Texans schedule 2023: Houston competing the whole season without a primetime game

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- ABC13 got a healthy slate of Monday Night Football games when the NFL officially released its schedule for all teams Thursday.

But, no, the hometown Houston Texans aren't showing up on MNF.

The team and the league revealed the full slate of games a couple of weeks after the Texans attempted to solidify their future with the drafting of CJ Stroud and Will Anderson Jr.

The ball club, though, is still in a rebuild, which didn't bode well in terms of some rules introduced for this season.

ESPN's Adam Schefter revealed in recent days that there were some unprecedented scheduling quirks, including whether each of the league's 32 clubs will get at least one game in primetime, which is now no longer guaranteed.

And with scheduling traditionally reflective of a team's appeal, the NFL wasn't keen on putting first-year coach Demeco Ryans and a young group on a national stage.

In any case, Houston could still be up for flexed scheduling positions if the Texans surprise the league. New for 2023, MNF games can be flexed.

Here is the full Texans regular season schedule:

• Week 1: at Baltimore, Sept. 10, noon
• Week 2: vs. Indianapolis, Sept. 17, noon
• Week 3: at Jacksonville, Sept. 24, noon
• Week 4: vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 1, noon
• Week 5: at Atlanta, Oct. 8, noon
• Week 6: vs. New Orleans, Oct. 15, noon
• Week 7: BYE
• Week 8: at Carolina, Oct. 29, noon
• Week 9: vs. Tampa Bay, Nov. 5, noon
• Week 10: at Cincinnati, Nov. 12, noon
• Week 11: vs. Arizona, Nov. 19, noon
• Week 12: vs. Jacksonville, Nov. 26, noon
• Week 13: vs. Denver, Dec. 3, 3:05 p.m.
• Week 14: at New York Jets, Dec. 10, noon
• Week 15: at Tennessee, Dec. 17, noon
• Week 16: vs. Cleveland, Dec. 24, noon
• Week 17: vs. Tennessee, Dec. 31, noon
• Week 18: at Indianapolis, TBD

In addition, Houston's preseason games were announced: at New England on Aug. 10; vs. Miami on Aug. 19; and at New Orleans on Aug. 27. The New England and Miami games will broadcast on ABC13.

The team also began selling single-game tickets for 2023, which you can purchase on the Texans' website.

Just five of the 17 games that Houston is due to compete in are against playoff teams from a season ago.

Houston indeed faces the Arizona Cardinals, who own the Texans' first- and third-round picks in next year's draft as part of the trade to pick rookie Will Anderson Jr. Elsewhere, new quarterback CJ Stroud could suit up to face the other three QBs drafted with him within the first 33 picks of this past NFL Draft: Anthony Richardson of the Colts, Bryce Young of the Panthers, and Will Levis of the Titans.

Stroud can also look forward to being on the sideline opposite of new Jets QB Aaron Rodgers, who will host the Texans.

Some games nailed down in advance

What seems already guaranteed ahead of the schedule release is that the Texans were not heading overseas.

An early look at the international schedule shows no Houston games heading to either England or Germany, but three AFC South rivals - Jaguars, Titans and Colts - are slated for European matchups. The Jags, in fact, will be the first NFL team to play on international soil on back-to-back weeks.

The defending Super Bowl champs, the Kansas City Chiefs, will host the Detroit Lions on Thursday, Sept. 7 to open the season.

The first ESPN Monday Night Football game of the season, which will simulcast on ABC13, will pit the Buffalo Bills and the New York Jets, which will also feature Aaron Rodgers' debut in "Gang Green."

SEE MORE: Aaron Rodgers trade: Houston Texans, who are 1-3 vs. QB, face off with him in 2023

Texans rookies choose their numbers

The Texans are hoping fans will link these jersey numbers with the first-year pros for years to come. Hours ahead of the schedule release, the team posted which numbers the rooks will wear when they kick off the season.

What's most notable is CJ Stroud's No. 7, which was worn by kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn for the last five seasons. It appears that the Ohio State product worked out an agreement to wear his college number from Fairbairn, which continues an age-old NFL tradition for any players with a number preference when they start up with a new team.

The swap wasn't ignored by the team, which posted a past photo of Fairbairn carried up on teammates' shoulders along with a Photoshop edit of his new No. 15 jersey.

Eyewitness Sports is monitoring the NFL schedule release slated for 7 p.m. CT Thursday. Watch ABC13 newscasts heading into the event and in the aftermath.