Oct 26, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) jogs off the field after the game against the San Francisco 49ers at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Anonymous NFL Exec Refuses to Count Texans Out of Playoffs

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Oct 31, 2025 6:30 PM ET

Despite their slower-than-expected start to the new season, it looks like NFL executives across the league aren't ready to give up on the Houston Texans just yet.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler recently surveyed a handful of NFL executives across the league to ask a variety of questions upon reaching the halfway point of the season, where one of the topics centered around pinning a team who could have a real chance to make a late playoff push.

One NFC executive sees the Texans as a "really tough out," in large part due to their dominant defense.

"In the AFC South, there's another team that people around the league aren't giving on up quite yet. The Texans are 3-4 and third in the division, but they have upside," wrote Fowler.

"Their defense is one of the most physical in the league -- a really tough out,' an NFC executive said. 'It's really the offensive line that's been holding them back. If they can get settled down there, you can see what C.J. Stroud can do."

Anonymous NFC GM Credits Texans as "Really Tough Out"

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Considering the Texans are a team sitting a step back from .500 and third in their division at the mid-way point of the season, that's a good bit of optimism in store for what lies ahead.

The Texans sit in a more challenging division landscape than once thought. The 7-1 Indianapolis Colts are rolling as one of the best teams and most effective offenses in the NFL, and the Jacksonville Jaguars are still 4-3 with a current tiebreaker against the Texans.

But the talent in the building for Houston is clearly recognized on both sides of the ball, especially defensively, which could end up being enough to push this group back into that playoff positioning.

Houston's defense, which sits atop the league in the best scoring unit through seven weeks, has been the driving force behind that subtle optimism for the second half of the year. They have a standout run defense, a commanding pass rush led by two of the best at their position, and a top-end secondary to pair with.

It's given opposing offenses fits week after week, and in turn, the Texans have kept all of their losses within one score. The offense, though, is what's needed to find those positive steps forward.

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The protection in front of C.J. Stroud has been shaky, his weapons have faced some questions, and even injury, and Stroud himself hasn't been quite up to standard in a couple of outings as well.

Last week vs. the San Francisco 49ers, things started to shift in the right direction. Zero sacks taken by Stroud, nine pass-catchers were involved, and of course, they got their third win on the season in a time where their backs were against the wall.

If that level of production can sustain and be consistent into the second half of the season, there's no reason to believe this group can't have a playoff ceiling. Time will tell if that winds up coming to fruition, but it's not out of the realm of imagination for some sitting upstairs across the league.

This article first appeared on Houston Texans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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