The Houston Texans are coming off of a 13-12 nailbiter win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Does their now 1-1 record level them up in ESPN’s latest NFL power rankings?
No. It doesn’t push them down either, as ESPN stuck them right where they were after their 30-28 loss the New Orleans Saints: No. 12.
In addition to the No. 12 ranking, ESPN’s Sarah Bastrop lists Houston’s pleasant surprise over the first two weeks of the season. The winner? Outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus.
“The Texans were hoping that Mercilus would look like the pass-rusher who had 12 sacks in 2015, but they couldn’t have predicted this stat line through two games: three sacks, three quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, a tackle for a loss and an interception. Mercilus has three of the Texans’ five sacks this season after defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel decided to use him to set the edge in the running game and rush the passer instead of having him drop back into coverage like last season. Mercilus is in a contract year, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see this production continue.”
Houston’s ranking is at the top of their division, the AFC South. The Indianapolis Colts sit No. 17 after beating the No. 18 ranked Tennessee Titans. Meanwhile, the Jaguars drop two spots to No. 26.
