Texans trading for Stefon Diggs: Is Houston the biggest threat to Chiefs in AFC? Ranking contenders

The Houston Texans are not messing around. After striking gold with the selection of quarterback C.J. Stroud, the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year, the franchise has gone into hyperdrive with a flurry of moves this offseason, including the most recent blockbuster trade for former Bills receiver Stefon Diggs. The 2023 AFC South champions have only improved their roster and, with Stroud and others set to make a leap in 2024, they are going to be a sexy pick to come out of the conference as the AFC representative in Super Bowl LIX. 

But don’t forget about the Kansas City Chiefs. After all, they are the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, and should still be looked at as the team to beat in the AFC until someone knocks them off that pedestal. They still have Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, Travis Kelce and a stout defense at their disposal. That said, the gap could be thinning, especially with teams like Houston making these home run swings. 

With this Diggs blockbuster as the backdrop, let’s roll through the top five biggest threats to Kansas City in the conference. 

While Houston is making the big splashes, the Bengals should still be looked at as the biggest threat to the Chiefs’ reign in the AFC. When healthy, Joe Burrow has been able to not only go toe to toe with Mahomes but take him down. Burrow is 2-0 against Mahomes in the regular season and the two have split in their two playoff meetings with a win apiece. The Bengals QB still has Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (on the franchise tag) at his disposal, while they also helped solidify the offensive line with free agent tackle Trent Brown. Defensively, the club has solidified the back end of its secondary with safety additions like Vonn Bell and Geno Stone, while still having a stout pass-rushing attack with Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard. 

2. Houston Texans

Maybe we’re a prisoner of the moment by putting the Texans this high, but it’s warranted given the moves they’ve made this offseason. On top of Diggs, the club bolstered its backfield with Joe Mixon and added Danielle Hunter to pair with Will Anderson Jr. as a pass-rushing duo in free agency. When you account for the talent coming in and the overall maturation of the roster from a year ago — particularly Stroud — Houston has the makings of a team that could take a considerable leap in 2024. DeMeco Ryans also proved to be a stellar head coach in his first…