When it comes to the media spotlight, there’s no question that the Dallas Cowboys get more of it than the Houston Texans.
Well, this season, the fans and sportswriters are certainly talking about the Cowboys, but not in a particularly positive way.
And guess who’s getting a lot of the media love right now?
On Tuesday, the Athletic, formerly known as the New York Times sports section, published a list of the teams most likely to make the playoffs this year based on what’s happened so far. No surprise in the number one – the Kansas City Chiefs, last year’s Super Bowl victors. And in the number two slot with what the editors say is an 82% chance of going the distance in postseason play? The Houston Texans.
Jonathan Alexander, who covers the Texans and the NFL for the Houston Chronicle, said the team has made a lot of progress in the last two years.
“When you look at the arc of the Texans where they were two years ago, they were arguably the worst team in the NFL. And then in 2023, they hired coach DeMeco Ryans, a former player for the team, drafted C.J. Stroud, number two overall, drafted Will Anderson Jr. number three. And then they finish the season 10-7, go to the playoffs, win a playoff game,” Alexander said.
“A lot of their best players were their youngest players. And then they have the offseason they had this past spring where they added a lot of pieces to this team, a lot of superstars, guys who are superstars for other teams. This was in the making for a while. The Texans believed that they had a chance to win a Super Bowl, and they certainly have a great start so far through two games.”
Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud has a lot of hopes pinned on him this season, which is only his second in the league.
“I don’t think I can emphasize how unprecedented this is. It is extremely hard for a young quarterback to have the type of success that Stroud’s having this early,” Alexander said. “You can go back to Dan Marino back in the 70s. Joe Burrow was also an anomaly. He’s currently in the NFL right now, had a great year his second year. But this doesn’t happen often.
You look around the league right now, guys like Bryce Young, he was the number one overall pick in that same draft C.J. Stroud was in – he was benched yesterday. Anthony Richardson has been a little bit up and down. He was the number four pick. This is extremely rare.”
Alexander says he doesn’t see the Texans making a dent in the branding or fandom of the Dallas Cowboys. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t stir up some Houston pride.
“The Cowboys are such a national brand. You just look at what Jerry Jones has built over in Dallas and in the way he’s marketed. He’s the best showman in the NFL. He’s the most powerful owner in the NFL. He has a hold on the market. He knows how to reinvigorate that fan base,” Alexander said.
“I don’t think the Texans can take away from Cowboys fans, but I do think the Texans can create a sense of pride among Houston and this segment of Texas. I think Houston was looking for a team that could win again and they had lost from 2020 to 2022. They had three straight losing seasons, fired three straight coaches. But now they’re winning and the future is bright.”
This coming weekend, the Texans play the Minnesota Vikings, and Alexander said it should be an interesting matchup.
“This is going to be a tough game. You look at what the Vikings have, they have a phenomenal defense. The Texans are number two in the NFL in sacks. The one team ahead of them is the Minnesota Vikings. Brian Flores is a defensive coordinator over there. He blitzes a light heavy scheme,” he said.
“I think it’ll be a tough game for the Texans. Also on the offensive side, the Vikings have Justin Jefferson, who’s the best wide receiver in the league. I think the Texans can win. I think they are most likely to win. But I would not be surprised if the Vikings won just based on the talent level and the coaching. They have some of the best coaching staff in the league.”
When it comes to the team’s Super Bowl chances, Alexander says the Chiefs will present a roadblock in the American Football Conference playoff tournament.
“They have a legitimate shot to compete for the AFC championship game against the Chiefs. I think the Chiefs are still the cream of the crop in the AFC and you got to get past the defending champions,” Alexander said. “The Chiefs have won two straight years in a row. They figured out how to get it done even despite losing pieces every year. They just figure out how to re-up their defenses really solid. I think that’s the Texans biggest roadblock.
But I do predict them going to the AFC championship game where they’ll meet the Chiefs. But I think the Chiefs just have a little bit too much talent. Having said that, health does play a huge factor into how teams perform late in the year. Whoever is the healthiest really will ultimately come out victorious and probably be the team that goes to the Super Bowl this year.”
When it comes to the National Football Conference playoffs — which will determine the other team that goes to the Super Bowl — Alexander says there are several strong contenders.
“Even though the Eagles lost last night to the Falcons, I think they’re a super strong team. The Saints are really surprising me. They are a lot better than I suspected,” he said.
“But I think the one team that I think is a dark horse is the Detroit Lions. I think they have a young, young team with a lot of talented pieces on both offense and defense. They almost beat the 49ers last year. I think the 49ers are just a little bit older and I think the Lions, if they can remain healthy, they’ll be the team that ends up victorious.”
