Longtime NFL reporter Peter King of NBC Sports ranked the Houston Texans in the Top 20 teams of the NFL in his recent power rankings.
The Houston Texans might have fallen to .500 on Sunday following their 16-10 loss to the Carolina Panthers, but they have also dropped in the Football Morning in America NFL Power Rankings by Peter King.
King is a veteran NFL reporter, and in his weekly Monday Football Morning in America column, he released his power rankings for the first four weeks of the NFL season. In May, King had the Texans ranked 15th in the NFL, but on Monday they fell three spots to 18th in the league.
Next is some of what King wrote about the Texans in his power rankings list:
"“I keep thinking they’re better than they play, but that’s the biggest lie in sports. The old philosopher Bill Parcells used to say six times a week: “You are what your record says you are.” They’re better on the offensive line this year, but not fixed. They struggle to be consistent on offense every year.”"
It is tough not to agree with King because as talented as the Texans offense is with the likes of Deshaun Watson at quarterback, plus having wide receivers like DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller, Kenny Stills and Keke Coutee, it is tough to watch the offense struggle.
A lot of the Texans issues this season, in wins and in losses, have been because of inconsistent offensive play. Take, for instance, on Sunday, the Houston defense forced three fumbles and gave the Texans some solid field position on offense. Only once did the Texans score a touchdown against Carolina, and that came when given the excellent field position.
Sure, the offensive line isn’t great, and yes, Watson does hold on to the football a little long at times, but the defenses are not allowing the Texans wide receivers to have their way with them either.
As for the rest of the AFC South — all of which are also 2-2 on the season — King ranked the Indianapolis Colts just ahead of Houston at 17th overall, followed by the Jacksonville Jaguars at 20th, and the Tennessee Titans at 21st overall.
In the Colts power ranking, King said this of the AFC South:
"“Guess what? I have absolutely no idea what team’s the best in the AFC South. Seriously: One could be four, four could be one, and I really couldn’t argue with you.”"
After the first four weeks, King is correct in his assessment of the AFC South and of the Texans. It is too early to tell which team is the best in the division, and none of the teams have stepped up and proven they should be called the top team in the AFC South, either.
None of the four teams in the division are consistent enough in their overall play week-in and week-out to stand alone in the division, but eventually one of the four teams will. If that is the Texans, much is going to have to improve on offense in the coming weeks.