C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans are ahead of schedule despite playoff loss

In my first season with him, houston texans, DeMeco Ryans has won as many games as his team has won in the previous three years combined. Even if it takes Lyons 10 games, one playoff game, and three years to win the AFC South title, Texans fans will have to be patient after going 11-38-1 since 2020. You would have understood that. But then Lyons accomplished all three. And he did it in his first year on the job.

Houston can't be satisfied with losing 34-10. baltimore ravens in Saturday's divisional playoff game. But the Texans are elated to have new stars all over their head coach, quarterback and general manager Nick Caserio's roster, not long after being named one of the worst rosters in the NFL. Must.

The Great

While most quarterbacks wait years for their first taste of playoff success and the learning scars of playoff failure, C.J. Stroud experienced a little of both in his second year. The season is upon us.

Stroud had one of the best rookie seasons ever for a quarterback, capping it off with a dominating playoff victory. browns And in the playoffs, they suffered a difficult loss to the Ravens, with Houston offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik losing a duel to Baltimore defensive coordinator Mike McDonald.

In fact, if Slowik does not take the head coaching job after these playoffs and returns to the Texans, there is another reason to believe that Stroud's growth curve from this season will continue on an upward trajectory in 2024.

Stroud completed 19 of 33 for 175 yards against one of the NFL's top defenses, Baltimore, but his 3-touchdown performance in the wild-card win and the NFL's highest interception rate of 1 I was able to record the percentage. Published in the regular season. Stroud also led the NFL in passing yards per game as a rookie.

But Stroud's return next season probably isn't the only reason to expect the Texans offense to be even better.

Receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell are on rookie contracts, but Collins has 80 catches for 1,297 yards in 15 games and could be signed to an extension this offseason. Dell, a third-round pick from Houston who won Rookie of the Year in his own right before missing the final six games with an injury, is also expected to return for one more season, but it remains to be seen what kind of impact he will have. I don't know. I experienced it in these playoffs.

The Texans would likely want to bring back free agents Dalton Schultz and Devin Singletary, and Houston, with $71 million in cap space, the third-most in the NFL, could do that and surpass them. He should be able to continue to make additions and elevate a ranked offense. They ranked 14th in points per drive, 29th in yards per carry, 8th in net yards per pass attempt and 19th in third down conversion rate.

A great player other than Stroud who is expected to have a bright future in Slowik's offense is DeMeco Ryans. The Texans' defense improved significantly in Ryans' first season as head coach. 49ers Despite having one of his most dominant seasons as defensive coordinator, there may be more room for improvement as he ranks 13th in points per drive allowed and 27th in net yards per pass attempt.

The Texans struggled against Lamar Jackson on Saturday, but at least that was a common theme for the 2023 season. If your defense loses to a player you think is his MVP, perhaps the biggest lesson to learn is that you should try to avoid playing against the MVP.

Jackson had the best performance of his career in the playoffs, going 16-of-22 for 152 yards and two touchdowns, but also rushed for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

The Texans went from one of the five worst defenses in football to one of the 15 best. This is already a huge improvement. But Lyons knows from a loss like this one that Houston still has a lot of room to grow on that side of the ball, including against a team that might have the best defense in the NFL. There is.

good thing

As the Texans work to replenish that side of the ball, expectations are higher on defense than they were a year or two ago. Cornerback Derek Stingley, linebacker Christian Harris and safety Jalen Pitre will be entering their third seasons in 2024, while edge rusher Will Anderson will be entering his second season.

Anderson, the No. 3 overall pick, has seven sacks this season, but there is room for improvement. Harris, a star during the playoffs, is a perfect fit for Ryans as head coach. Stingley was already one of the stingiest corners in the NFL, allowing just a 41.3 passer rating on throws in his direction.

We got a glimpse of how good the Texans defense is in the playoffs, and between the Texans and the other three teams in the division, Houston has the best defense, best quarterback, and best head coach in the AFC South. There was reason to suspect that it was. .

future

Although the Houston Texans lost on Saturday, they probably “won the season” as much as any team in football other than the team that won the Super Bowl.

Over the past 12 months, the Texans have hired DeMeco Ryans as head coach, drafted the best rookie quarterback in this class or any of the past five classes, gone from 4 wins to 10 wins, won a district championship, and won a playoff game. won with blocked their GM from heading to the Patriotsthey added Will Anderson and Tank Dell, and they even still have a 2024 first-round pick despite trading up for Anderson last year.

Houston didn't win the AFC and didn't make it to the AFC Championship, but they are by no means losers.