C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are 1-0 to start the 2024 season. There's a lot of hype surrounding this team after what they accomplished in 2023 and so far, it looks as though that hype is well-deserved.
The Texans weren't supposed to be this good this fast but after winning the AFC South in 2023 and then taking down the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Stroud and the rest of the team know that they're going to get teams' bests moving forward.
Stroud spoke after the Texans' 29-27 win over the Indianapolis Colts and noted that he and his teammates are aware that there's a target squarely on their backs.
"We accept that that target is on our back. We know that guys are gonna give us their best shot."@HoustonTexans QB C.J. Stroud caught up with our @AJRoss_TV after a hard-fought Week 1 win pic.twitter.com/KYSGqexIFP
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 8, 2024
C.J. Stroud and Texans know there's a target on them in 2024
The Texans were one of the worst teams in the league in 2022, which paved the way for them to take Stroud with the second overall pick in the 2023 draft. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans immediately turned the team around, as they won 10 games last year, which was good enough to win the division.
Unlike last year, teams know what the Texans are capable of this year. They aren't going to take them lightly as they might have done a season ago and Stroud and the rest of the team recognizing that they're going to have to bring it even harder is a good sign for the Texans.
We see all the time when teams get overhyped in the offseason and then it goes to their heads and they don't finish the season as strong as they were expected to. Take the 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars for instance. They were the darlings of the NFL in 2022 after going from worst to first, winning the AFC South and a playoff game and nearly knocking the Kansas City Chiefs off in the divisional round.
In 2023, however, the Jaguars regressed. They weren't prepared to play tougher teams or for the teams on their schedules to take them seriously. If the Texans can continue to thrive despite playing a tougher schedule in 2024, there's no reason this squad can't make a deep playoff run come January.