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The Texans got their second win of the season this past weekend against a reeling and possibly broken Jaguars squad. Brian Hoyer was efficient, DeAndre Hopkins was dominant, and the defense finally started generating turnovers in what was easily the most complete performance of the season by this roster. As a result, Houston saw a massive jump across all media power rankings today, with one outlet moving them up by as many as 11 spots. Let’s take a look at all of that sweet, sweet optimism, shall we?
|
Website |
Rank |
Last Week |
Comments |
| SB Nation |
27
|
30 (up 3)
|
n/a
|
| ESPN |
26
|
30 (up 4)
|
The Texans are 2-0 against teams from Florida and they've got the Dolphins this week in Miami. Houston is 0-4 against the rest of the country, however.
|
| NFL.com |
25
|
31 (up 6)
|
DeAndre Hopkins is a better overall wide receiver than Odell Beckham, Jr. right now. That's right. Said it on "NFL HQ" -- only to draw a bunch of weird looks from my cohorts -- and I'm saying it again here. What can't Hopkins do? The third-year pro can run 9 routes, handle the possession stuff and routinely highpoint the ball in the red zone. In six games, Hopkins has put up 726 yards and five touchdowns. That translates to a 1,936-yard season with 13 touchdowns. Read that yardage total again.
|
| Bleacher Report |
30
|
32 (up 2)
|
It's a damn shame DeAndre Hopkins' talents will be wasted this season on a team that might get to .500 if we're being optimistic. He's now recorded an unfathomable 474 receiving yards over his last three games.
He tasted sweet victory this week instead of having his booming production lost in another defeat, so that's something.
|
| Fox Sports |
25
|
31 (up 6)
|
Even in their best game of the season, the Texans allowed way too many passing yards and first downs. Although Brian Hoyer is certainly the best option for moving the offense, he can’t carry a defense that looks incapable of stopping the pass. |
| USA Today |
23
|
28 (up 5)
|
Don't look now, but WR DeAndre Hopkins is just 4 yards per game away from being on pace for a 2,000-yard season.
|
| Yahoo Sports |
22
|
28 (up 6)
|
DeAndre Hopkins might end up being the top choice at receiver in the year-end All-Pro selections. Imagine if he had a better quarterback.
|
| CBS Sports (Prisco) |
20
|
31 (up 11)
|
In a bad division, they are still alive. The defense still has major issues. Even in beating Jacksonville that showed up.
|
| Washington Post |
22
|
29 (up 7)
|
So now the QB situation is supposed to be considered settled just because Coach Bill O’Brien has said the job will remain Brian Hoyer’s? Really? Did all those other QB decisions come with expiration dates?
|
|
Average
|
24.4 |
27.9 (up 3.5)
|
N/A
|
As mentioned last week, the Texans are now just a game and a half back in the AFC South after Indianapolis’ embarrassing loss on Sunday night. Houston gets to face a seemingly revitalized Miami Dolphins team under new head coach Dan Campbell, while the Colts host a New Orleans Saints club that has yet to decide if it wants to be a wild card contender or not. If the Texans can pull off a road win against the suddenly hungry Dolphins, they may have a shot to get back in this thing.
That is, of course, one hell of a big "if" though.
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