Super Bowl LX Proves Texans Still Have Major Work to Do

With Super Bowl LX in the books and the Seattle Seahawks dubbed champions over the New England Patriots as a result of a 29-13 victory in Santa Clara, this year's NFL campaign can officially be wrapped up. Now it leaves the league already looking ahead for what's in store for the coming season, and who could be the next two teams to be in the mix this time next year.

The Houston Texans, who came up short in this year's divisional round against the Super Bowl-losing Patriots, might be on that short list of contenders who have some pieces to make a deep run themselves come time for next season.

They've got standout experience to benefit from having made the postseason the past three years. Their defensive personnel looks to be one of the very slim few around the league that stacks up with Seattle's championship-winning unit, and without many free agents on tap for this offseason, Houston, on paper, could be a worthwhile competitor for the Lombardi come time for Super Bowl LXI.

But, there's also a cautionry tale to be told for the Texans based on what unfolded between the Seahawks and Patriots this weekend, and one that should sound some major alarms in Houston before getting deeper into this offseason.

Let break it down:

What Super Bowl LX Proved to the Texans

The biggest determining factor of what led the Seahawks to get the best of New England was their work in the trenches.

Seattle's offensive line held up to allow for just one sack on Sam Darnold and a 135-yard game from Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, and their defensive line had a field day for six sacks on Drake Maye, and was the catalyst behind one of the best defensive outings in a Super Bowl in NFL history.

The Patriots had a respectable defensive unit themselves––one that gave up an average of less than 10 points in their three previous playoff games––but it would be the offense and their glaring holes upfront that left them coming up short in the big game.

Now, it leaves a rough situation on the offensive line for them to address across this offseason to get back to this same point next February.

Feb 8, 2026; Santa Clara, CA, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (10) is pressured by Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Byron Murphy II (91) in the second half in Super Bowl LX at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The Texans, coincidentally, are in a very similar spot as New England. Their defense is among the best in the NFL (and even better than the Patriots), and there are pockets of talent offensively that can give them a glimmer of hope to come out on top of any game they take part in, so long as their defense shows out.

But when matched against a well-rounded unit on both ends of the ball like Seattle was, paired with deficiencies upfront on the offensive line that can give a dominant defensive line and players off the edge a major advantage, that becomes a steep mountain to overcome for anybody.

Even when the consistent stops are coming from the defense, the points aren't coming to form on the other end. And in that process, an effective offense like Seattle is still able to put slow-burning points on the board , even if it might be field goals and not touchdowns.

The Texans even saw those similar flaws themselves dating back to Week 7 on a primetime stage against this same Seahawks team on Monday Night Football. Houston fell behind early without answers offensively, couldn't make up the necessary ground scoring the ball against the skill set Seattle's defense had, thus leading to a 19-27 loss.

Oct 20, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; Seattle Seahawks safety Ty Okada (39) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) during the fourth quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Had the Texans made the proper strides to get in the Patriots' position in the Super Bowl this year, it's hard not to see the outcome falling in a similar way. Without the right protection upfront, Seattle had the right answers to take control, forced multiple turnovers, and would prove again that defense does indeed win championships.

The Texans have that type of championship-caliber defense, no doubt. But that also needs to come with the right balance offensively, which starts by getting the five-man combination right in the trenches.

Houston was likely already eyeing ways for their offensive line upfront to become even better for 2026. But when watching another subpar line get rocked on a world stage over the weekend, that priority now becomes even more important to be mindful of.

So, where do the Texans go from here? It starts with drafting further contributors upfront in the first two days of the draft, further investments in free agency for depth and maybe a starter, and perhaps even more attention to be paid towards the running back room to ensure Houston's offense is a more-than-capable complement to their world-class defense.

The Texans are certainly close. But if they don't want to end up as the next Patriots, the offensive line might need to be ranked better than the bottom half of the NFL throughout the course of next season. If so, it bodes well not just for the health and development of C.J. Stroud, but for Houston's offense entirely.

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