The Houston Texans engaged the Chicago Bears in an exciting NFL Preseason matchup. The two teams played in the annual Hall of Fame Game to kick off the 2024-25 campaign. Houston fell 21-17 after the game was suspended due to inclement weather. However, that did not stop star quarterback CJ Stroud from going ballistic with positive energy on the sidelines earlier in the game.

Stroud was spotted emphatically celebrating during the second quarter when Cam Akers broke out for a highlight run against the Bears defense, as seen on the NFL’s X (formerly Twitter) page:

Stroud did not suit up for Thursday’s Bears game, but with how intense his energy was, he might as well have been on the field.

The former rookie is coming off a highly promising 2023-24 season. He amassed 4,108 passing yards and 13 touchdowns, which ranked him eighth and 13th among all league quarterbacks, respectively. Furthermore, Stroud held a 57.5 QBR, which placed him 15th in the league. His efforts helped him secure the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.

Stroud exceeded expectations when the postseason came around. The Texans finished the year with a 10-7 record and earned an AFC Wild Card Spot. Stroud impressively helped Houston beat the Cleveland Browns 44-14 in the first round. The Texans’ run ended a week later when they lost 34-10 to the Baltimore Ravens. Nevertheless, they are using the season’s end as momentum into 2024-25.

Can Texans’ revamped squad overcome the hump?

Houston wants to make a deeper playoff run during the 2024-25 season. Their offseason acquisitions have made them even stronger and raised their expectations.

The Texans traded for former Cincinnati Bengals running back Joe Mixon in early March, significantly upgrading their ground game. Mixon helped the Bengals advance to Super Bowl 56 in 2022 after rushing for a career-best 1,205 yards and 13 TDs during the regular season. He comes off a 2023-24 season where he played a career-high 17 games and totaled 1,034 rushing yards and nine TDs.

Mixon is not the only stout offensive contributor the Texans added.

Houston pulled off a blockbuster trade for ex-Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Diggs made an immediate impact in Buffalo, amassing a career-high 1,535 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games during his rookie year. His efforts continued throughout the years, helping Buffalo to several playoff appearances.

Diggs should gel well with CJ Stroud, given his experience alongside star QB Josh Allen. With the new Diggs-Stroud connection and the ground support from Joe Mixon, the Texans offense is poised to leap.

It will be interesting to see how Houston performs as they begin an exciting tenure.