Toro Times Week 5 Power Rankings: Houston Texans Slide
By Joe Owens
Week five is over after Monday night’s Lions shellacking of the Chicago Bears remaining one of two unbeaten teams in the NFL.
Al Davis Oakland Raiders owner passed away and the Raiders responded with an emotional victory over the Texans at Reliant Stadium. The Texans lost Mario Williams for the year during the game with the grieving Raiders. Roman Harper of the New Orleans Saints gave a cheap shot toCarolina’s Steve Smith in the end zone which should draw a fine from the league. Andre Johnson’s hamstring outlook doesn’t seem as bleak as once diagnosed. Many teams got a bye week in order to help their walking wounded recover.
Can the Houston Texans regroup in time to face a solidBaltimoreteam? Will the last minute acquisition of Derrick Mason help against the Baltimore Ravens? Is Andre Johnson’s return to the field going to be later than last diagnosed?
32. Indianapolis Colts- The “Suck for Luck” campaign is one week closer inIndianapolis. The Colts and QB Curtis Painter did give the Kansas City Chiefs a good game but fell short in the end.
31. Minnesota Vikings- The Vikings, behind Adrian Peterson and his three rushing touchdowns were able to handle the Arizona Cardinals in a decisive manner.
30. Denver Broncos- At 1-4 looks like the fans and Tim Tebow will get their way in Mile High.
29.Kansas CityChiefs- Barely scrapped by the Indianapolis Colts but Matt Cassell did throw four TD’s this last week. One was a spectacular catch that required great concentration by Dwayne Bowe.
28. St. Louis Rams- One of six teams that were on bye weeks but it won’t help.
27. Jacksonville Jaguars- Lost to the Bengals at home after a hard fought game. Blaine Gabbert seems to be settling in at the quarterback position.
26. Miami Dolphins- Another of six teams on a bye week but with Matt Moore leading the charge the assault will be quickly thwarted.
25. Cincinnati Bengals- Cedric Benson could still hasn’t heard a ruling on his appeal and managed Bengals managed to handle the Jaguars inJacksonville.
24. Carolina Panthers- Think the New Orleans Saints will despise having to face Cam Newton twice a season for the next decade?
23. Tennessee Titans- The Pittsburgh Steelers decided to take their frustrations from the Texans loss out on the Titans.Tennesseenever had a chance.
22. Seattle Seahawks- Looked solid in many key positions against a surprised a New York Giants team. Charlie Whitehurst could get the start this week.
21. Arizona Cardinals- Arizona got run over by AP and the Minnesota Vikings.
20. Cleveland Browns- After the Browns bye week Greg Little moves into the starting line-up in the place of a struggling Brian Robiskie.
19. New York Giants- Lost to the Seattle Seahawks but looks to have a solid wide receiving core with the emergence of Victor Cruz.
18.ChicagoBears-The latest victims of the buzz-saw known as the Detroit Lions.
17. Atlanta Falcons- Most thought the Falcons would be better than this at this point of the season but at 2-3 there is still time to recover.
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Absolutely got smashed by theSan Francisco49ers.
15. New York Jets- Sitting at 2-3 and losing this last Sunday to the New England Patriots could have the Jets officially on their way to being a joke.
14. Philadelphia Eagles- A nightmare for the “Dream Team” sitting at the bottom of the NFC East with a 1-4 record.
13. Washington Redskins- After the Washington bye week will it be Ryan Torain or Tim Hightower who gets the majority of the work rushing the rock?
12. San Francisco49ers- Sitting on top of the NFC West division at 4-1 where not many expected them to be.
11. Dallas Cowboys- Miles Austin is back after the bye week and the Cowboys have had time to heal but straight out of the bye week the Cowboys draw the New England Patriots.
10. Pittsburgh Steelers- Age could be catching up with the Steelers but still managed to kick off into the Tennessee Titans.
9. Houston Texans- First Andre Johnson injures a hamstring and nowHoustonloses Mario Williams for the season. It’s time for Brooks Reed and Bryan Braman to step-up.
8. Oakland Raiders- The Oakland Raiders beat the Houston Texans on 51 yards rushing by DMC and 15 pass completions by Jason Campbell. Al Davis was the 11th man on the field during the last play of the game for the Raiders.
7.San DiegoChargers- Still no Antonio Gates but managed to hold off an energy surge by Tim Tebow in Mile High this past Sunday.
6. Buffalo Bills- No longer a surprise team to anyone outside of B-Lo.
5.DetroitLions- 5-0 and have won nine straight for the league’s longest active winning streak dating back to last year.
4. New England Patriots- Handled the New York Jets decidedly so.
3. New Orleans Saints- Narrowly averted an upset to the Carolina Panthers and rookie Cam Newton.
2. Baltimore Ravens- Most likely to represent the AFC in the Super Bowl.
1. Green Bay Packers-Scored 25 straight points to come from behind and beat the Atlanta Falcons.
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