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Tyrod Taylor’s elusiveness and Brian Hoyer’s complete lack of the clutch gene caused the Texans to take a wee bit of a tumble in the power rankings this week. Houston suffered their first loss since before Halloween at the hands of Taylor’s Bills last weekend, and this coming Sunday gets no easier with Tom Brady and the Patriots coming to town. With that, let’s see where the Texans stand in the national media’s rankings as they prepare to face possibly their toughest challenge of the season.
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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 |
13
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12 (down 1)
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n/a
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| ESPN |
13
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11 (down 2)
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The Texans allowed nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter in Sunday's loss. They had allowed seven fourth-quarter points total during their four-game winning streak.
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| NFL.com |
12
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11 (down 1)
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Houston had a real chance to put a vise grip on the AFC South and stay more than relevant in the AFC wild-card race. Instead, the strength of the Texans failed them in Buffalo. Poor tackling and poor coverage on Sammy Watkins -- with a strong dose of Tyrod Taylor getting out of the pocket -- led to Houston's defeat Sunday. At least the Texans made up for it with 10 penalties. All eyes in the AFC South are on Week 15's Texans-at-Colts matchup.
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| Bleacher Report |
16
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16 (n/a)
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The Houston Texans had won four straight games prior to Week 13, and they did it by wielding a powerful defensive hammer. Over that stretch they vaulted into playoff contention by allowing only 35 points.
So why did such a dominant unit then give up 30 points during a loss Sunday to the Buffalo Bills? Well, mostly because stopping the run suddenly became an impossible dream.
The Texans run defense was solid—though less than spectacular—before Week 13, allowing an average of 107.5 yards per game. They tumbled well below that adequate mark against the Bills and were torched for 187 rushing yards.
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| Fox Sports |
14
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9 (down 5)
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After looking dominant for a stretch, Houston’s defense was unable to generate pressure without sending extra rushers in Week 13, and the secondary allowed some big plays. |
| USA Today |
12
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11 (down 1)
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They got torched for four touchdowns Sunday after allowing two in the previous 18 quarters. Buffalo also erased J.J. Watt.
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| Yahoo Sports |
14
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12 (down 2)
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Sunday night's game at home against New England is interesting. The Texans defense was on a roll before letting down a bit at Buffalo on Sunday. They could give the Patriots some problems if Rob Gronkowski is still out — especially with J.J. Watt against that beat-up Patriots offensive line.
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| CBS Sports (Prisco) |
14
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12 (down 2)
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They have a huge one this week with the Patriots. Just don't get the letterman jackets out again.
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| Washington Post |
14
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10 (down 4)
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The Texans took a step backward against the Bills and must face the Patriots at a time when New England really needs a win.
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Average
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13.6
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11.6 (down 2)
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N/A
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Hell, it’s December and the Texans are still averaging a ranking within the top 15. I’ll take that as a win for now.
Patriots vs Texans coverage