After another loss in the divisional round of the playoffs, quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans believe they are close to reaching the next level and making their first AFC Championship game. The question now is what steps they need to take to get there.
For Stroud, it’s about maintaining the mindset he had when he was at Ohio State.
“From Day 1 of the offseason program, there has to be a standard set, and that standard has to be … I’m not going to be the one to mess this thing up. I’m going to be the one to make this team win the game,” Stroud said. “If that’s Week 1 all the way to the AFC Championship. That standard from training camp has to be the standard. I feel like that’s what it needs to be for us to get over that hump.”
The Texans lost 23-14 to the Chiefs on Saturday, marking their sixth divisional round loss and second one at Kansas City.
Coach DeMeco Ryans, who has led the team to an 11-8 record in each of his first two years in Houston, believes eliminating mistakes should be the team’s top priority.
“The teams that are still standing are teams that don’t shoot themselves in the foot,” Ryans said. “They put themselves in good positions to play complementary football and they do it well. That’s why you’re at the end. So, if we want to be there, we just got to do our jobs and do it on a consistent basis.”
In the game against Kansas City, Stroud threw for 245 yards but was pressured all day, getting sacked eight times. Kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed a 55-yard field goal, missed an extra point, and had another field goal attempt blocked with less than two minutes left in the game, which would have kept Houston’s hopes alive by making it a one-possession game.
Despite the defeat, the Texans secured the AFC South title for the second consecutive season and defeated the Chargers at home to advance to play the defending Super Bowl champions.
Defensive end Will Anderson Jr., who has teamed up with Stroud to help turn the franchise around, believes the Texans are in a strong position to contend for a title, despite the early playoff exit.
“We’re right there,” Anderson said. “I don’t care what nobody says, this is a fantastic team. We’ve got our quarterback. We’ve got everything we need. We’ve just got to keep stacking and keep persevering.”
The Houston Texans may need to add a wide receiver this offseason, as Stefon Diggs is set to become a free agent and Tank Dell is recovering from another serious leg injury.
Diggs, who was traded from Buffalo, played eight games this season and had 47 receptions for 496 yards and three touchdowns. However, a knee injury cut his season short. Stroud has expressed his desire to have Diggs back next season, but it’s still uncertain whether the Texans will try to re-sign the 31-year-old.
Dell, who was Houston’s second-leading receiver with 667 yards and three touchdowns, faces a long recovery after tearing his ACL and dislocating his knee in a loss to Kansas City in December. This injury came after he fractured his fibula earlier in the season in Week 13 against the Broncos.
When asked if Dell’s injury could keep him out next season, Coach Ryans said, “We will continue to assess Tank and see where he ends up. It is too early right now to put a timeline on it. We will just give him time to heal and progress, see how the rehab goes.”
Houston’s secondary was one of the team’s strongest areas this season, thanks to standout performances from Derek Stingley and rookies Calen Bullock and Kamari Lassiter. Stingley, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, earned first-team AP All-Pro honors after shaking off two injury-filled seasons.
He ranked second in the NFL for passes defensed during the regular season and had two interceptions in Houston’s wild-card playoff win. Lassiter, a second-round pick from Georgia, started 14 games, recording three interceptions in the regular season and adding another pick in a game against the Chargers.
Bullock, drafted in the third round from Southern California, tied Stingley for the team lead in interceptions with five. Bullock said, “We’ve got one of the best secondaries in this league and a very young and talented secondary also. So, it’s pretty scary for what we’ve got in the future, especially with the plays we made this year.”
The Texans will also focus on improving their offensive line this offseason, as they allowed 54 sacks during the regular season and 12 more in the postseason. Coach Ryans stressed the importance of winning individual battles in the playoffs, saying, “In the playoffs, you’ve got to win your one-on-one battles.
That’s what the game always comes down to. You have to have some pride in who you’re blocking, to get it done and give the quarterback a chance to throw the football.”
