Allowing a winless team to earn its first victory of the season should come with a steep dent to one’s reputation, but that wasn’t the case for the Houston Texans in the latest power rankings.
According to Jarrett Bailey from the Touchdown Wire, the Texans’ 15-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers in Week 8 only cost them a spot as they enter Week 9.
Houston came up short in the battle of the top two picks in the draft, but they are still in the thick of the AFC Wildcard race.
Albeit the Texans as a team struggle to win close contests, there are competitive elements that appear to form the identity of DeMeco Ryans’ squad. The Texans are third in the NFL with 128 points allowed. They are tied with the Minnesota Vikings and Seattle Seahawks for third-fewest yards per carry at 3.6. Throw in C.J. Stroud hovering outside of the top-10 of statistics such as passer rating with 94.9, and it understandable why the Texans could hold such value even after losing to the winless Panthers.
Across the rest of the AFC South the Tennessee Titans placed No. 25. The Indianapolis Colts notched No. 20. The Jacksonville Jaguars claimed the No. 3 spot behind the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs.
