The Houston Texans have a defense that makes offensive coordinators lose sleep. Will Anderson Jr. and company are real. But an NFL insider just dropped a prediction that sounds great until you hear the fine print.
Jeremy Fowler appeared on The Dan Patrick Show and said something that’ll get Texans fans excited. Then he added the catch.
“If they can run the ball, I mean, I think they’ll win the Super Bowl,” Fowler said. “I think they have that kind of team.”
That’s a big if. Because right now the running game is more question mark than exclamation point.
Let’s be clear about what Houston has. This defense might be the best in football. Not debatable. They pressure quarterbacks. They take away throwing lanes. They hit hard. But offense is where things get complicated.
CJ Stroud is good. Really good. But he can’t do everything by himself. The Texans need to run the ball effectively to keep defenses honest and take pressure off their young quarterback. Fowler thinks Stroud has the tools to be a fast riser once the team simplifies some things and establishes a ground game.
“He has a chance to be a fast riser because the tools and the skillset are there,” Fowler said. “I don’t think people are really down on him. The need to be able to run the ball and simplify some things for him. And once they do, his arm talent and his ability can take over.”
That’s the blueprint. Run the ball better. Let Stroud cook. Win the Super Bowl.
The David Montgomery Factor
Houston made a move this offseason to fix the running game problem. They brought in David Montgomery, and the guy is not subtle about how he plays. He runs through people. He doesn’t dance around.
“He’s all-day tough,” offensive coordinator Nick Caley said. “His body of work will speak for itself. Runs behind his pads, stays grounded. Arm tackles aren’t getting it done. He’s going to try to run through you every single chance. He can set guys up. He understands how to set blocks and to deliver and help deliver defenders to the blocker.”
Montgomery also catches passes. That matters. Caley said he’s refined as a route runner and takes pride in that part of his game. So Houston didn’t just add a bruiser. They added a guy who can stay on the field in passing situations.
The offensive line got rebuilt too. That was a priority. Fowler mentioned it specifically as a reason Houston is in the Super Bowl conversation. Line play matters. If the new guys up front can open holes, Montgomery will do the rest.
Fowler didn’t hold back on the defense either. “They have the best defense in the league,” he said. Combine that with a functional running game and a quarterback who can make every throw and you’ve got something.
But that’s the thing about the NFL. Having the pieces on paper doesn’t mean anything until September. The Texans look like contenders. They just need to prove they can run the ball when it counts.
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