Beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium with a convincing 31-24 win, and that will elevate you to the top-5 of any NFL power rankings.
That is where the Houston Texans find themselves in the latest NFL.com power rankings as they land No. 6 overall. Dan Hanzus moved them up six places following their Week 6 victory.
Nice little Sunday for Deshaun Watson, who went on the road to Arrowhead and outplayed the reigning MVP in a huge AFC win. The 31-24 final doesn’t quite tell the story of the ease with which the Texans pushed around the Chiefs‘ struggling defense. Houston, which never punted, would have flirted with a 50-burger if not for some brutal drops (hi, Will Fuller) and multiple missed kicks (one field-goal try, one extra-point attempt) by Ka’imi Fairbairn, who could have a lot of free time on his hands in the very near future. Carlos Hyde (116 yards, one TD on the ground) and Duke Johnson (54 scrimmage yards, one touchdown catch on seven touches) have become a rock-solid 1-2 punch in the backfield, while Houston’s offensive line put its early-season struggles deeper in the rearview after another excellent performance. The Texans are the clear class of the AFC South and should have the inside track alongside the Patriots for a first-round bye. Looks like Bill O’Brien knew what he was doing after all.
It still remains to be seen whether or not O’Brien knows what he is doing, given the fact it is only October and playoff spots aren’t locked up that early. Nonetheless, the Texans are in a great place as they past the halfway mark of the second quarter of the season.
Now, the Texans have to keep up the momentum as they travel to Lucas Oil Stadium to face the Indianapolis Colts for a Week 7 early game encounter that will help both sides determine who truly has the upper hand in the AFC South.
