Micah Parsons raises skepticism if the Texans are legitimate.
On a night filled with the Houston Texans trolling the Dallas Cowboys, linebacker Micah Parsons on his podcast gave his honest thoughts about where the Texans stand as AFC contenders.
“Do we look at it and say are the Texans real contenders in the AFC?” Parsons said. “Honestly bro, I think they are a good team but if I’m looking at some of these other teams, like the (Kansas City) Chiefs. It’s just confusing to me bro, they are a good team but I don’t know if they’re great just yet.
“Like they’re a really good team. You look at some of the wins, they should have beat the Lions, and they jumped on that undefeated (Buffalo) Bills team. So a lot of those games they were in those games but they lost games. I think they are on their way to being a great team and they will become contenders.”
With Stefon Diggs tearing his ACL, the Texans were poised to regress. Luckily for them, it's been quite the opposite. Although they've dealt with other offensive injuries, the 7-4 Texans look impressive, nonetheless. Their defense has been legit, allowing 20 points or less in five games this season. Also, the offense has posted 20+ points in seven of their 10 games this season.
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Houston has their formula established on the offensive side of the ball. Although Diggs is done for the season, they never went away from their bread and butter. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik utilizes quarterback CJ Stroud's playmaking ability to rip off big-chunk yards. Furthermore, they added Joe Mixon in free agency, which has opened up the offense.
Stroud hasn't had to play hero ball every game this season and it's been to his benefit. Currently, he has 764 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season. Six of his eight games have been 100+ rushing-yard performances. The balance is crucial, especially when it comes to the playoffs.
In the divisional round against the Baltimore Ravens, their defensive line stuffed any opportunity of a run game. It forced Stroud to make an absurd amount of throws. Now, Houston has a ball carrier in Mixon, who can amplify the ground game. Although it's too early to tell, considering where the Texans were last season, they're making strides. If they secure the division and enter the playoffs again, that'll be the true test to decide if Houston has entered the conversation of emerging contenders.
