Where do the Texans land after their season-sweep of the Colts?
At the midway point of the 2024 NFL season, the Houston Texans stand atop the AFC South with a mighty 6-2 record. Dominant through the air they are not, but their vastly improved run game and resilient defense has proved the difference and many close contests thus far. C.J. Stroud has continued to look the part of a franchise quarterback in year two (at least for the most part), Will Anderson Jr. appears to be making a legitimate leap to stardom in his sophomore effort, and longtime kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn became the team’s unlikely secret weapon for the first month of the regular season. We embraced first-year running back Joe Mixon, rallied behind the fantastic performances of linebacker Henry To’oTo’o, and we shared shock and grief at the recent news of Stefon Diggs’ torn ACL. And it just started to feel like this team was really picking up steam! Without Diggs for the rest of the season and Nico Collins still on IR, it might start getting scary out there for Stroud, and it’s only gonna get worse when he flies into NYC to play the Jets on Halloween! SpoOoOoOky!!!
Texans WR Stefon Diggs out for rest of season with torn ACL. pic.twitter.com/4iV11cRLQP
— NFL (@NFL) October 29, 2024
But, out of every Houston Texans team since their inception in 2002, I see this one as the team that can overcome any obstacle. In their last game against Indianapolis, Houston can credit their second-ever season sweep of the Colts to their resiliency in the fourth quarter. A fumble at the opponent’s 15-yard line with just three minutes left could have, and has in the past, spelled disaster for the Texans (see: Rosencopter, The), or at least an overtime period. But, instead, it became the Colts’ fourth three-and-out of the day, a remarkable feat by Houston’s defense, which has accomplished this in three of their last four games. The offense may still be a little suspect, but make no mistake: this defense can win games.
What a ridiculously good throw by Stroud under pressure. pic.twitter.com/KZsGMzqvPj
— TexansCap (@TexansCap) October 28, 2024
Surely, SURELY, that sweep of the Colts has to put Houston in the good graces of the power ranking pundits, right? RIIGHT? Well, here’s where the Houston Texans are ranked at the midpoint of the 2024 NFL Season:
NFL.COM:
8. Houston Texans (6-2) (Last Week: 8)
The Texans might have to go a week without Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, with a Thursday game looming in Week 9. Collins will remain on injured reserve for at least one more game, and Diggs left Sunday’s win over the Colts with a knee injury. (EDITOR’S UPDATE: Texans coach DeMeco Ryans announced on Tuesday that Stefon Diggs will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.) Tank Dell stepped up with one of his better outings of the season, and he now might be thrust into a WR1 role against the Jets. Diggs left the game late in the third quarter, and C.J. Stroud took a painful sack two plays later, knocking the Texans out of field-goal range. But Stroud rallied in the fourth quarter, completing all four of his passes, and let Joe Mixon do the heavy lifting with 11 fourth-quarter touches, including runs of 13 and 21 yards. The Texans have become more of a run-dependent team this season, and Mixon certainly figures to be a huge factor as long as they’re shorthanded at receiver. The offseason acquisition has been one of Houston’s clear-cut MVPs when he’s played.
ESPN:
5. Houston Texans (6-2)
Week 8 result: Beat the Colts 23-20
Week 8 ranking: 7
Best offseason addition: Running back Joe Mixon
Mixon is averaging 100.6 rushing yards per game, which is third best in the NFL. He gives the offense a jolt when the Texans’ passing game struggles, keeping quarterback C.J. Stroud out of unfavorable third-and-long situations. The offense averages 26.8 points when Mixon plays compared with 18.0 when he missed three games with an ankle injury. The other offseason additions in wideout Stefon Diggs and defensive end Danielle Hunterhave been productive, but Mixon has contributed slightly more to winning
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED:
11. Houston Texans (6–2)
Last week’s ranking: No. 9
Last week’s result: beat Indianapolis, 23–20
This week: at New York Jets
For the last two weeks, defenses have been coming at C.J. Stroud and exposing some serious soft spots in that Houston offensive line. Stroud is the fourth-most pressured quarterback in the NFL, and while he’s Joe Burrow/Lamar Jackson good against muddy backfields this season, there has to be a reason why so many opposing coordinators think this is the way to finally break Houston’s offense. Of course, with another potentially significant injury to the team’s receiving corps, it could soon be open season on this unit.
THE ATHLETIC:
5. Houston Texans (6-2)
Last week: 6
Sunday: Beat Indianapolis Colts 23-20
Something Scary: The second-year jump hasn’t happened
After C.J. Stroud’s debut season, a step forward offensively was baked into the high expectations for the Texans. Instead, Houston’s offense has been basically the same and maybe a little worse. The Texans were 20th in offensive success rate in 2023 (43.6 percent). This year, they are 28th (40.7 percent). Stroud was seventh in the league in EPA per dropback (.11) last season. He has slipped to 19th this year (.04). And yet, this team still leads the AFC South by two games.
Up next: at New York Jets, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET
BLEACHER REPORT:
5. Houston Texans (6-2)
Last Week: 7
Week 8 Result: Won vs. Indianapolis 23-20
There’s no question that C.J. Stroud is the leader of the Houston offense. After the Texans outlasted the rival Colts on Sunday to open up a two-game lead in the AFC South, head coach DeMeco Ryans told reporters he continues to be impressed by his second-year quarterback on a weekly basis.
“He made great decisions with the football all day,” Ryans told reporters. “Kept us out of some bad plays. Can’t say enough about what C.J. is doing and how he is leading this offense. So very proud of him.”
While Stroud may be the team’s offensive leader, running back Joe Mixon has become the offense’s engine. In all but one game he’s played this season, Mixon has eclipsed 100 rushing yards and scored. The veteran running back said he’s glad to do whatever is necessary to help his new team win.
“I’m in my element. I’m in my zone honestly,” he said. “It’s a great thing where I can be able to try to do whatever I can to put the team on my back.”
However, the Texans suffered a devastating injury during Sunday’s win. Star receiver Stefon Diggs tore his ACL and is out for the year.
Analyst’s Take
“Houston suffered yet another blow to the wide receiver corps with the injury to Diggs. They will be moving forward without him and Nico Collins (for at least a few weeks). Stroud already hasn’t quite looked like the quarterback that he was last year. But the loss of both of his starting outside receivers could drastically change Houston’s offensive approach, with a greater emphasis on Tank Dell and tight end Dalton Schultz working the middle of the field.” — Sobleski
– Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton, Kristopher Knox, Brent Sobleski
CBS SPORTS:
5. Houston Texans (6-2) (Last Week: 7)
They are winning games, but do they look that good in doing so? It just hasn’t been as crisp as expected this season.
YAHOO! SPORTS:
6. Houston Texans (6-2) (Last Week: 7)
The Texans are winning, but C.J. Stroud hasn’t been special this season. His advanced metrics all rank near the middle of the NFL. Maybe the good news is the Texans are seemingly ready to run away with the AFC South without Stroud playing at his best yet. But a season-ending injury to receiver Stefon Diggs is only going to make things tougher on Stroud.
USA TODAY:
9. Houston Texans (6): A club that’s averaged 166 net passing yards over the past three weeks heads into Thursday night without injured WRs Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs, the latter now out for the season with a torn ACL … but maybe that’s not that big a deal – for one night anyway – against the smoldering Jets.
PRO FOOTBALL TALK:
5. Texans (No. 6; 6-2): They’ll need to avoid what has now become a potential trap game against the Jets.
Average Ranking: 6.56 (Last Week: 7)
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
It looks like that season sweep of the Colts has analysts feeling a little bit better about the Texans, although there is still debate amongst the cognoscenti on the trustworthiness of Stroud at the moment. There’s no denying that he’s been underwhelming considering the hype the team rode in on, but I have no no doubts about his ability to get his swagger back. What did Jameis Winston call it? Unwavering faith? Ultimate Belief? I have unwavering faith and ultimate belief in C.J. Stroud to make his return to the top of the league. On Halloween, he will make his return to his MVP form, in the spookiest way possible: dumping it off to Joe Mixon until the deep shots to Tank Dell become easy.
What do you think, though? Will the Texans take care of business against the Jets and get one step closer to the playoffs, or will the Texans get spooked back into mediocrity? Let us know in the comments below! GO TEXANS!!!!