The Houston Texans had the largest leap of any team in the weekly USA TODAY NFL power rankings.
The Texans, who bested the Kansas City Chiefs 31-24 Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, catapulted all the way to No. 5 overall in the latest rankings. Only the New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and San Francisco 49ers are ahead of them.
They’ve won four of five and are suddenly keeping Deshaun Watson clean and upright. Might they be New England’s primary challenger in AFC?
The Texans won’t have a shot to challenge the Patriots until Week 13 when they host New England on a Sunday nighter from NRG Stadium. Until then, the Texans will just have to keep stacking wins and claim more positioning in the power polls.
The Indianapolis Colts are No. 15, but they had a bye week. The Jacksonville Jaguars are No. 21, and the Tennessee Titans are No. 28. If nothing else, these rankings reflect the disparity between the Texans and Colts and the rest of the division, making the AFC South a two-team race with the divisional superpowers kicking off their series Sunday at noon CT from Lucas Oil Stadium.
