The Houston Texans: Super Bowl Contenders
It’s no surprise that the Houston Texans are in this year's conversation for potential Super Bowl winners. If you look at their roster and depth chart, you’ll see why. The Texans not only boast a handful of weapons on the offensive and defensive end respectively, but they have something a lot of other teams seem to have lost, drive. That’s right, motivation and as we saw in Week One the Texans put their hearts on the field. Now let’s break down more concretely why the Texans should be on your favorites to win this season's Super Bowl.
Starting with the obvious, we have the wide receiver trio of Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs, and Nico Collins. They each have a strong connection with the quarterback C.J. Stroud. In the first game of the season, C.J. Stroud had a 78.2% completion average and had multiple targets to the three wide receivers in question. Stroud had two pass touchdowns both to Stefon Diggs, and completed an average of 7.3 yards per pass. He threw for a total of 234 passing yards, which for the opening game shows his effectiveness on the field. Going forward, if he is as consistent as he was against Indianapolis, then we’re looking at a serious threat that opponents can’t take lightly. Now looking at the receivers, Stefon Diggs only had six receptions and a total of 33 yards, however, he was the recipient of both passing touchdowns. Nico Collins leads the trio in receiving yards at 117 having also received six receptions of the eight targets thrown to him. Tank Dell had 40 receiving yards and only three receptions, but combining the numbers of all three makes this lineup a scary bunch.
Now in addition to the powerhouse that is the wide receiver core, Joe Mixon put on an incredible display in the opening game of the season. As the current NFL rush yard leader, he tops the list with 159 yards. With Week One being his first game as a Texan, we can only expect more to come. Furthermore, the defensive side is another reason this team is one to look at. In the first game, Mario Edwards clocked in one sack, and the defensive side held the Colts to a two-point loss. The team currently ranks number one in rush yards, number two in total yards, and number three in pass touchdown leaders. When a team is listed in the top rankings across the board, it would be silly not to put them in the championship conversation. In addition, the team has five pro bowlers across different position groups, and with Stroud having a track record of making any play a potential for spontaneous success, the team is certainly a top pick.
Lastly, the most important aspect that should put Houston on your radar is the culture. Building an environment where your team has the energy of potential winners is difficult, yet cultivating such an environment is exactly why the Texans are projected to do as well as they are. DeMeco Ryans has built the team around an attitude of success, pushing his players to give it their all on the field, which not a lot of teams can compare with. Each player is going with a “no-nonsense” work ethic, focusing on the team's success through their own actions. We see it when the Texans are down and they remain composed. This team is still the shocking trendsetters they were last year, and can truly make an impact this season. Going into their week two matchup against the Bears, DeMeco has stated he “has a lot of respect for the team” which even as opponents, shows his composure as a coach. This team is one to watch and is certainly in the conversation for future Super Bowl winners.
