Hype, PR, fan excitement, etc. etc. doesn't win games. Football is a game played on field by players and anything can happen and usually does. I am really concerned that this team could drown in a flood of hype. I don't care how impressive and spirited practice is, it is still just practice. Everyone needs to come down to earth, one game at a time. Just one game. It is the only one that matters. The key at this point, prepare for the first game. It is the only game . The sportscasters, the YouTubers, the prognosticators won't be playing.
This team and organization is one of few that hasn't made it to a super bowl. We are the only team in our division to not make it to the AFC Championship game. I could see if we beat Baltimore in the playoffs last year but we didn’t. We lost our last game of the year to the same team we lost our first game of the year to. What is there to be so hyped about? The buy in is to be more hungry versus hyped...
In a perfect world the Texans have wrapped up the Division and a first round bye, play the starters about 1Q, and still beat the hell out of them.
Pound for pound, Cam Akers is one of the most punishing RBs I've ever seen in the NFL. Post- Achilles injury, I imagine it will be tough for him to make a roster this year. Maybe a practice squad candidate.
Future Power Rankings https://www.espn.com/nfl/insider/st...jections-32-teams-roster-coaching-quarterback In our annual Future Power Rankings, we focused on the next three seasons (2024 through 2026) and stacked all 32 clubs' longer-lens expectations. To do so, we asked our panel of experts -- Dan Graziano, Louis Riddick and Aaron Schatz -- to rate each team's quarterback situation, remaining (non-QB) roster makeup, front office and coaching staff using this scale: 100: A+ (elite) 90: A (great) 80: B (very good) 70: C (average) 60: D (very bad) 50 and below: F (disastrous) 1. Kansas City Chiefs | Overall score: 95.3 2. Baltimore Ravens | Overall score: 91.6 3. Buffalo Bills | Overall score: 89.5 4. Detroit Lions | Overall score: 88.9 5. Philadelphia Eagles | Overall score: 88.8 6. Houston Texans | Overall score: 88.5 CATEGORY | SCORE | NFL RANK Overall roster (minus QB) | 88.7 | 5 Quarterback | 92.3 | 5 Coaching | 90.7 | 7 Front office | 83.0 | 10 Reason for hope: Coach DeMeco Ryans and quarterback C.J. Stroud are coming off stellar rookie seasons with the Texans, and each looks like a rising star in their respective role. The front office showed this offseason it will be aggressive in adding talent around Stroud in an effort to maximize the team's chances to win during his rookie-contract window, trading for Stefon Diggs to get another top-tier pass-catcher for the young QB. -- Graziano Reason for concern: Run game, run game, run game. If improved offensive line play in capturing the line of scrimmage and the 1-2 punch of Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce can produce something close to a top-10 rushing unit, this offense will be one of the best in the NFL and can make Houston a title contender for the foreseeable future. But I have doubts that the Texans can establish themselves on the ground. -- Riddick Nugget to know: Houston was the only offense with two wide receivers who ranked in the top 10 of last season's ESPN receiver tracking metrics. Nico Collins ranked third, while Tank Dell was ninth. Collins is currently under contract through 2027, and Dell is signed through 2026. -- Schatz 7. San Francisco 49ers | Overall score: 88.5 8. Cincinnati Bengals | Overall score: 87.6 9. Green Bay Packers | Overall score: 86.4 10. Miami Dolphins | Overall score: 84.0 11. Cleveland Browns | Overall score: 83.8 12. Los Angeles Rams | Overall score: 83.7 13. Jacksonville Jaguars | Overall score: 82.1 14. Dallas Cowboys | Overall score: 81.9 15. Pittsburgh Steelers | Overall score: 81.0 16. Seattle Seahawks | Overall score: 80.1 17. Los Angeles Chargers | Overall score: 79.4 18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Overall score: 78.7 19. Indianapolis Colts | Overall score: 78.2 20. Chicago Bears | Overall score: 78.2 21. Minnesota Vikings | Overall score: 77.2 22. Washington Commanders | Overall score: 76.4 23. New York Jets | Overall score: 75.9 24. Atlanta Falcons | Overall score: 75.9 25. Tennessee Titans | Overall score: 73.3 26. New England Patriots | Overall score: 72.9 27. Denver Broncos | Overall score: 72.8 28. Arizona Cardinals | Overall score: 72.5 29. New York Giants | Overall score: 70.6 30. Carolina Panthers | Overall score: 70.2 31. New Orleans Saints | Overall score: 68.6 32. Las Vegas Raiders | Overall score: 66.2
