Why 7-10 would be acceptable in Texans’ DeMeco Ryans’ first season
Even though full contact practices aren’t even on the horizon until training camp in late July, there is still an anticipation to unpack the entire 2023 NFL season. Predictions and win total projections are a staple of May.
According to Will Brinson from CBS Sports, the Texans are slated to finish 7-10 in his recent predictions for the season.
I may not love C.J. Stroud as a long-term prospect, but since I love the 2023 Texans and think he has a nice floor for this particular roster, I’ll happily change my mind! The Texans can easily hold serve at home before their Week 7 bye which would really set them up well to surprise this season.
Finishing 7-10 would mark four consecutive years the Texans post a double-digit losing season, which is starting to venture in 2010s Jacksonville Jaguars territory for atrocious. However, the nature of more games means a greater likelihood of double-digit loss seasons. Expanding to 18 games could risk having a double-digit loss team make the playoffs eventually.
While Clutch City sports fans would not want to see the Texans go 7-10, the composition of such losses would at least take the sting out of the defeats.
With the third-easiest schedule in the league, the Texans are setup to have a bounce back year. Additionally the lack of prime time games and all but one of their games being played in the early afternoon window gives Houston stability throughout the year. There won’t be adjusting travel schedules due to short weeks or having long layoffs. Houston’s schedule is as straightforward as it gets.
If Houston is taking teams like the Cincinnati Bengals down to the wire, or splitting the season series with the Jacksonville Jaguars, fans might feel differently about the outcomes.
Last season, the Texans would get brutalized throughout the second and third quarters and then have a late rally to make things appear better than they were. The most glaring example was Week 12 at Miami. The Dolphins posted a 30-0 halftime lead and let Kyle Allen and the offense chip away over the next 30 minutes as Miami ran out the clock.
So long as the Texans aren’t giving up those types of losses, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson are flashing their vast potential, and the Texans continue to battle, the fans may be more accepting in 2023.
