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Despite annihilating the Tennessee Titans on the road with the likes of Brandon Weeden under center, the nation’s sports media pundits have decided to keep the Houston Texans in almost exactly the same spot in their power rankings as they were last Tuesday. Take a look at where Bill O’Brien and crew stand as of the start of Week 17.
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Website
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Rank
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Last Week
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Comments
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SB Nation
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13
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13 (no change)
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n/a
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ESPN
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14
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13 (down 1)
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Despite starting four different quarterbacks this season, the Texans have thrown for 28 touchdowns and only 11 interceptions. One more touchdown ties the franchise high for a season.
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NFL.com
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15
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16 (up 1)
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Raise your hand if you thought Brandon Weeden would win these last two road games for the Texans ... Anyone? Anyone? Oh, go ahead Mrs. Weeden, what data were you going on?
Big ups to Brandon, who surprised a few folks in leading Houston to the much-needed Week 15 victory in Indy. Some of us did see the win in Nashville coming, but not necessarily Weeden spinning the ball as well as he did. Sure, Jerry Jones let us know he, uh, could throw that footbawl, but in Nashville, Weeden posted only the third 100-plus passer rating start of his career. He threw for just 200 yards, but that's because the Texans were up five scores in the third quarter. Raise your hand if you thought Houston would be up five scores on anyone after being down five scores in Miami in October ...
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Bleacher Report
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12
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13 (up 1)
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The Houston Texans can now take the AFC South with a win in Week 17. Much like the NFC East, claiming victory in that division is still sort of like winning a race through toxic sludge. No one really wins.
But regardless, the Texans are one win away from being a playoff team led at quarterback by either Brian Hoyer or Brandon Weeden. Yet they will still be somewhat terrifying as an opponent merely due to DeAndre Hopkins' presence.
The wide receiver who's a consistent deep threat has recorded six 100-plus-yard games with 104 catches overall, even while getting those passes from the league's worst stable of quarterbacks.
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Fox Sports
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13
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13 (no change)
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Brian Hoyer continues to move along in the concussion protocol process, but journeyman Brandon Weeden is playing the best football of his career in his place. Head coach Bill O’Brien adds Weeden to his "impressive" resume of quarterback reclamation projects. |
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USA Today
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18
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18 (no change)
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Bill O'Brien is poised to go back to QB Brian Hoyer if he's healthy. But Brandon Weeden has made that a surprisingly tough call.
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Yahoo Sports
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13
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13 (no change)
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It's not totally crazy to think of DeAndre Hopkins as a dark horse MVP candidate. We all know the Texans' quarterback issues this season. Yet, Hopkins has caught at least one touchdown in six of Houston's eight wins, and had at least 94 yards in six of the Texans' eight wins. The Texans finished Sunday on the verge of an AFC South title. There are a few reasons for that, and Hopkins is one of the main ones.
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CBS Sports (Prisco)
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13
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13 (no change)
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Bill O'Brien deserves a ton of credit for turning the season around. The defense has really come on strong.
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Washington Post
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13
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13 (no change)
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Brian Hoyer appears close to returning to the lineup at QB. The job clearly should be his when he’s ready. But some of the credit for the Texans’ success goes to Brandon Weeden, who played well with Hoyer sidelined. The Cowboys can only wonder why Weeden didn’t fare nearly as well for them this season when he took over for Tony Romo.
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Average
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13.8
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13.9 (up 0.1)
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N/A
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With one game to go against an explosive Jaguars offense, it is not a foregone conclusion that this Texans team can finish with a 9-7 record for the second year in a row. If they do happen to pull off a win in their final regular season game at home, however, that would make them 7-2 in their last nine games heading into a playoff clash with whoever happens to secure the 5th seed in the AFC. Is a home rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs on the horizon? We’ll find out in just five short days.
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