The Houston Texans have won the AFC South division for the last two seasons, and they haven’t been to the AFC Championship game in recent memory. Quarterback C.J. Stroud was tremendous during his rookie season, and he took a step backward during his second NFL season.
Houston will be favored once again to win the AFC South division. Stroud will look to bounce back in his third NFL season and learn from the mistakes he made during his second season. Where do the Texans rank before the start of the 2025 NFL season?
Houston Texans and Quarterback C.J. Stroud Rank 16 In Yahoo Sports Preseason Power Rankings
Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports ranked the Texans at number 16 before the start of the 2025 season. Houston is a team that could very well make the playoffs, but they may not make a deep run. However, the play of Stroud in 2025 will very well determine the ceiling for this football team. Schwab said of Stroud’s struggles during the 2025 season,
“It wasn’t as easy in his second season, though it wasn’t a failure. It was just a lesson.
Behind a bad offensive line, Stroud’s numbers dropped across the board. His rating fell from 100.8 to 87. The Texans started 5-1 but went 5-6 after that to finish the regular season. Stroud threw for 86 yards in a loss to the Packers. Houston lost to the lowly Titans. They scored two points in a home loss to the Ravens. Houston still won the AFC South, but it looked like a mediocre (at best) team in the second half of the season. Everything seemed to be a struggle. That’s a reason offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik, a hot name in the head-coaching cycle at the end of the 2023 season, was fired.”
The Texans did everything they could this offseason to fix the offensive line. During the 2024 regular season, he completed 63.2% of his passes for 3,727 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also rushed for 233 yards on 52 carries and zero touchdowns, along with averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
Stroud will have a different receiving core to work with this season. For now, the projected starters will be Christian Kirk, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins. Houston drafted Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel in the 2025 NFL Draft. This should be an improved receiver room for him to work with, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Stroud talked about as a Top 5 quarterback in his third NFL season.
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