Tag: 2024 Texans season

Patrick Mahomes lists Texans QB C.J. Stroud as one of his favorites to watch

Super Bowl winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes went on Fox Sports “First Things First” and named C.J. Stroud as one of his favorite QBs.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud made plenty of fans during his rookie season, including one particular competitor. 

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback and three-time Super Bowl winner Patrick Mahomes revealed on Fox Sports “First Things First” that Stroud is one of his favorite gunslingers to watch.

The two-time MVP also mentioned the Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Cincinnat’s Joe Burrow as his go-to watches when checking the tape. 

“He’s been a phenomenal player,” Mahomes said of Stroud. “He’s been out there making plays.”

Drafted out of Ohio State in 2023, Stroud threw for 4,108 yards and 23 touchdowns against five interceptions. His 1.0% interception rate was the lowest in the league, and his average of 274 yards per game was the highest. Had Stroud not missed two games with a concussion, he likely would have surpassed Andrew Luck’s rookie season passing yard record at 4,374.

Stroud, however, did join Hall of Famer Joe Montana and G.O.A.T Tom Brady to lead the league in passing yards and touchdown-to-interception ratio during the same season.

 

Mahomes interestingly named the three quarterbacks—outside of Jackson— who are his biggest competition for the top spot in the AFC. 

Of the trio named, only Burrow, who still recovering from a season-ending wrist injury, has beaten Mahomes in the postseason. Allen is 3-1 against Mahomes in the regular season but is 0-3 in the playoffs, including a 27-24 loss in the divisional round this past season.

Stroud has yet to play Mahomes, though that will change come Dec. 21 when the two meet in Week 16’s standalone contest at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs matchup is in the middle of the Texans’ hardest three-week stretch next season.

Stroud is the latest AFC quarterback to emerge as a potential threat to Mahomes. He’s been nearly unbeatable in the postseason, collecting three Super Bowl rings before his 29th birthday.

Only Brady and Burrow have defeated him in the playoffs since he took over for Alex Smith in 2018.  

Stroud hopes to become the third quarterback to do so in what could start a potential rivalry. 

Texans enter 2024 season with seventh-hardest schedule

The Houston Texans enter the season with one of the toughest schedules in the league, and one of the rockiest paths back to the postseason.

Life as a reigning division champion is tough, as is evident by the Houston Texans’ impending 2024 schedule. 

After a surprising run to the AFC Divisional Round, the Texans added to their roster, hoping to elevate into Super Bowl contention. With star quarterback C.J. Stroud entering year two of his rookie contract, Houston took big swings, acquiring Joe Mixon and Stefon Diggs in trades, and signing Danielle Hunter and Azeez Al-Shaair during free agency.

If the Texans hope to return to the postseason, they must overcome a rigorous schedule that includes seven playoff teams from a year ago. Three of the franchises made it to the conference championship game, including reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City. 

With the release of the 2024 schedule and projected win totals, Sharp Football Analysis revealed its strength of schedule model.

Houston enters the year with the league’s seventh-hardest schedule, with an implied win total of 9.8 games, which would be higher than Las Vegas’ total of 9.5. 

The national media seems eager to see how Houston handles the challenge, placing them in four primetime games and six nationally televised contests. Before 2024, the Texans played standalone games in three seasons combined. 

Sharp Football’s prediction from a year ago proved fairly accurate. The top 16 predicted easiest schedules from 2023 resulted in 11 teams — including the Texans —posting a winning record. 

Houston repeating as AFC South champions may be more challenging than returning to the playoffs. Houston’s Week 1 opponent Indianapolis has the seventh-easiest predicted schedule.

Jacksonville currently owns the14th-easiest schedule. As for Tennessee under first-year coach Brian Callahan, things become daunting with the sixth-hardest schedule. 

This season, the AFC South plays each opponent from the NFC North and AFC East, inluding No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams. After starting 3-8, the Bears went 4-2 in the final six games.

Coupled with a potential quarterback upgrade, plus the additon of Pro Bowl receiver Keenan Allen and top-10 pick Rome Odunze, the Bears may be on the rise. 

 

Changes came to the AFC East this offseason following the departure of Bill Belichick in New England after two-plus decades. Former Patriots linebacker Jerod Mayo took over but it’s likely a retooling year with a rookie quarterback.

On top of matchups with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills, Houston a plays Baltimore and Kansas City outside the divisional alignments. 

The combined winning percentage of those three a year ago was 70.5%. Houston’s scheduled opponents won 53% of their games last season.