After going 3-13-1 last season, the Houston Texans were expected to do nothing more than add a couple of wins to their record this season, despite the presence of rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud, the No. 2 pick in April’s draft.
But Stroud has been brilliant this season, especially over the last few weeks, and as a result, the Texans are on a three-game winning streak and have won six of their last eight contests.
With a 6-4 record, they would be in the playoffs if the regular season ended today, but Emmanuel Acho went a step further when he said they’re legit contenders on FS1’s “Speak.”
.@EmmanuelAcho: The Texans are legit contenders. pic.twitter.com/ME8Z2QSfEt
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) November 21, 2023
Stroud has put up 2,962 passing yards and 17 passing touchdowns in 10 games, and he led late game-winning drives in back-to-back games versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9 and Week 10, respectively.
Houston was thought to not have any high-level playmakers coming into this season, but wide receiver Nico Collins has 696 yards and four touchdowns while rookie wideout Tank Dell has registered 659 yards and six touchdowns and tight end Dalton Schultz has scored five touchdowns.
Acho mentioned the great job offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik is doing, and head coach DeMeco Ryans, who got the San Francisco 49ers to the NFC Championship Game the last two seasons as their defensive coordinator, is building a winning culture.
Perhaps no one should make plans for the Texans to be playing for the AFC Championship this January, but it looks like they’re ahead of schedule when it comes to their rebuilding project.
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