8. Houston Texans
The Houston Texans certainly came out and brought the fireworks to start the 2024 season, didn’t they?
It was an impressive opener from Houston, even though it wasn’t perfect on the whole. Reigning Rookie of the Year CJ Stroud seemingly picked up right from where he left off, throwing a pair of touchdowns to new receiver Stefon Diggs with no interceptions on 24-of-32 passing.
The Texans also got a huge game from new running back Joe Mixon, who was an absolute workhorse for them carrying the ball 30 times and catching another three passes. He finished the game with 159 rushing yards and a touchdown in this game, and the Texans truly look like they have a squad that can compete with the best of the best in the AFC.
But it’s still early, and Houston was susceptible to the deep ball against the Colts in this one. That secondary for Houston might still be more of a work in progress than initially thought and the pass rush is going to need to be more effective. Anthony Richardson was only hit/sacked twice in this game.
7. New York Jets
Jets play 49ers on Monday Night Football
The New York Jets have a really good roster. They have the potential to be one of the most fun teams to watch in the entire NFL this season.
I’m just going to put out this warning before the season one last time that Aaron Rodgers may not be as good as every Jets fan out there is hoping for. Yes, he could blow all of us away coming off the Achilles injury. Yes, Rodgers obviously has a history of playing MVP-caliber football for most of his NFL career.
But as I’ve warned all offseason, Rodgers did not look great in his final year in Green Bay back in 2022 and he’s a 40-year-old QB coming off of one of the worst injuries an NFL player can possibly suffer.
I’m not trying to rain on anyone’s parade, of course, I’m just trying to help temper expectations if things go poorly here. Rodgers and the Jets have one of the toughest tests of any team here in Week 1.