The month of June is for speculation, hot takes, and debates as we await the NFL training camps to open in late July.
A to Z Sports' own Destin Adams and Kyle Crabbs have been analyzing each division, making bold predictions for teams and players. On Monday they turned their attention to the AFC South, and they share similar hot takes for how the Houston Texans' 2025 season will unfold.
Texans will be over .500 for the first time in 2025 after Week 18
From Kyle Crabbs: "The Houston Texans get a tough couple of draws to start the year for a team that's rebuilding their offensive line. The Rams and Buccaneers in the first two weeks present some matchup challenges that push even the best front five. As a result, I think the Texans start the year in a 0-2 hole, which isn't the end of the world by any means. But finding the stretches to climb back over .500 may push deeper into the season when you see games like 'at Baltimore' in Week 5, a tough west coast trip against Mike MacDonald after the bye in Week 7, Denver in Week 9, Buffalo in Week 12, and at Kansas City in Week 14. I think the Texans float around .500 all season after a predicted 0-2 start — but this is supposed to be a bold bet, so I'll say they sit at 8-8 and finally get above .500 for the first time on the year in a home win against the Colts to close the regular season."
Destin disputed that it will take the Texans all the way until Week 18 to get over .500, but agrees that they will have a very up-and-down season.
From Destin Adams: "The reason I'm out on this take as a whole is just because I'm being too literal, but I believe the Texans will be over .500 at least once before the final week of the regular season. They have some tough games on the schedule, but head coach DeMeco Ryans is someone who has proven the ability to get his guys ready for game day. And I think they are going to win at least some of these games, people might count them out in early. I do agree with Kyle that the Texans have some clear flaws, though, and I do expect some regression. Especially due to their odd choice of how to fix their already struggling offensive line. I think the AFC South is going to be closer than people realize, and it could very well not be decided until Week 18. The Texans still have the clear best QB in the division, though, in CJ Stroud, and should be viewed as the favorite, but the gap has gotten smaller, and part of that reason is their own fault."
The expected improvement of the AFC South is the key factor for my money. Houston went an impressive 5-1 inside the division in 2024, but still only won it by a two-game margin. That's because just one of the Texans' 10 wins came against a team with a winning record.
In 2025, eight of their 11 non-division games will be against teams with winning records from last season. That's pretty rough, and the Texans will certainly have to be better than they were last year against those upper echelon teams. If they aren't, they'll have to maintain their dominance within the AFC South, which will be more difficult than it has been over the past couple of years.
