Everyone is crazy about CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans, but are they really Super Bowl contenders in 2024?

The Houston Texans have never made it to the AFC championship game.

Could this be the year the NFL's youngest team takes a leap forward and advances to the Super Bowl?

Since entering the league as an expansion team in 2002, the Texans have an overall record of 152-202-1 and a playoff record of 5-7.

But after years of internal dysfunction and growing fan frustration, the 2023 season represented an exciting breakthrough.

CJ Stroud made first-round pick Bryce Young forgettable and led the rebuilding Texans to a 10-7 record and the AFC South title.

New head coach DeMeco Ryans was the perfect hire, reconnecting with the team's fan base while getting the most out of a squad that entered the season predicted to finish at the bottom of the conference.

“This time last year, when the 2023 season started, we didn’t know they would do so well,” John McClain told talkSPORT exclusively.

“I picked them to win six games.”

McClain covered the NFL in Houston for 48 years and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A year after Stroud was named Offensive Rookie of the Year and Ryans lost the Coach of the Year title in a tiebreaker, the Texans are internationally considered serious contenders for the Super Bowl alongside the Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.

The Texans haven't been in this good form since 2012, when they started 11-1 and JJ Watt, Andre Johnson and Arian Foster led one of the most explosive teams in the NFL.

McClain has a clear prediction about where the Texans will finish their 2024 season, but he also warns concerned red-and-blue fans that this year will be a completely different scenario for the reigning AFC South champions.

“People are so excited,” McClain said. “I would caution them. People here get mad when I say I don't think they'll be a Super Bowl contender this year — more likely next year.”

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“Remember, if you finish last, you're playing on a schedule that puts you in last place. Last year they played the worst division in the NFL, the NFC South. Their crossover game was the Arizona Cardinals.

“This year they're playing for first place. The crossover game is at the Cowboys. They're playing against five division champions, 11 games against teams that had winning records.”

McClain then listed the opposing quarterbacks the Texans will face: Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, Tua Tagovailoa, Jordan Love, Jared Goff, Caleb Williams and two divisional playoffs against Trevor Lawrence.

“They brought in 15 unrestricted free agents from other teams to play defense,” McClain said. “Five of their nine draft picks, including their first pick, are on defense. And they re-signed five of their defensive free agents because they know DeMeco Ryan's defense has to be better with this game plan.”

Still, McClain believes the NFL's youngest team will finally reach the AFC championship in 2024.

His prediction: The Texans will finish 10-7 and defend their AFC South title, but then lose to the Ravens one game before Super Bowl LIX in Baltimore.

It would be the best year in Texans history and would mark a new high point for the former expansion franchise.

First, Stroud and Ryans must complete an impressive 17-game schedule worthy of a Super Bowl appearance.

“Remember, this time last year, everyone was saying the same thing about the Jacksonville Jaguars,” McClain said. “They had won the division. They had won a playoff game with a great comeback before losing narrowly in the divisional round.”

“It was a very cautionary tale. A lot of teams that finished last look to the Texans as a model.”

“And the Texans are using the Jaguars as an example of what can happen.”

Texans face Super Bowl schedule

Opposing quarterbacks of the Texans in 2024

• Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
• Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
• Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
• Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
• Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
• Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
• Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers
• Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
• Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears
• Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars (twice)