The Houston Texans finished with a 3-13-1 record, which tends to suggest that the club was playing predominantly younger players. However, the numbers suggest otherwise.
According to data from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Texans had the 15th-youngest team in the NFL using snap-weighted age rankings. Houston ranked 16th on offense, 12th on defense, and the average age for both units was 27.1 years old.
The oldest team was the New Orleans Saints at 28.1. The Detroit Lions were the youngest team with their average age being 25.7 years old.
Among remaining playoff teams, the New York Giants are the youngest in the NFL at 26.1 years old. The Philadelphia Eagles are the oldest at 27.6.
Although Houston’s offense and defense averaged 27.1 years old each, the two units had their impressive rookies. Running back Dameon Pierce fell 61 yards short of 1,000, and he didn’t need a full 17-game complement to get there as he tallied those numbers through 13 games. Safety Jalen Pitre generated a team-high 147 combined tackles and led the defense with five interceptions through 17 starts.
