The Houston Texans have captured back-to-back AFC South division titles and have won playoff games in consecutive years, but something is obviously missing.
The Texans are not quite an elite ballclub, but they are certainly knocking on the door. So, can Houston actually take the next step and reach another level in 2025? One NFL legend thinks so.
During an appearance on the Up & Adams Show, former Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly thinks that the Texans can actually replicate what the Philadelphia Eagles did this year, but they need to find one missing ingredient: an interior defensive lineman.
"Another group is Houston with Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson," Kuechly said. "If [the Texans] can find a good guy on the inside of that defense to push the pocket, I think they've got a chance [to do what the Eagles did in the Super Bowl]."
Philadelphia was able to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl by applying constant pressure to quarterback Patrick Mahomes, totaling six sacks, 11 quarterback hits and 16 pressures.
As a result, the Chiefs were unable to get their offense going, and the Eagles were able to shock Mahomes and Co. in a route.
As Kuechly mentioned, the Texans already do have a couple of terrific pass rushers in Hunter and Anderson, both of whom achieved double-digit sack totals in 2024.
But Kuechly is right: Houston doesn't really have a whole lot of talent at defensive tackle. If the Texans can find another star in the trenches, they could potentially wreak a whole lot of havoc next season.
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