This past weekend, the Texans and Packers played with house money. They hit big. The two young and energetic teams, led by bright first-year-starter quarterbacks CJ Stroud and Jordan Love, walked into wild-card playoff matchups against juggernauts. For the Texans, it was an invasion by the Browns with the most dominant defense in the league and a red-hot offense led by a reinvigorated Joe Flacco. For the Packers, it was a trek south into AT&T Stadium to face a Cowboys team that hadn’t lost at home since September of 2022. It looked certain that the two teams’ fiery hot runs would come to a close, but they didn’t.

The Texans and Packers bulldozed them 45-14 and 48-36 a piece. CJ Stroud and Jordan Love delivered some of the most remarkable rising-star performances in playoff history. Experience is arguably the most valuable tool in the playoffs, but it wasn’t experience that guided them. It was the contrary. They had never been here, and they weren’t supposed to be. Both teams had been projected to finish with bottom-of-the-barrel records. By even making it to the wild-card round, they overachieved. Now, they were playing with house money, unafraid and explosive. It paid off.

As they advance to the divisional round, they face even bigger fish: the Ravens and 49ers, rested and at home. Once again, they fight against the odds. On paper, the Ravens and 49ers are favorites by a long shot, and they may very well be. But the Texans and Packers play with something that straight-forward analysis can’t account for. While the Ravens and 49ers play riddled with nerves, watching their reputation hanging over their heads, the Texans and Packers play with pure confidence. They play with no stake, so they play big. That’s a powerful weapon in the playoffs.

This won’t last forever. Next year, fans and coaches will reevaluate their expectations of the two and they will carry the same weighty playoff expectations that cripple many. Only time will tell how they will handle it. But for now, they’ve captured lightning in a bottle, and they are riding a tsunami of momentum. No team should want a piece of them.

The Texans and Packers were never supposed to get this far, but now, they’ve been let off the leash into late playoff contention. This weekend, they face their tallest obstacles yet, but they shouldn’t be counted out. There’s no telling how far they can go.