FS1 analyst claims CJ Stroud has one advantage over other AFC rivals aiming to dethrone Patrick Mahomes

Kansas City will put on their pads and lace up their cleats as they prepare to start the 2024 season as the club that everyone wants to dethrone.

After winning three Super Bowls in the last five years, the Kansas City Chiefs will face an ambitious field to capture their first three-peat.

Patrick Mahomes and his teammates are waiting for the game schedules to be published next week to find out who they will play at home.

Nick Wright predicts the Chiefs will host the Houston Texans in the opening game

NFL expert Nick Wright predicts that the Houston Texans will pay a visit to the Arrowhead faithful in Week One.

Many analysts believe the Texans are underdogs with a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl in New Orleans.

Signal-caller C.J. Stroud is entering his sophomore season as the reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Furthermore, because he is on the lesser rookie contract, Houston has extra cap space to work with during the offseason.

The Texans have added star talent around C.J. Stroud on the rookie deal

They have showed no signs of using their money wisely, as evidenced by their headline-grabbing trade with the Buffalo Bills for Stefon Diggs in April.

As a result, they have weakened an AFC competitor.

Furthermore, the Texans signed free agency running back Joe Mixon and four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter.

Stroud led the Texans to the Wildcard round of the 2023 NFL playoffs, but they lost to the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.

The odds for the favorite to win the AFC Championship in 2024 have been released ahead of the season.

The Texans have the fifth-best odds, trailing the Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, and Buffalo Bills.

FS1 expert is convinced Stroud has a mental edge over the other quarterback contenders

On First Things First, Nick Wright believes the Houston Texans are the most likely to dethrone the Chiefs

However, he felt that it was due to one edge C.J. Stroud possessed that the other finalists lacked.

“I also think there is a benefit to C.J. Stroud having never been beaten by Mahomes,” Wright said of Stroud’s edge.

“Everyone else on that list had their last playoff game ended by Patrick Mahomes.” Lamar (Jackson), John Allen, and Joe Burrow are all coming away heartbroken from their most recent playoff experience, but Patrick Mahomes is heading away rejoicing.

Wright points out that Stroud does not have the experience of losing to Mahomes, which could offer him a mental advantage over the other quarterbacks.

The Texans and Chiefs will face off in the regular season, thus Stroud may have suffered his first loss to Mahomes if they meet in the playoffs.