The crown jewel of the NFL's Conference Championship weekend was the fireworks show that was the Los Angeles Rams vs. the Seattle Seahawks. 

Quarterbacks Matthew Stafford (Rams) and Sam Darnold (Seahawks) traded haymakers all evening, racking up 340+ passing yards each while also matching each other's three touchdown passes (they each also finished with a 127.0+ passer rating).

While the two signal callers have been excellent all season long, much credit will find its way to their respective play-callers. That would be Rams head coach Sean McVay and Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak. 

They have been lauded for their offensive infrastructure for the entire season.

Why wouldn't they be? The Rams finished with the NFL's best overall offense (394.6 yards/game and 30.5 points/game), while the Seahawks took the eighth spot (351.4 yards/game | third in points, 28.4 points/game)

This is relevant in Houston because it gives a glimpse at the gap that still exists between where they currently stand and the elusive Super Bowl trip they want to take.

After year three of quarterback C.J. Stroud, and year one of new offensive coordinator Nick Caley, Houston's offense is still considered one of the weaker units across the league.

The team marginally improved from 22nd overall in 2024 (319.7 yards/game) to 18th overall (327 yards/game) this season. Their biggest jump was in the scoring department, being 19th in 2024 (21.9 points/game) and increasing to 13th this season (23.8 points/game). 

Even still, Houston's offense was chronically up and down throughout the campaign. Evidence for future issues included not scoring a touchdown until week two, not converting a touchdown opportunity in the red zone until week four and also not cracking the 20+ point mark until week four. 

Though they became more stable as time went on, there was never really a point in the year where the unit was clicking on all cylinders. 

It didn't help that starting running back Joe Mixon missed the entire regular season, and playing a team full of rookies posed their own set of complications. 

Arguably, much of the issues stemmed from the team's implementation of Caley's hybrid version of both the Erhardt-Perkins and Shanahan (Rams) style offenses with Houston's personnel. Specifically, its effect on Stroud and his ability to facilitate the offense at a premium level heading into the postseason. 

While Stroud set a career-best mark in completion percentage at 64.5%, he never really looked comfortable consistently. 

Revisiting Stafford and Darnold from earlier, Stroud had one game this season that mirrored their Conference championship class. It was in week eight against the 49ers, where he went 30/39 (76.9%) for 318 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He never eclipsed the 300+ yard mark again for the year. 

That blip on the radar was a microcosm of the Texans' offense in 2025, able to shine in spurts but never really putting it all together for a lengthy amount of time (they had a nine-game win streak, but driven mainly by defense). 

It all came to a head in the AFC Playoffs, as Houston's offense was laughed out of the playoffs (mainly Stroud) due to wildly volatile performances across two games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots. 

There were injuries for Houston, but mainly turnover prone play that led to 5+ fumbles and 5+ interceptions in just a two-game stretch (first time in NFL history). 

Compare that to offensive juggernauts in the Rams and Seahawks and one can understand why the perception of a Grand Canyon-sized chasm between the operations exists. 

If Houston wants to ever truly complete for a Super Bowl in the near future, they have to learn from this weekend's games and ask themselves some tough organizational questions about immediate next steps to head in that direction. 

Do you think the Texans will find an offense in the offseason? Let us know in the comments section below and by mentioning us at @Texans_RTB on X and @Texans/Roundtable on TikTok!