Taking an L to the Atlanta Falcons 21-19 was not a good look for the Houston Texans, who were riding a two-game winning streak. The Texans were in a position to keep the streak alive thanks to C.J. Stroud’s possible game-winning drive, but the Falcons used the final 1:54 to mount Younghoe Koo’s 38-yard walk-off field goal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Oct. 8.
Even though the Texans are 2-3, they are still garnering respect from around the league.
According to Jarrett Bailey from the Touchdown Wire, the Texans only faltered from No. 14 in last week’s power rankings to No. 16 in this week’s poll.
C.J. Stroud continues to show he is the real deal, but the defense let Desmond Ridder, of all people, march down the field in the final minutes to win the game.
If the Texans are able to get the run game going or even protect leads in clutch moments on defense, it should set the narrative that the rebuild is complete. The new determining factor is discovering Houston’s competitive threshold — in other words, which teams can they hang with? Assuredly one of them is the defending division champion Jacksonville Jaguars.
Across the rest of the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans were No. 27. The Indianapolis Colts slipped ahead of the Texans to No. 15. The Jaguars maintained position within the top-10 with a No. 7 placement.