving back in, trying to re-grab the NFL's attention.

Photo by © Michelle Watson CultureMapSNAP.com

The Houston Texans and Andre Johnson are diving back in, trying to re-grab the NFL's attention.

unspecified

place your bets

Texas sports team unite to support legalized online gambling

Photo by Michelle Watson/CultureMapSnap

undefined

The movement to legalize online sports gambling in Texas gained some additional momentum thanks to a new report showing it could add billions to the Texas economy.

The report comes from Eilers & Krejcik, a boutique research firm that specializes in the gaming industry. According to the report, the state could see $2.6 billion in additional annual economic activity, with another $24.3 million in tax revenue. It could also add up to 8,000 jobs.

Orlando Sanchez, former Harris County Treasurer and Houston City Council Member, has gone on record saying legalizing online sports gambling would benefit Texas.

“By legalizing sports betting in the Lone Star State, we could generate additional tax revenue – that doesn’t include taxing Texans more, which could be used to fund a variety of public projects while keeping Texans safe and giving us the chance to choose whether or not we want to legalize sports betting by putting it on the ballot,” he told Texas Insider.

Nearly all the major sports teams in the state back the move toward legalized sports gambling. Members of the Sports Betting Alliance, which is advocating for legislation to allow online sports betting, includes the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and the Houston Dash. Former governor Rick Perry serves as one spokesperson for the organization.

Texans owner Cal McNair and Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta issued a joint statement in February 2023 supporting sports gambling.

”The Houston Texans support giving Texans the opportunity to choose for themselves if they want a regulated and taxed sports betting industry in Texas,” said McNair. “We think a legal and regulated betting industry is best for our fans and partners and would protect the integrity of competition.”

“Sports betting is a very popular form of entertainment,” said Fertitta. “Sports fans enjoy placing bets on their favorite sports because it brings them closer to the team and puts them in the game. No one wins with an illegal market as robust as the one in Texas.”

Houston soccer teams Dash and Dynamo also issued a brief statement following the release of the study.

“As the popularity of sports betting grows across the US, the Houston Dash and Dynamo align with efforts to bring this unique opportunity to soccer fans in Houston.”

Sports betting legislation has faced an uphill battle thanks to Governor Greg Abbott. The governor has been very against expanding gambling in Texas throughout his administration, blocking attempts of native tribes to expand electronic bingo halls, additional casino construction being pushed by Miriam Adelson, and even research trips by Texas officials to study expanded gambling. Though Abbott has seemingly softened on his stance, he remains wary of gambling fostering economic hardship in the state.

Texas is one of only 11 states in the union that has not legalized sports gambling. The American Gaming Association estimates sports gambling has contributed to $40.8 billion in tax revenue and created 1.8 million jobs across the country.

However, there has also been a marked spike in gambling addiction since 2018 when the app-based sports gambling boom started. Heads of several problem gambling centers report increased hotline calls and more severe problems such as bankruptcies and foreclosures related to sports gambling.

politics gambling sports betting