The excitement around the Houston Texans continues to rise as we enter the second day of NFL Schedule Release Week. With each passing schedule leak, we inch closer to having the completed puzzle of the exact makeup of Houston’s 2026 playing itinerary.
Beyond that, it’s the ever increasing sentiment that 2026 could, and should be, considered a ‘Super Bowl or bust’ caliber year for the squad. The free agency additions pronounce that, the draft picks echo it, the NFL strength of schedule rankings amplify it and even players have declared as such.
The analysts that make up the Texans Collective certainly believe as much as well. On a recent episode of their show, Sean Pendergast (also of Sports Radio 610) and Landry Locker addressed the notion of the team facing a ‘make or break’ level of season, stating,
Sean Pendergast: “It feels like there are people out there that see the Texans as a Super Bowl contender this year. Steve Palazzolo [Check the Mic co-host] who used to be with PFF, he’s picking them to go to the Super Bowl out of the AFC. I feel like people are taking them more seriously now than they’ve ever taken them, and yet there’s not a feeling out there nationally that they’ve made huge strides this offseason. For me, 2026 is Super Bowl or bust.”
Landry then responded with his own analysis, making it clear that anything less than a February trip to SoFi Stadium this season wouldn’t be sufficient.
Texans making the AFC Championship game not enough
“100% it is, you’ve been knocking on the door the last couple of years & now it’s kind of a make or break for CJ Stroud,” Locker responded. He went on to further explain his perspective by citing Stroud’s poor play in the AFC Divisional round last season and the return of Houston’s elite defense for 2026. He then expressed how even a trip to the Conference Championship round shouldn't be seen as a reason for jubilation and settlement within the organization.
“It is Super Bowl or bust. I hope they don’t treat this like, ‘Oh, we got here [Conference Championship] for the first time ever’. I don’t think they should compare themselves to the mediocre two-plus decades that they’ve had up until this point. So, I absolutely do think it’s Super Bowl or Bust, and I thought it was cool that Kayden McDonald [rookie DT] came out and said it.”
Landry’s mentioning of McDonald was in reference to when the rookie defensive tackle openly pronounced a Super Bowl trip as being part of his immediate goals for the team upon his arrival from Ohio State.
Texans’ players are setting Super Bowl expectations
The Texans’ prized second-round draft pick boldly declared a Lombardi trophy as being a realistic goal for him and his new organization. This type of confidence is a far cry from the normal ‘one game at a time’ position that many in and around the team have taken in recent years.
It’s just another indicator of that kind of transformation that has engulfed the Texans, who’ve gone from bottomdwellers in the AFC to perennial AFC contenders.
Let’s just hope that the fervor surrounding the club translates into the best season ever witnessed.
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