BRB Power Rankings: Where Do Texans Rank After Tie vs. Colts?

What a wild first week! For a moment on Sunday, it appeared that there might have been not one, but two ties on opening day! We’re lucky (if you can call it that) to see one tie over the course of the entire NFL season, let alone two at the same time, nearly finishing at the same exact score (Colts vs. Texans; 20-20, Steelers vs. Bengals; 23-20).

Here is BRB’s personal power rankings entering Week 2 of the NFL season:

1. Buffalo Bills (1-0)
2. Kansas City Chiefs (1-0)
3. Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
5. Minnesota Vikings (1-0)
6. Los Angeles Rams (0-1)
7. Baltimore Ravens (1-0)
8. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (0-1)
10. Green Bay Packers (0-1)
11. Miami Dolphins (1-0)
12. New Orleans Saints (1-0)
13. San Francisco 49ers (0-1)
14. Las Vegas Raiders (0-1)
15. Tennessee Titans (0-1)
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)
17. Indianapolis Colts (0-0-1)
18. Seattle Seahawks (1-0)
19. Denver Broncos (0-1)
20. Cleveland Browns (1-0)
21. Chicago Bears (1-0)
22. New York Giants (1-0)
23. Arizona Cardinals (0-1)
24. New England Patriots (0-1)
25. Washington Commanders (1-0)
26. Detroit Lions (0-1)
27. Houston Texans (0-0-1)
28. Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
29. Carolina Panthers (0-1)
30. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
31. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)
32. New York Jets (0-1)

I would like to have put the Texans higher than #27 on the list, but their putrid showing in the 4th quarter and OT really made it difficult to convince myself they were better than the Lions, Patriots, and Cardinals. But, a good performance from Davis Mills and continued good defensive play against an clearly discombobulated Broncos team this weekend could send them flying into the teens in no time.

Elsewhere in the league, the Dolphins and the Vikings got statement wins against divisional opponents that have routinely made the playoffs over the last decade. Is this year just another fluke, or will Miami and Minneapolis finally get the taste of a home playoff game this winter? On paper, it sounds silly picking Tua Tagovailoa over Kirk Cousins to lead his team to the playoffs, but I have more confidence in Miami’s coaching staff and, more importantly, their defense to make a 10-12 win season very possible. But, as of right now, the Vikings get to enjoy their day in the spotlight after pinning down the Packers.

The Giants rode Saquon Barkley to a surprise win over the Titans, Jalen Hurts and the Eagles still look like a dominant offense that just needs their defense to get on the same page in order to be a Super Bowl contender, and Carson Wentz seemed to look like his old 2017 self again after beating the Jaguars. I know it’s the Jaguars, but they did beat Wentz in their last game before Sunday, and have plenty to look forward to on the defensive line.

At the beginning of Power Rankings season, it’s always exciting to see the overall placement of your favorite team and wonder. “what will our journey up and down the rankings look like this year?” Will the Texans go undefeated the next month and blast into the top ten? will they start start slow and then rally in the second half of the season, like the Eagles and Colts last year? Or will we just hang around in the basement for the entire season? Well, this team certainly looks a lot better than last year so far, so cracking into the top 20 should be a reasonable expectation. And once you’re in the top 20 and only a few spots away from a playoff spot, things can get really interesting.