Houston Texans top the Green Bay Packers in the top 10

Two teams around the league seem to have the most people talking about their respective squads. They're both young teams, with up-and-coming quarterbacks and squads that surprised many in 2023. They're both now dueling for the claim of the best young team in the league.

Those teams are the Green Bay Packers and the Houston Texans. Both teams came out of nowhere in 2023 to have massive years, with playoff births in their respective conferences. The Packers and Texans both saw a first-round playoff win, with Green Bay dispatching the Dallas Cowboys in a close contest, while the Texans demolished the number one defensive team in the NFL; the Cleveland Browns.

Both teams would lose in the second round, with the Packers falling by three to the NFC Champions the San Francisco 49ers, while the Texans got dog-walked by the Baltimore Ravens. Despite being the more effective playoff team, the Packers are not a team that many have over the Texans. Frank Schwab has the Packers behind the Texans.

In his current breakdown of the 32 teams in the NFL and where they land, he had the Packers at 9th and as of the 20th of July, he's yet to reveal where the Texans land. As he's going in descending order, however, the Texans are at least 8th on his list and could be much higher.

That's the right call, as while the Packers had a solid offseason on paper, they didn't land any major names the likes of Stefon Diggs and Danielle Hunter. Two All-Pro players are in the prime of their careers. Those types of additions will naturally give you a slight step up on the current crop of guys around you.

The Packers are a strong team, with a solid young prospect at quarterback in Jordan Love. Yet, Love looked inconsistent in 2023 and will need a more consistent year in 2024 to warrant a big payday. For Texans' quarterback C.J. Stroud, how Love plays will directly impact how much he gets paid when he's up for a renewal. If Love plays well, then Stroud will get an even higher payday, that is if Stroud continues to play at the level he did in 2023.

If he does, then it'll be hard for the Packers to ever truly top the Texans, as while both teams are young and on the rise, Stroud has proven himself to be worthy of "generational talent" conversations. That's something Love hasn't earned just yet. Now, Stroud may not be that guy, but he's at least played well enough and consistently enough to warrant that conversation.