Where do the Houston Texans land after the Pumpkin Spice Bowl?
Welcome to Week 3 of the Power Rankings!
Last week, the Houston Texans kicked off their season with an high-scoring victory against the division rival Indianapolis Colts. Houston got pro-bowl caliber production from Joe Mixon, Nico Collins, and C.J. Stroud in this game as the Texans offense showed that their firepower has only gone up since their last meeting with Indy in the 2023 regular season finale.
This week, Houston surprised many when they followed up last week’s offensive masterpiece with a defensive struggle against the Chicago Bears. Led by defensive coordinator Eric Washington, this Bears defensive line gave a Juice Scruggs-less Texans offensive line trouble all night long. Houston only scored three points in the second half! Three points!!!
By new-look Houston Texans standards, that’s absolutely unacceptable. That’s Davis Mills numbers, not C.J. Stroud numbers! Defensive end DeMarcus Walker, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, and safety Jaquan Brisker had a field day at NRG Stadium on Sunday, making Joe Mixon look like yesterday’s news.
Fortunately for Houston, their own defense was feeling the same kind of way. For as much pressure Stroud was under on his side, Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was under far more from Houston’s defensive line. Defensive end Danielle Hunter looked like a premium pass rusher and was the leader of a seven-sack effort by the Texans defense. Yes, seven! Somehow, some way, this team got seven sacks in the game. Both cornerbacks grabbed their first interceptions of the season, too! Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter played like lockdown corners against Caleb Williams, looking more like their training camp selves than in week one. Chicago might not be the league’s most lethal offense, but holding any team to 13 points is worth celebrating.
This is INCREDIBLE: CJ Stroud approached Jaylon Johnson during Sunday night’s game and told him that he heard him discussing his cornerback secrets on Richard Sherman’s podcast.
“You ain’t getting me! You ain’t getting me!”
Johnson was stunned pic.twitter.com/P6jwhQFAbv
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 19, 2024
Surely this effort by Houston is worth some boost in the power rankings, right? Right????? Here’s where the Houston Texans are ranked entering Week 3 of the 2024 NFL Season:
NFL.COM:
3. Houston Texans (2-0) (Last Week: 6)
The Texans blitzed Caleb Williams and won the game with a slew of disruptive defensive plays. They saw the rookie quarterback getting comfy early and decided to upend that right away. It was good coaching and execution. However, the sloppy Texans also committed 12 penalties, settled for four long field goals and lost a fumble inside the Bears’ 5-yard line with a chance to put the game away. On the one hand, it was nice to see Houston’s defense take over a game, but on the other, it was disappointing that the Texans allowed the Bears to stay in a game they had little business being in after a certain point. The C.J. Stroud show keeps rolling, and Nico Collins is a legit star, but the Texans have more to clean up before they’re in that truly elite tier.
– Eric Edholm
ESPN:
4. Houston Texans (2-0)
Week 2 ranking: 6
Most important backup/role player: RB Dameon Pierce
With running back Joe Mixon’s availability unknown because of an ankle injury, Pierce might be asked to step up and carry the rushing load. The Texans’ passing attack is averaging 219 yards through two weeks, and the offense is at its best when it can run the ball. Houston scored 29 points with Mixon’s 159 rushing yards in Week 1, but it was limited to 19 points in Week 2 as he posted just 25 rushing yards. Pierce had 416 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 14 games as the backup last season.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED:
4. Houston Texans (2–0)
Last week’s ranking: No. 10
Last week’s result: beat Chicago, 19–13
This week: at Minnesota
Twelve pressures and five sacks is impressive. Seeing DeMeco Ryans strategically change his stripes and blitz Caleb Williams on nearly half of his dropbacks was also impressive. The Texans coach showed he has plenty of clubs in the bag we haven’t seen yet. This is critical to the kind of evolution Houston needed to take place in 2024 to go from good to great.
THE ATHLETIC:
4. Houston Texans (2-0)
Last week: 4
Sunday: Beat Chicago Bears 19-13
The Texans have played the Colts and Bears, so maybe their defensive stats shouldn’t be lauded yet, but if Houston does have a forceful defense to go along with C.J. Stroud, the hype might be real. Four Texans had multiple quarterback hits Sunday, and Houston leads the league in sack rate (13.8 percent), according to TruMedia. It is ninth in defensive success rate (63.3 percent).
Up next: at Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
BLEACHER REPORT:
2. Houston Texans (2-0)
Last Week: 4
Week 2 Result: Won vs. Chicago 19-13
Good teams figure out a way to win ugly—to log a victory even when they aren’t playing their best. And as Mike Bullock wrote for SB Nation, the Houston Texans most assuredly did not play their best Sunday night against the Chicago Bears.
“Collectively, the Texans committed 12 penalties. 13 if you count Azeez Al-Shaair’s punch thrown on the sidelines after a borderline legal hit on Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. Al-Shaair should have been ejected in that moment – but wasn’t. He should expect an unhappy delivery from Fed Ex detailing how much he will owe the League when this week’s fines are doled out. Laremy Tunsil was called for multiple false starts and committed a few that weren’t called. C.J. Stroud had 3 passes that should have ended his throws-without-an-interception streak, but thankfully Bears defenders failed to bring them in. Joe Mixon, who was the NFL’s leading running back entering the weekend, only mustered 25 ground yards before leaving the game with an ankle injury.”
Mixon’s injury could be a real issue for Houston. But thanks to a big game from ascending wideout Nico Collins and a smothering performance from the Texans pass rush, the team is 2-0—and that’s all that matters.
This week’s trip to face the surprising Vikings will be Houston’s biggest test of the season to date, and an October 6 home date with the Buffalo Bills should tell us exactly where the Texans fit in among the AFC’s elite.
But early on at least, it looks like they belong.
– Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton, Kristopher Knox, Brent Sobleski
CBS SPORTS:
3. Houston Texans (2-0) (Last Week: 5)
Even on a night when the offense wasn’t clicking, the defense came up big against the Bears. That pressure up front was the difference in the game.
YAHOO! SPORTS:
3. Houston Texans (2-0) (Last Week: 8)
Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter combined for 17 quarterback pressures on Sunday night, via Gregg Rosenthal of NFL Media. Houston’s offense is going to be good. If its defense can consistently get pressure like it did against the Bears, the Texans are a Super Bowl contender.
– Frank Schwab
USA TODAY:
2. Houston Texans (6): They’ve got two middling wins against apparently middling competition (Colts, Bears). But the defense looks especially good, and no other team has a two-game lead over its entire division.
PRO FOOTBALL TALK:
5. Texans (No. 8; 2-0): Next, Stefon Diggs will return to the place where he helped make a miracle.
AVERAGE RANKING: 3.33 (Last Week: 6.33)
Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images
Wow! I mean, wow! The Houston Texans are now firmly in elite company among all power rankings on the web. I know Houston showed they could win ugly on Sunday, but I thought that dud on offense would keep them further down the rankings. Maybe it was because of the all-orange vs. all-white threads? The Pumpkins Spice Bowl? Anyone?
The pocket movement & ball placement from CJ Stroud is just off the charts
Again I truly don’t think there are 5 QBs who are better than Stroud. pic.twitter.com/bvXRSx6Q1a
— Jacob (@Stroud4MVP) September 17, 2024
Although, Houston is now one of the very few 2-0 left in the league, so maybe this positioning has been earned. Defenses do win championships, dontcha know….
Next week, Houston will have another chance to prove their might, taking on the 2-0 Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. The great team up north stunned the country when they beat the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, revealing a potential NFC Wild Card contender in our mix. Led by a veteranized Sam Darnold and a resurgent ground game, Minnesota’s offense is perfectly tuned to go with their Texanized defense. Led by 2023 Texans stars Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman, Minnesota’s defense will be giving Houston’s ground game trouble. What do you think, though? Will Houston’s performance match their high ranking in this week’s power rankings, or will they plummet in Week 3? Let us know down in the comments below! GO TEXANS!!!!