National media campaigning for Texans' CJ Stroud could lead to big shift later this season
COMING SOON!
08 November 2023
After Texans rookie QB CJ Stroud made history with his performance against the Buccaneers, the love for Stroud by the national media is through the roof.
FS1's Richard Sherman and Robert Griffin III have declared that Stroud is already a Top 10 quarterback in the league after only 8 games. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. ESPN's Dan Orlovsky is claiming Stroud should be in the MVP conversation.
Strouds tape is better than the numbers
He is absolutely in the MVP conversation after this weekend
— Dan Orlovsky (@danorlovsky7) November 6, 2023
This seems like a reach this early in Stroud's career and with his team only sitting at 4-4. But his numbers are hard to argue, especially with a 14-1 TD to Int ratio. But don't be surprised if he finishes in the Top 5 for MVP if the Texans are able to finish the season with a respectable record.
And with all the Stroud hype consuming the NFL world, will this have any impact on the Texans' appearance in national TV games? Houston currently has zero national games, but they could be flexed into a primetime game if Stroud continues at this pace.
When looking at the NFL schedule, the Sunday night game on Dec. 24 is currently Patriots at Broncos. This game would make a ton of sense to flex out of, with both teams being terrible.
And guess who the Texans play that Sunday? Deshaun Watson and the Browns come to Houston on Christmas Eve. Talk about some incredible storylines, and both teams could be fighting for a playoff spot in late December.
Imagine CJ Stroud delivering a win over Deshaun in prime time on Christmas Eve. What a gift for Houston fans!
Be sure to watch the video above as we break it all down!
Subscribe to SportsMap Texans on YouTube for our latest videos!
NFL insiders hint at eye-opening future for Houston Texans offense
Dec 7, 2024, 2:38 pm
One of the nuggets that came out of Nick Caserio's press conference this week, was his thoughts on the job Bobby Slowik has done as an offensive coordinator. When asked if the team has considered sharing the offensive play calling, Caseiro responded with an emphatic, “absolutely not.”
Caserio went on to praise the job Slowik has done this year, and to say the team's struggles in the second half this season is due to execution.
This stance is consistent with what we've heard from Texans insiders that believe Slowik will be back next season. As much as many Texans fans believe a change at OC could help CJ Stroud, who's shown regression this year, it doesn't appear Slowik is going anywhere.
To be fair, most teams aren't looking to replace their coordinators when they're leading their division and marching toward the postseason for the second straight year.
Number crunching
When comparing Stroud's stats to last season, there is a clear dropoff in 2024. But a lot of that has to do with the addition of Joe Mixon, especially when it comes to touchdowns.
Mixon is third in the NFL with 11 rushing TDs, while Dameon Pierce and Devin Singletary only combined for 6 over the entire 2023 season. One could argue the passing offense has regressed, but one could also argue the offense overall is more balanced.
Stroud is still Top 5 in passing yards, heading into this week's games. And even if we account for the bye week, Stroud will still be Top 10 after this week's slate of games.
The most concerning number to keep an eye on is sacks. Only one QB has been sacked more than Stroud, who's been sacked 41 times. CJ's protection has gotten better since Juice Scruggs was moved to guard, and Jarrett Patterson was inserted at center.
If Stroud starts getting hit again at a high level, that may be the one factor that could make the front office rethink their plans at coordinator. However, if the Texans do make a change, we expect them to address their o-line coach before any changes at OC.
Be sure to watch the video above for our full breakdown of the Texans offense, the coaching staff, and our thoughts on how the Azeez Al-Shaair suspension will impact the team.
Most Popular
SportsMap Emails
Are Awesome
Listen Live
