Unfortunately, Teddy is out this week as he is feeling a bit banged up after taking two successful charges in his club basketball game this weekend. As I contemplated the teams and players I wanted to discuss in this article, I realized that all my points were on a positive note. Therefore, instead of our typical five takeaways, I’ll be sharing my thoughts on three teams that have impressed me thus far.

H-Town Stand Up

The Houston Texans have laid out the blueprint for how to complete a successful rebuild. Nick Caserio, the Texans general manager, decided that one way or another, the 2023 off-season would be a franchise-altering one. Caserio began the off-season by signing 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans to head the team. Despite concerns regarding his ability to play out of structure, the Texans selected C.J. Stroud with the second overall pick, entrusting him with the franchise’s future. Caserio then traded a haul of draft picks to move up to #3 and take Will Anderson Jr., the talented edge rusher, out of Alabama. It didn’t end here for Houston; as we have seen so often with young quarterbacks, their supporting cast is inextricably linked to their production. Caserio drafted Tank Dell out of Southern Methodist University in the second round and signed Dalton Schultz and Noah Brown in free agency, three guys who have amassed over 400 receiving yards so far this year. It was a slow start to the season as the Texans dropped their first two games, but the team has now won five of their last seven games, including a road upset against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. 

There are a plethora of factors behind the Texans’ transformation, but the guy who has spearheaded their success is Stroud. He isn’t merely excelling by rookie standards; he has firmly positioned himself as one of the top-tier NFL quarterbacks. The Ohio State product has thrown for 2,626 yards and an incredible 15/2 touchdown to interception ratio. In the last two weeks, the Texans have been locked in tight contests against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Cincinnati Bengals, and on both occasions, Stroud orchestrated game-winning drives. When the Texans’ offense got the ball in a tie game with a little over a minute remaining, there was little doubt in most fans’ minds that Stroud would get the Texans in field goal range and win the game. This confidence that fans feel cannot be quantified, but it is something that only the elite QBs can instill in you. The fact that Stroud already has it is telling. 

What the Texans are doing is truly incredible. We have seen teams make drastic turnarounds before, but Houston doing this with a rookie head coach and QB is remarkable. Ryans has established himself as a franchise coach, and Stroud has positioned himself as the clear favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year and even emerged as one of the MVP frontrunners. 

According to the New York Times, the Texans currently have a 61% chance to make the playoffs despite being as low as 9% at the beginning of the year. I am bullish on the Texans playoff hopes, but however the rest of the season turns out, it is clear the Houston Texans will be contenders in the future. 

Purple Pain

Throughout the Lamar Jackson era, the biggest hole in an otherwise elite offense has been the lack of a clear number-one wide receiver. In comes Zay Flowers. The Boston College product was selected 22nd overall in this past draft. Flowers is an elite route runner who uses a combination of speed and strong cuts to create separation. He has 45 receptions and 472 receiving yards so far this season, but those numbers don’t do him justice; Flowers has been a reliable target, someone Jackson can trust, a luxury that only Mark Andrews has been able to provide thus far. Flowers and Andrews are great, but it is Jackson who is the conductor, dispatcher, and engineer of the Ravens offense. To say Jackson has been elite this year would be disrespectful to him. Jackson, once dubbed a below-average passer (which he never was), is leading the league with a 70.3% completion rate. He was the unanimous MVP in 2019, and although his stats aren’t as attractive, he has been a much better player. Patrick Mahomes will be the best quarterback in the league for the next decade. He is that good. But as of now, there is no other quarterback who is better than Jackson.

As good as the offense is, the Ravens defense has been the unit carrying the team. Boasting the number-one scoring defense, Baltimore’s defense is anchored by their two stud linebackers, Patrick Queen and Roquan Smith. Queen struggled early in his career, specifically in coverage, where opposing offenses exploited his poor technique. GM Eric DeCosta solved this problem by trading for Smith, who is a stout coverage linebacker and has allowed Queen to play as the WILL linebacker, a position that better fits his skillset. Behind Queen and Smith, second year defensive back out of Notre Dame Kyle Hamilton has proved himself to be a game-changer on defense. 

The Ravens sit atop the AFC North with a 7–3 record and a top five offense and defense, and honestly they should be much better. In the last 40 years, there have been five teams that have spent less than 52 minutes trailing in their first 10 games; four of those teams started 10–0, and the other team is this year’s Ravens. According to football reference, the Ravens’ expected record is 7.8–2.2. In their losses, they have seen their otherwise unstoppable offense stall out down the stretch. While this may be a worry come playoff time, as we saw with the Patriots dynasty, losing close games and having holes exposed during the regular season can be beneficial come playoff time.

Cowardly Lions No More

This time two years ago, Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown in the end zone on a short in-route as time expired to give the Detroit Lions their first win of the regular season. Goff bolted towards the sideline and embraced head coach Dan Campbell. It was one of the best moments of the 2021 season, considering the Lions were at the bottom of the league. Now, ten weeks into the 2023 season, there are three teams left with two or fewer losses. Two of those teams were in the Super Bowl last year and the third is the Detroit Lions. 

When the Lions hired Campbell in 2021, this was the team the front office and fans dreamed of. On the offensive side of the ball, Detroit has created an identity relying on their backfield of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery to run behind an agile and powerful offensive line. Possessing an elite run game has allowed Goff to be the best version of himself. Goff is a system quarterback who excels in play action. The term system quarterback often has a negative connotation, but it shouldn’t. Most quarterbacks are only as good as their system, and very few (Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jackson, to name a few) are the system (shoutout James Harden). Goff’s go-to weapon has been Amon-Ra St. Brown, who was the 15th receiver taken in the 2021 draft. Despite this, the USC product has proved himself to be one of the elite receivers. St. Brown has assembled six 100+ yard games through his eight starts and is top 10 in nearly every wide receiver stat. However, arguably the most important part of the Lions offense isn’t one of their players, but rather their offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. Johnson is one of the best offensive minds in the game. While other top offensive minds like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Mike McDaniel have achieved considerable success with well-crafted systems, what sets Johnson apart is his exceptional ability to adapt when faced with offensive challenges. Johnson is not married to one scheme or philosophy; he incorporates aspects of the west coast offense and the spread offense and takes many of McVay’s schemes while adding his own wrinkles. There is not a run blocking scheme that the Lions do not run. Johnson is creative; he runs unique plays and will spend entire games setting up a trick play he wants to bring out a few games later. His plays are complex, but his motto is “clear, clean, and concise:” what he asks of each player is seemingly simple, but when it all comes together it creates an intricate, comprehensive play.

Campbell was brought in as a defensive coach that would restore grit, determination, and perseverance to Detroit football. He has done just that. The Lions are not a superbly talented defensive unit, in fact, they rank 21st in scoring defense. Where they excel is in wreaking havoc and making game-changing plays during big moments. The Lions will make the playoffs, but if they want to make a deep run, which they are capable of, the defensive unit will need to become more consistent. 

Disappointments

This article can’t be all positive, so I will end it with the three teams I think have been the most disappointing:

1. New York “Football??” Giants: I put the question mark there because the Giants do not look like they belong in the NFL.
2. New England Patriots: Mac Jones’ game-ending interception Sunday against the Colts was the worst pass of his I have ever seen, which says something. The thing about the Patriots is every aspect of their offense sucks, so tanking for Caleb Williams or Drake Maye won’t do too much until you figure out the line and receivers.
3. Los Angeles Chargers: The fact that Brandon Staley still has a job is comical. The Chargers aren’t a bad team—they have a +24 point differential, but they just never make the big plays when needed. 

Sam Weitzman-Kurker can be reached at sweitzmankur@wesleyan.edu.