What else could go wrong for the Houston Texans? The Texans arrived in New England on Sunday believing they had a real shot to reach the AFC Championship Game. Instead, they ran into a disciplined and opportunistic New England Patriots team that handed them a 28–16 Divisional Round loss, driven largely by a dominant defensive performance.

And as if the defeat wasn’t enough, Houston’s problems didn’t end at the final whistle. The Texans’ return home quickly turned into another ordeal. According to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the team was still dealing with travel complications early Monday morning. At 7:56 a.m. ET, Russini reported that the Texans’ plane was “still in the air” due to weather-related delays.

According to the flight log for United Flight 3813, the B772 aircraft departed George Bush Intercontinental Airport at 12:04 p.m. CST on Saturday afternoon. It arrived at T.F. Green International Airport at 3:58 p.m. EST, which was the planned departure point for Houston following the game. At that moment, the Texans were still in the locker room at halftime.

Once the clock hit zero around 6:15 p.m. EST, however, a quick exit from Foxborough was never realistic. Players still needed time to shower, and head coach DeMeco Ryans was scheduled to address the media. Complicating matters further, heavy snow began falling, an issue made worse by the fact that the airport was roughly a 40-minute drive from Gillette Stadium.

Those conditions ultimately led to the flight being delayed and then diverted midair to Newark Liberty International Airport. From there, the Texans didn’t take off again until 4:37 a.m. ET. Fast forward, and based on flight-tracking data, the team finally landed back in Houston at 7:15 a.m. CT, roughly 14 hours after their season officially came to an end in New England.

The Patriots knocked the Texans out in the Divisional Round

The Texans didn’t have the smoothest start to their season, opening with a 0–3 skid. But beginning in Week 4, they flipped the script. Houston lost just two of its next 14 games, finished 12–5, and locked up the No. 5 seed as the AFC’s top wild-card team. Unfortunately, the season ended the same way it began. On a frustrating note.

The Patriots knocked the Texans out with a 28–16 win in the Divisional Round, and the cracks showed early. Houston trailed 7–3 at the end of the first quarter but briefly swung momentum when Christian Kirk found the end zone in the second quarter to give the Texans a 10–7 lead. That advantage didn’t last long.

New England’s defense quickly took control. K’Lavon Chaisson pressured C.J. Stroud as he attempted to throw the ball away. Instead, Stroud lofted a pass that hung in the air just long enough for Marcus Jones to read it, intercept it, and return it 26 yards for a touchdown. From that point on, Houston struggled to regain its footing.

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The Patriots consistently disrupted Stroud throughout the night, as he finished 20-of-47 for 212 yards, one touchdown, four interceptions, and was sacked three times, arguably the toughest performance of his career. With the win, New England advanced to the AFC Championship Game. The Texans, meanwhile, headed into the offseason after a disappointing playoff exit, one that was followed by a long, weather-delayed trip home from New England.