Are the Houston Texans garnering respect from the World Wide Leader in sports after being off in Week 6? Actually, no. They’re technically losing some gusto.
Following their back-to-back wins over the Tennessee Titans and Ravens in Week 5, the Texans are now down to No.20 in ESPN’s latest NFL power rankings for the impending season. That’s two spots lower than when the team was ranked 18th last week following a dominant performance against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, which included a four-touchdown afternoon from Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud.
They have the No. 1 scoring defense — allowing 12.2 points per game — and it’s not as if they’ve played offensive bottom-feeders. Houston earned that ranking after playing the Buccaneers (sixth in points per game), Rams (16th) and Jaguars (17th). Those teams are a combined 13-5 on the season, so the Texans have faced respectable competition en route to their No. 1 status. They are also third best in the league in pass rush win rate (47.1%), behind the Steelers and Browns. — DJ Bien-Aime
The Texans are coming off a bye week and currently cannot reach an even 3-3 record until Week 7 with a victory over the Seattle Seahawks. This could have also allowed other teams like the Indianapolis Colts and Jacksonville Jaguars to gain ground and create more separation in the AFC South.
One team did. The Colts moved to 5-1 in the regular season with a comeback win over the Arizona Cardinals at Lucas Oil Stadium behind the legs of Jonathan Taylor. Jacksonville moved to 4-2 after falling short of a comeback against Sam Darnold and the Seahawks.
ESPN is sold on the Colts being a legit threat this season in the AFC, moving them up one spot from No. 5 to No. 4, which is the second-best ranking among AFC rosters behind only the Buffalo Bills.
The Colts have a long way to go after playing a relatively soft schedule, but it’s impossible to ignore what Jones has done since being handed the starting job in his first season in Indianapolis. Jones, who beat out incumbent starter Anthony Richardson Sr. in a preseason battle, leads the NFL in QBR (79.9) and is third in completion percentage (71.7%). Jones has also shown his versatility and toughness, as only the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts (five) has more than Jones’ four rushing touchdowns. — Stephen Holder
The Jaguars might have fought their way back to make things interesting on Sunday in Duval, but it wasn’t enough to warrant a move up. ESPN had them listed at No. 1 , stating a limited pass rush has hindered their overall success in the conference.
The Jaguars are 13th in the NFL in quarterback pressures (73) but have managed just eight sacks — the third-lowest total in the league. Josh Hines-Allen has managed just half a sack; Travon Walker has two; and Dawuane Smoot has one. That’s the production of the team’s top three edge rushers six games into the season, which equals defensive tackle Arik Armstead’s season total on his own. — Mike DiRocco
The Titans, which fired head coach Brian Callahan after a 1-5 start to the season, appeared at No. 31, only surpassing the winless New York Jets. That’s not considered a compliment since ESPN’s Turron Davenport wrote that even with a poised free agency, they are worse than the previous season.
It’s hard to imagine the Titans being worse than last season after selecting QB Cam Ward with the No. 1 pick. But here we are. The Titans’ offense has scored only 83 points, which is the least by a Titans/Oilers team through six games since 1985, per ESPN Research. The Titans’ loss to the Raiders was their fourth by 10-plus points this season, the most in the NFL. No one expected Tennessee to compete for a division title. But there were supposed to be signs of growth in Year 2 under Brian Callahan, who was fired Monday. Ward is the fourth consecutive quarterback drafted No. 1 to see his coach dismissed during his rookie season.
Elsewhere, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are ranked No. 1 following another comeback win over the 49ers. The Seahawks, Houston’s next opponent, climb up to No. 4 after securing a stellar win over the Jaguars at EverBank Stadium, thanks to Darnold’s heroics.
To view the complete NFL power rankings going into Week 7, visit ESPN.com
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: NFL power rankings: ESPN still uncertain of the Texans after Week 6
