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The Texans endured yet another heartbreaking loss to the Panthers last weekend, and as a result they have tumbled down the power rankings even further than they already had before. Here is a roundup of where Houston stands within the league for every major media outlet.
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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 |
24
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23 (down 1)
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n/a
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| ESPN |
25
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26 (up 1)
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Arian Foster can't get back soon enough for the 0-2 Texans. Houston already has attempted an NFL-high 105 passes this season, with an NFL-worst 50.5 completion percentage.
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| NFL.com |
29
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25 (down 4)
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Pulling the plug on Brian Hoyer after one week allowed the Texans to score three fewer points and compile 96 fewer yards of offense. Oh, and Bill O'Brien's squad also committed 10 penalties while converting a paltry five of their 19 third-down attempts.
Ryan Mallett was OK - at best - but he kept winging it until the end and darn-near tied it up with an across-body throw to DeAndre Hopkins in the waning moments. Still, Houston must get more from its running game -- 23 carries for 61 yards ain't gonna cut it. Hurry back, Arian.
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| Bleacher Report |
32
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32 (none)
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Ryan Mallett just might be the Houston Texans' best quarterback. Acknowledging that depressing fact is the first step, and then attempting to build a successful offense around him is the next—a far more daunting challenge.
Accuracy has never really been Mallett's thing, as he's completed only 51.3 percent of his career pass attempts. Eventually the inevitable happened, and Mallett threw a fourth-quarter interception. It led to a touchdown which stood as the game-winner, reminding us yet again that the Texans will continue to be undone by their complete lack of remotely acceptable quarterback play.
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| Fox Sports |
28
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25 (down 3)
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Something is wrong with Houston’s star-studded defense, and they will have to get things turned around fast. The emergence of Jadeveon Clowney should help. Arian Foster’s eventual return will take the necessary pressure off whoever ends up starting at quarterback going forward. |
| USA Today |
29
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24 (down 5)
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Is it really fair to evaluate either Ryan Mallett or Brian Hoyer without RB Arian Foster and LT Duane Brown?
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| Yahoo Sports |
24
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23 (down 1)
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Blake Bortles, Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater and Derek Carr all played well in wins on Sunday. Just saying.
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| CBS Sports (Prisco) |
31
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27 (down 4)
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They are 0-2, and don't look anything like a potential playoff team. Ryan Mallett needs to stay in as the quarterback.
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| Washington Post |
30
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25 (down 5)
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QB Ryan Mallett went 11 for 29 in the first half of his first start of the season Sunday. It’s a close race as to which number was more alarming: Why was Mallett being allowed to throw so often when he was so inaccurate?
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Average
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28.0
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25.6 (down 2.4)
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n/a
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A 28th overall placement average…yikes. ESPN is the only ranking that had the Texans actually moving up (for some strange reason), while every other list does not have the Texans above the 24th spot. The saving grace in all of this, of course, is that there are several other good and/or great teams that are also 0-2, including the Seahawks, Ravens, and Colts. Perhaps – and I might be way off base here – but maybe two games is still too small of a sample size to accurately determine which teams are better than others. After all, the Texans are still without two of their three most important players on offense in Arian Foster and Duane Brown. When Houston finally gets back to full strength, this may be a very, very different team.
Buccaneers vs Texans coverage