Jun 10, 2025; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) participates in a drill during an NFL football minicamp at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Texans Majorly Snubbed in Newest Super Bowl Projection

Originally posted on Houston Texans on SI | By Jared Koch | Last updated Jul 20, 2025 11:40 AM ET

Heading into the 2025 NFL season, which now sits only a few weeks away from kicking off, the Houston Texans have been clear about their mission: they have eyes on a championship run.

They'll have a franchise cornerstone at quarterback in C.J. Stroud ready to go, a steady core of weapons both new and returning headlined by a top-end receiving talent in Nico Collins, and a defense that, on paper, been bolstered to have the chance at finishing as a top-five unit in the NFL at year's end, or perhaps even better.

However, despite the varying reasons to have more optimism for Houston's upcoming season compared to their 2024 sample size, in the latest Super Bowl projections from Sports Illustrated's Conor Orr, the Texans aren't quite a part of that bubble to compete.

Orr outlined the NFL's top 12 teams that could have a Super Bowl ceiling across the 2025 season, where the Texans were nowhere to be found among that dozen.

Instead, outside of the usual suspects, there were some surprising names that took priority over the Texans: the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Houston's Wild Card opponent from this past season in the Los Angeles Chargers, were among the bunch able to compete.

Yet, Houston didn't have that same honor, meaning some don't see the Texans' ceiling being as high as it's viewed within the building.

The hesitancy behind seeing a Texans' Super Bowl run can likely be centered upon one critical factor: the offensive line, which has seen no shortage of chatter and conversation this summer, with many envisioning their changes and adjustments not quite being enough to rise to their championship aspirations–– especially amid their deal to ship out Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders.

It'll be a wait-and-see operation for the Texans later this year, but already, it's clear this group has some early doubts around the league to overcome.

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

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