Mike Florio explains why CJ Stroud’s Texans are “Texas’ team” in usurpation of Dak Prescott and Jerry Jones

CJ Stroud entered the weekend with a need to prove himself to be a playoff option, but he might have left with control of Texas football fans. With the Cowboys losing to the Packers in a de facto blowout and the Texans winning in explosive fashion, Stroud has given the Texans the lead for playoff wins in the modern era.

Speaking on Pro Football Talk, Florio used the statistic as a reason to call Texas the land of the Texans. Here's how he put it:

"[00:03:23] All those years of dysfunction with the Deshaun Watson stuff... they suffered mightily. I saw this on Twitter last night. They've got five playoff wins since entering the league in 2002. In that same timeframe, the Cowboys have four. Cowboys might be America's team. Houston is Texas’s team."

CJ Stroud ties Deshaun Watson in key accomplishments with dominant win over Joe Flacco

CJ Stroud at AFC Wild Card Playoffs - Cleveland Browns v Houston Texans

Stroud has only been in the league for one season, but the Texans quarterback has already tied predecessor Deshaun Watson in playoff wins. Watson defeated Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round in a game that went to overtime by a score of 22-19 in 2020. That was the quarterback's only playoff win for the Texans.

With one more win, Stroud would pass Matt Schaub and Watson for the most playoff wins for a quarterback in franchise history, per StatMuse.

If one wants to compare Stroud and Watson further, Watson had four seasons to win multiple playoff games in a run. Stroud, meanwhile, could pass Watson on his first try.

Of course, looking ahead, it will fall on the current Texans quarterback's shoulders to prove that his rookie rise wasn't a fluke. Teams will have an entire offseason to gather tape and dissect his strengths and weaknesses. Quarterbacks with sky-high performances in their first season often come back down to earth in the second year because of this.

Additionally, after a year of success and months to soak in the accomplishment, many quarterbacks come into their second year overconfident. Overconfidence plus more prepared defenses often lead to implosions for players. Mac Jones serves as one of the most public examples.

In his first year, he reached the playoffs. In the following two years, he found himself benched. Will Stroud be able to duplicate his success of this season in 2024?

If any of the above quotes are used, credit Pro Football Talk and H/T Sportskeeda.