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Many fans have become convinced that the Texans at home and the Texans on the road are two completely different football teams. It’s almost as if the whole ball club becomes less-talented doppelgangers the moment they leave the confines of NRG Stadium. There is no other explanation.
After a win last Sunday over a very solid Lions team, Houston has rocketed up most power rankings to sit firmly in the top half of the league. Who knows just how far this team can go as long as Brock Osweiler is playing at his current standard? For now, the Texans are sitting pretty in playoff positioning with a perfect home record. That's something to be excited about, I suppose.
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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 |
20
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21
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N/A.
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| ESPN |
17
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17
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If the Texans played every game at home, they'd be one of the best teams in the NFL. In Houston this season, they are 5-0 and averaging 23 points per game. Away from Houston? They're 0-3 and have scored 22 points ... total.
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| NFL.com |
14
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18
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Even without pro football's premier defensive player -- and with the most maligned quarterback in football (when Jay Cutler isn't playing) -- the Texans are inconveniencing the haters with a 5-3 record. With that, much love and respect to Andre Johnson -- to this point, the greatest Houston Texan of them all -- who was a force for a long time in the NFL. During the lockout in 2011, I wrote a series called "Player 2K" where I debated the top players at each position since Y2K with a guest analyst. Johnson was my wideout. Let me tell you: The man seriously deserves consideration for the Hall of Fame, WR logjam be damned.
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| Bleacher Report |
12
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19
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Houston was poised to open up a three-score lead versus Detroit on Sunday. You can guess what happened next. Brock Osweiler threw an ugly end-of-half interception. A few plays later, the Lions kicked a field goal. Set your watch by Osweiler mistakes, because they happen weekly. His recent mess-ups didn’t matter, though. Houston’s defense put on a clinic in defending while ahead: two safeties deep, no big plays over the top. Then, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel unleashed Jadeveon Clowney to destroy all of Detroit’s blocking schemes. And anything would represent an upgrade over Mr. I-Can't-Hold-The-Football.
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| Fox Sports |
13
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18
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Brock Osweiler was described as "basically a rookie" by the Texans owner, which is alarming considering they gave him $72 million ($36 million guaranteed). He has looked uncomfortable and unaggressive on offense, but he’s been carried by great defensive play and support around him. Despite their 5-3 record, Osweiler has many questions to answer in the coming weeks. |
| USA Today |
11
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18
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If they reach Super Bowl, bet on 'em -- they're unbeatable at NRG Stadium after all. (Sadly, four of next five on road, where they're winless.)
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| Yahoo Sports |
16
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19
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It’s a really weird 5-3 team because so little of the news around the Texans seems positive. And I don’t think anyone is really buying them as a good team even though they’re one of only eight NFL teams with at least five wins and a couple (Chiefs, Lions) are solid wins.
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| CBS Sports (Prisco) |
12
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22
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They head to their bye in first place in the division at 5-3, but do we really know how good they are right now? They are undefeated at home.
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AVERAGE
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14.4
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19.0
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N/A |