Not that beating the currently 0-5 Tennessee Titans should make anyone a legitimate Super Bowl contender by any stretch of the imagination, but really, Nick Shook?
During the reveal of NFL.com's latest round of Power Rankings, the Houston Texans found themselves sitting at 25th-overall after their 26-3 thrashing of their AFC South counterparts in the aforementioned Titans. From 20-25, the section goes as follows,
- 20th: New York Jets (2-3)
- 21st: Cleveland Browns (3-2)
- 22nd: Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)
- 23rd: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-4)
- 24th: Indianapolis Colts (2-3)
- 25th: Houston Texans (1-4)
While I fully understand sitting behind teams like the Colts (who beat the Texans in week three) and even the Buccaneers (beating the same Dallas Cowboys team that beat the Texans in week four), saying that Houston—even while at 1-4—is not better than at least the Jets or Browns at this point is highly-questionable.
Regardless, the list simply further proves that Houston has a long way to go in terms of rebuilding its Superbowl contender status amongst the national media in 2026.
The Houston Texans have a long way to go to rebuild its Superbowl stock in 2026
Of the Texans, Shook had this to say in his outline for why they placed so low in this week's rankings,
"Houston did what everyone expected it to do: take care of business against the worst team in the NFL. C.J. Stroud added another fruitful week to what is quickly becoming a very strong rebound season, the Texans finally got a little bit more out of their ground game (despite losing David Montgomery to injury), and the superior AFC South team walked away with an easy win. It’s a start, and we'll see what becomes of the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade, but it’s going to be a long climb out of 0-4."
Tough, but fair assessment by Shook and co. at NFL.com. The reality is, Houston did itself no favors (specifically, the defense) by coughing up multiple winnable games against a litany of quality opponents in weeks 1-4. Conversly, had Houston sealed the deal against the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys (all whom the Texans blew late fourth-quarter leads against) at a minimum, then many around the NFL would most likely be celebrating Houston as a definitive early pick to make a run all the way to this year's Super Bowl in SoFi Stadium.
They didn't, and thus they sit in the basement of the NFL at 1-4 among fellow bottom dwellers like the Titans, New Orleans Saints, Washington Commanders, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals who all have one win or less through the first five games of the regular season.
If the Texans really want to give their chances a boost in short order, then toppling the current best-overall team in the AFC South in the Jacksonville Jaguars would be an impactful place to start.
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