The Houston Texans are heading into one of the expectation-heavy seasons in team history. After landing Stefon Diggs, Danielle Hunter, Joe Mixon, and others, C.J. Stroud is expected to make a deep playoff run.
Many fans see Stroud as the potential only hope in the AFC to unseat Patrick Mahomes.
With already sky-high expectations placed on the quarterback, here are three bold predictions for him this season.
C.J. Stroud will throw less than 20 passing touchdowns
While Stroud enjoyed a fantastic rookie campaign, his statistics were not eye-popping at face value compared to other veterans. Last season, the Ohio State product threw for just 23 touchdowns. While he also threw for just five interceptions, he has room for improvement in the total number of passing touchdowns.
However, with defenses armed with an offseason to study his tape, Stroud will need to learn to fight left-handed this season.
If Stroud already has a second layer of tricks, there is nothing to worry about. That said, if he exhausted his tricks as a rookie, he could be in trouble. This is the more likely result and while he may not implode outright, he will have a tougher run this season.
Most wins by a veteran Texans quarterback since Deshaun Watson
While Stroud’s own personal statistics will take a hit this season, it doesn’t mean the team will fail. Rather, the team will succeed at a greater clip this season despite the step back. Any doubters can simply look at Mahomes, who won the Super Bowl in a down season last year.
Last year, Stroud went 9-6, which was the best record by a Texans quarterback since Deshaun Watson. Watson went 10-5 in 2019. This season, Stroud will win at least 11 games. This will create a discussion in the community, as fans split into whether Stroud was carried or his team held him back.
C.J. Stroud reaches 4500 passing yards
Stroud’s passing touchdowns will take a hit as the Texans elect to lean on Joe Mixon in the red zone to cap off drives. However, Stroud won’t have much trouble getting the team down the field. As a rookie, Stroud threw for 4108 yards. This year, he will add at least 10% to that total, crossing the 4500-yard mark.
The addition of Diggs will allow essentially at least one of his top three receivers run open on the vast majority of plays that the offensive line holds up for.
This will make it easy pickings for C.J. Stroud to march through the air.
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