Jul 23, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Texans Dealt Disappointing Win Total Prediction

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 12:30 PM ET

Despite a busy offseason of improvements and changes for the Houston Texans to best position themselves for a third-straight AFC South title, heading into training camp, it seems opinions around this team seem to vary on just how well this team may fare in terms of wins and losses.

And for some, the Texans might not even be in place to reach their win total of ten from just last season.

The latest skeptic for the Texans' upcoming 225 season comes from Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon, who predicted Houston to land under their projected win total of 9.5 (-120), opting to lean "negative" towards Houston's year to come.

Following a huge leap to 10 victories as C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans debuted in 2023, the Texans disappointed as the quarterback slumped in 2024. And yet the Texans still won 10 games in the weak AFC South," Gagnon wrote, "On the surface, that would make the over here a no-brainer, especially as Houston had bad injury luck last year. But do consider the talented Jaguars underperformed and lost both of their meetings with the Texans, who also swept a Colts team that should be better as well in 2025."

"Now, the Texans have one of the 10 most difficult schedules in the league, and Stroud will be adjusting to more big changes along an offensive line that let him down as a sophomore and could still be problematic for him in Year 3. They might still get back to the double digits and win the division by default, but I could easily see them doing that at 9-8. This one's a toss-up, but I'm leaning negative."

The Texans roster has certified talent on both ends of the ball, while still keeping all of their core pieces (outside of Laremy Tunsil) in the fold for 2025.

However, when paired with an improved division across all three surrounding squads, a tough schedule ahead, and uncertainties to face on the offensive line, it won't be a walk in the park for the Texans to get 10 wins and an AFC South victory as it may have been last year. The week-to-week test could prove to be a bit more challenging, and with that, Houston could face a few growing pains.

For that success to come, it'll have to be found through strides forward on behalf of the offense, led by new offensive coordinator Nick Caley, paired with another top-ten defensive effort from this dominant pass rush and budding secondary. The tools are in place to secure double-digit wins, but especially in a challenging AFC, that outcome is far from guaranteed.

The Texans will have some lingering doubts to overcome in year three of the C.J. Stroud and DeMeco Ryans. Time will tell if they'll take advantage.

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

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