C.J. Stroud, Texans Have NFL Fans Hopeful for Future Despite Playoff Loss to Ravens

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The Houston Texans miracle season has come to an end.

The franchise had quite the turnaround after a 3-13-1 season in 2022 as it went 10-7, won the AFC South Division title and even won a playoff game and solidified a spot in the Divisional Round.

Unfortunately for Houston, the No. 1 seed Baltimore Ravens were just too much to handle.

The Texans had a strong opening half by limiting the potent Ravens offense to just 10 points. That was Houston’s total too, with the major dagger coming off an electric return from Steven Sims.

That was the only real flare that the Texans were capable of as the Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson overwhelmed Houston in all facets of the game, eventually securing the 34-10 victory.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud went 18-of-32 for 165 yards and Nico Collins had four catches for 58 yards. The Texans defense surrendered 355 total yards and 22 first downs and this allowed Baltimore to really jump ahead in the second half.

Still, there is plenty to be excited about with the Texans. This was the franchise’s first trip to the postseason since 2019 and the victory in the Wild Card Round was the fifth playoff win in team history. Additionally, the culture looks like it is being built and the team appears to be a true threat to repeat as Division Champions.

This bright future was celebrated by fans on social media, with many crediting Stroud, head coach DeMeco Ryans and the team as a whole for putting an inspiring season together.

Baltimore advances to the AFC Championship with the victory and will secure another home game as a result. This is the first time the franchise has reached the Conference Championship since 2012. The team would go on to win the Super Bowl in that season.

While a Lombardi Trophy was not in the cards for Houston this season, the run the franchise went on this season paints a bright picture for what the future looks like. Undeniably, the next era of Texans football has arrived.