Hopes were high coming into the 2024 NFL season that this would finally be the year that the Houston Texans broke through to the other side of the divisional round of the playoffs, and crashed the party that is the AFC Title Game. Of course, we know that didn’t happen. The Texans lost on Saturday to the Chiefs.
However, despite running their record to 0-6 in the divisional round of the playoffs, optimism remains high that the franchise is headed in the right direction, under the tutelage of DeMeco Ryans and the leadership under center of quarterback C.J. Stroud. To that end, there were several positive developments this season for the Texans. Here are the four that I would list above all others:
4. This secondary is going to be lauded as the best in football going into 2025
If there is one area of the team where GM Nick Caserio and HC DeMeco Ryans have done an outstanding job at building an elite core, it is the secondary. With the picks of Derek Stingley and Jalen Pitre in the 2022 draft, and Kamari Lassiter and Calen Bullock in the draft this past spring, Caserio has assembled a young group of talent in the secondary that all subscribe to Ryans’ “SWARM” mentality to an extreme degree. Stingley is the king of the pack, and maybe the best corner in football right now, having made first team All Pro in 2024.
3. C.J. Stroud and his magic legs
It was an up and down season for Stroud, both individually and for the offense as a whole. It’s my contention that any regression Stroud had in his second season had more to do with his surroundings than with him, but I digress. In the two playoff games, Stroud looked a lot more like his 2023 self (a good thing) throwing the football, but he also added a new element. In both games, he ran for over 40 yards, and did so at times that were crucial, swinging field position against the Chargers and converting several third downs against the Chiefs. If Stroud plans on using his legs more in 2025, that is a big variable for opposing defenses to deal with.
2. Will Anderson’s development as an alien wrecking machine
Will Anderson had a really good rookie season in 2023, good enough to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. However, there were definitely parts of his game that needed refinement and improvement. In 2024, all the work Anderson put into his pass rush techniques played out fabulously, as he piled up 11 sacks in the regular season, and two more sacks of Mahomes in the playoffs. Add to this Anderson’s elite run defense and setting of the edge, and we are looking at our first certifiable monster disruptor since J.J. Watt was winning three Defensive Player of the Year awards from 2012 through 2015.
1. NRG Stadium re-established as a real home field advantage
The Texans record at home this season was a modest 5-3, and it will need to be much better in 2025, if they’re to take the next step as a franchise. However, the Texans really recaptured a ton of defensive magic at home in 2024. They held Josh Allen to a 30 percent completion rate in a Week 5 win over the Bills. They picked off Jared Goff five times in a 26-23 loss to the eventually 15-2 Lions. They sacked Will Levis eight times and had a pick six in the inexplicable loss to the Titans in Week 12. They picked off Tua Tagovailoa three times in a 20-12 win over Miami. Finally, in the postseason, they intercepted Justin Herbert four times, which is more than the rest of the league did to Herbert all season. The Texans have reestablished NRG Stadium as a tough place for opponents to have success on offense. Now, if the Texans offense could just do their part.
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