Former NFL MVP Believes Texans Are Becoming a Real Threat

The Houston Texans are beginning to catch fire at the right time of the NFL season after a fourth-straight win in the books from their Week 13 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, and now lifts this team to 7-5 with a real opportunity to make noise down the second half stretch of the year.

And now with what's the fourth-highest win streak in the NFL, many around the league are beginning to take notice of what this Texans team is made of, and with the right steps, could be a dangerous team that nobody wants to face in the second half of this season.

Matt Ryan Gives Texans, C.J. Stroud Stamp of Approval

One prominent figure who has a ton of confidence in what the Texans have to offer is former league MVP Matt Ryan, who had a ton of positive things to say about what Houston, and more particularly, C.J. Stroud, had shown in Week 13 to offer some real confidence for what lies ahead.

"I really liked C.J. Stroud's mindset," Ryan said during a segment on CBS Sports' NFL Today. "I think he understands what their football team is. Their football team is a defensive-driven football team."

"[Stroud] also mentioned pass protection and run game. Explosive pass plays, that kind of stuff. That's at the bottom of the list right now. He talked about taking care of the football, making good decisions with the football, understanding the pieces that he has around them."

Stroud and the Texans aren't the type of team relying upon the offense to generate big chunks of play that take the top off of the defense to find their way down the field, even though those can find their way into the game plan.

Instead, Houston's success has been found through a complementary offense to a stout, elite defense that's led the way to that sustained success––which against the Colts helped stumped their offense to their lowest scoring outing of the year thus far.

Nov 30, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) hands off during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

For Ryan, that defensive-focused play style, combined with an ideal mindset from Stroud on the other side of the ball, that can pay major dividends for the Texans down the stretch, and as shown against the Colts, he could be finding his groove at just the right time.

"I think if he plays that type of way, this team is as good as anyone, is playing as well as anyone right now. They're a scary football team if C.J. Stroud starts to find that stride. And I think he is. I think he played very, very well in the second half."

"If he plays that type of way, this team is as good as anyone." - @M_Ryan02 with MAJOR praise for CJ Stroud and the Texans pic.twitter.com/EkwMBlPWqE
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 30, 2025

If the Texans offense, now with Stroud at the helm again, can keep the momentum flowing with this league-best defense, the sky is the limit for how their season could pan out––and the former league MVP is one of the many taking clear notice of that potency.

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