The Houston Texans are in the top 5 once again

The Houston Texans' turnaround is real. That's the feeling that every fan is getting with countless preseason declarations that seem to support the team being on the rise. The Houston Texans are a squad on the rise, with young stars, stellar veterans, coaching staff in high demand, and a front office that seems to know how to scout talent.

The era of success is here, or so we hope. The hype around this team just continues to grow, and while we have to see how all of these moving pieces fit come the season, it's fair to embrace the excitement around this team currently.

Fans have even more reasons to buy the hype, as the folks at Pro Football Focus just named the Houston Texans as one of the five teams most likely to make the playoffs this year in the AFC. PFF gave the Texans a 52% chance of making the playoffs, behind the Cincinnati Bengals (59%), the Buffalo Bills (61%), the Baltimore Ravens (67%) and the Kansas City Chiefs (76%).

Of all the teams, the Texans are the only AFC South team to make the Top 5, and no other AFC South squad ranks in the Top 7.

That shouldn't surprise anyone. The Jacksonville Jaguars are still likely to be good this season, but they fell apart last season and we don't know if any of their offseason moves are going to make them considerably better than the Texans. Least of all the signing of Mac Jones.

The Tennessee Titans are in a full rebuild and shouldn't be considered a real contender by any means. Maybe Will Levis can take a major jump but I don't think that's very likely. The Indianapolis Colts are the wildcard of the division, with the return of Anthony Richardson proving to be a major question mark. Gardner Minshew really proved his worth for the Colts in 2023, and while they fell short of the playoffs, he went to the Pro Bowl.

Now, Richardson has to prove that he's not only on Minsehw's level, but that he can do better than the recent first-time Pro Bowl. That's a huge question mark to ask a guy who struggled at times as a rookie.

The Texans are the only team with some serious weight to their name heading into 2024, so it makes sense that they're at a top-five AFC team.