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Analyst makes eye-popping Texans Super Bowl pick with 1986 Bears comparison appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Houston Texans made the AFC Divisional Round last year on the back of their defense. CJ Stroud was dreadful in the Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they won anyway. They could not overcome another bad game against the New England Patriots, but they are bringing pieces back. Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr listed 14 teams that could win the Super Bowl, and made the Texans his Lombardi Trophy pick.
“The Texans are my Super Bowl LXI pick. This Houston team was outpacing the 1986 Bears (who allowed fewer points than the ’85 Bears that won the Super Bowl) over the first few weeks of the 2025 season and added the versatile Reed Blankenship to its secondary. There is no team in the NFL that Houston cannot adequately defend and no offensive line capable of turning them inside out,” Orr wrote.
The biggest question the Texans have coming into this season is the quarterback position. Stroud was amazing as a rookie, but has not played to a Super Bowl level since. Orr says that will change this year.
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“I also believe C.J. Stroud will finally emerge from the football wilderness (and that his “struggles” still had him playing more efficiently on a down-to-down basis than Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert or Lamar Jackson last season). He is not blameless, but he has shouldered a disproportionate amount of blame for his struggles. The Texans have attacked his development with the best of intentions, and a reworked offensive line full of the right players, along with a workhorse back in David Montgomery, should make a world of difference.”
The Texans’ path to Super Bowl LXI
For the Texans to make the Super Bowl, they should first have their eyes on the AFC South crown. They lost it to the Jacksonville Jaguars last year, but have a chance to take it back this season. Houston starts their season with a home game against the Buffalo Bills, though, so they may be behind the 8-Ball to begin with.
The Texans have never made the AFC Championship Game, losing in the Divisional Round seven times. That includes three straight losses in the quarterfinals of the NFL playoffs. Their defense has the power to lift them over nearly any team. But can their offense pack enough of a punch to win four playoff games?
The Texans start at home against the Bills and the Bengals in the first two weeks. Their first divisional game is in Week 3 against the Colts.
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