Rams, Seahawks Light Up Scoreboards - and Spotlight Just How Far Houston’s Offense Has to Go
If you were watching the conference championship games, you saw two offenses that didn’t just show up - they exploded. The Rams and Seahawks turned the night into a quarterback showcase, with Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold going toe-to-toe in a shootout that reminded everyone just how potent a well-oiled offense can be in today’s NFL.
Both quarterbacks eclipsed 340 passing yards, each tossing three touchdowns and finishing with passer ratings north of 127.0. That’s not just efficient - that’s elite. But as much as Stafford and Darnold deserve credit, this performance was also a masterclass in offensive design.
Coaching Matters - A Lot
Sean McVay and Klint Kubiak have been drawing up fireworks all season long. McVay’s Rams led the league in total offense (394.6 yards per game) and scoring (30.5 points per game), while Kubiak’s Seahawks weren’t far behind - eighth in total offense (351.4 yards per game) and a staggering third in scoring (28.4 points per game).
These aren’t just good numbers. They’re the kind of numbers that win playoff games - and potentially championships.
And that brings us to Houston.
The Texans’ Offense: Still a Work in Progress
After three seasons with C.J. Stroud at the helm and one with Nick Caley calling the plays, Houston’s offense is still trying to find its identity. There were signs of growth - they improved from 22nd to 18th in total offense and jumped from 19th to 13th in scoring - but the inconsistency was hard to ignore.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t a disaster. But it also wasn’t the kind of offense that can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Stafford or Darnold in a high-stakes playoff game.
The Texans didn’t score a touchdown until Week 2. They didn’t convert a red zone opportunity until Week 4.
They didn’t crack the 20-point mark until that same week. That’s a slow burn in a league that rewards teams who can light it up early and often.
Injuries and Inexperience Didn’t Help
Losing starting running back Joe Mixon for the entire regular season was a blow. And relying on a roster full of rookies is always going to come with growing pains. But the bigger issue may have been scheme fit.
Caley’s offense is a hybrid - blending elements of the Erhardt-Perkins system with the Shanahan-style concepts you see in places like Los Angeles. On paper, that sounds exciting. In practice, it proved to be a tough ask for a young quarterback still learning how to run a pro offense at a high level.
Stroud did set a career high in completion percentage (64.5%), but he never looked fully in rhythm. He had one game - Week 8 against the 49ers - where everything clicked: 30-of-39, 318 yards, two touchdowns, one pick. But that was the only time all season he topped 300 yards through the air.
A Playoff Flameout That Felt Inevitable
Houston did manage to string together a nine-game win streak, but much of that success was driven by its defense. The offense never quite found its groove - and when the playoffs arrived, that inconsistency turned costly.
Across two postseason games - against the Steelers and Patriots - the Texans’ offense unraveled. Turnovers piled up fast: over five fumbles and five interceptions in just two games. That’s never happened before in NFL playoff history.
And while injuries played a role, the bigger story was Houston’s inability to keep pace when the lights were brightest. Compare that to the Rams and Seahawks, who are putting up video game numbers in January, and the gap becomes glaring.
The Road Ahead
There’s no shame in being a step behind the league’s elite - especially for a team still building around a young quarterback and a first-year offensive coordinator. But if Houston wants to make that leap from promising to powerful, the offense has to evolve.
The Texans have a foundation. Now it’s about building the kind of infrastructure - from scheme to personnel to execution - that can support a deep postseason run.
Because as the Rams and Seahawks just reminded us: in today’s NFL, if you can’t score with the best of them, you’re not going to last long in January.