Seven weeks into the 2024 NFL season, and the Houston Texans just made one of their most emphatic statements on the season yet: a whopping 41-21 victory over the hapless New England Patriots. Against a weaker opponent, Houston came out of the tunnel and put the smack down immediately. Two touchdowns in their first two possessions of the game set a heavy tone for the rest of the game, and, even though the Texans were not perfect, they were in control the whole way through. Finally, they won a game that was never in doubt, never in danger of entering overtime, and never in need of a game 50+ yard, game-winning field goal. All they needed was some more Joe Mixon!

Now, with this victory, the Houston Texans have firmly established themselves as one of the premiere teams in the NFL. Houston is one of just three teams with five wins on the season (Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings), and with two of those wins against divisional opponents, they’ve entrenched themselves in the top spot in the AFC South. With just one win a piece, the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars certainly won’t be catching up to the Texans anytime soon, so that leaves just the Indianapolis Colts as the remaining threat in the division. Now, this may sound like a far cry from New Look AFC South that many promised 2024 would bring…but that certainly sounds like a division that Houston has full control over! Really, this might be one of the greatest positions the Houston Texans have ever been in as a franchise, so where does that put them on the power rankings? Well, let’s find out!

Here’s where the Houston Texans land in week seven of the 2024 regular season:

NFL.COM:

4. Houston Texans (4-1) (Last Week: 4)

The difference between Houston and New England was noticeable on Sunday, but it was also a welcome sign that the Texans slammed on the gas pedal early and pretty much threw the Patriots into the rearview window right after halftime. That was what we wanted to see from DeMeco Ryans’ team after it let too many of its earlier wins stay a little too close for comfort. One obvious glow-up was the return of Joe Mixon, who showed no signs of the ankle injury that kept him out for three games. Mixon had several big runs, including a 59-yarder, and Dameon Pierce fed off that with his own 54-yard touchdown late. The Texans let Drake Maye drive down the field on them a few times in the quarterback’s first NFL start, but Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter were in his face most of the game, helping frazzle the rookie plenty in a mostly-solid defensive performance. Outside of the Vikings game, the Texans have looked pretty good this season — and keep getting better.

– Eric Edholm

ESPN:

4. Houston Texans (5-1)

Week 6 ranking: 3

Lesson learned: The Texans can win in the clutch.

Houston is undefeated in one-score games, as four of its five wins have been within one possession, including two on game-winning drives. The Texans showed they could win a nasty slugfest in Week 5 against the Bills. Houston showed it could win a shootout in Week 1 against the Colts. The Texans’ defense closed out the Bears on the last drive in Week 2. Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said the reason for their success is that they make plays in situational football.

– DJ Bien-Aime

SPORTS ILLUSTRATED:

7. Houston Texans (5–1)

Last week’s ranking: No. 8

Last week’s result: beat New England, 41–21

This week: at Green Bay

Seeing how successful the Texans were in terms of EPA per play on rushing downs obviously illustrates the effectiveness of Joe Mixon in this particular offense. The big-bodied, powerful back who also has receiving skills was a desire of Houston’s all offseason. Now, I wonder what they will do for Mixon insurance down the stretch. Even though Dameon Pierce had a nice long run in this game, he’s clearly not what this offense wants on a down-by-down basis. I wonder if Kansas City would be open to downsize and lose any of their backs, or if the Panthers would part with Chuba Hubbard given that he’s a 2025 free agent anyway.

– Conor Orr

THE ATHLETIC:

5. Houston Texans (5-1)

Last week: 4

Sunday: Beat New England Patriots 41-21

One Big Question: Can Tank Dell step up?

Sunday was a good start but just a start. Dell caught seven passes for 57 yards against the Patriots, his highest catch total and second-highest yardage total of the season. The first five games had been rough for the second-year wide receiver. His EPA per target is down from .46 last year to .08 this year, according to TruMedia, but with Nico Collins now on injured reserve, Dell needs to return to form. Houston leads the AFC South by two games, and the Texans need to start planning for the playoffs. They’ll need Dell in peak form for that even when Collins returns.

Up next: at Green Bay Packers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

– Josh Kendall

BLEACHER REPORT:

4. Houston Texans (5-1)

Last Week: 4

Week 6 Result: Won at New England 41-21

The NFL’s best teams do a couple things. They adapt to and overcome adversity. And they take care of business against inferior opponents.

A young Texans team still has some proving to do. But they handled an overmatched Patriots team with ease Sunday. Offensively, C.J. Stroud threw three touchdown passes and running back Joe Mixon surpassed 100 rushing yards in his return from a sprained ankle. Defensively, Houston held the Patriots under 300 yards of offense, forced four turnovers and edge-rusher Will Anderson Jr. logged three sacks.

Anderson was quick to credit his teammates for his big game while talking to reporters.

“You’ve got to keep chopping and going and keep getting better,” Anderson said. “I have to give credit to the defensive linemen. Those guys are tremendous in what they do. I love those guys. The thing about this team is taking the ball away. If you get a lot of turnovers, you win the game.”

Analyst’s Take

While we didn’t learn a whole lot from Houston’s win over the lowly Patriots, we did see the Texans offense thrive without No. 1 receiver Nico Collins. The return of running back Joe Mixon was huge, and C.J. Stroud got plenty from Tank Dell, Stefon Diggs and Dalton Schultz.

The Texans obviously have a deep receiving corps, but their ability to adapt to Collins’ absence is noteworthy. Elite teams like the Chiefs—and the Tom Brady-led Patriots before them—tend to stay in contention because of their ability to adjust to personnel changes. The Texans aren’t on that level yet, but they may be getting close. — Knox

Gary Davenport, Maurice Moton, Kristopher Knox, Brent Sobleski

CBS SPORTS:

3. Houston Texans (5-1) (Last Week: 3)

They just keep rolling, but the schedule starts to get tougher in the next month. The good news is their division isn’t very good.

– Pete Prisco

YAHOO! SPORTS:

5. Houston Texans (5-1) (Last Week: 5)

Maybe the Texans will miss Nico Collins (hamstring) at some point, but Houston has the depth to cover up for his absence. Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz will take on bigger roles in the passing game and a healthy Joe Mixon helps too. Not many teams can recover from being without the NFL’s leading receiver.

– Frank Schwab

USA TODAY:

8. Houston Texans (Last Week: 8): If there’s such a thing as a quiet 5-1, look no further. But after getting RB Joe Mixon back and scoring 41 points, Houston’s most in a regular-season game in nearly three years, it might get loud soon.

– Nate Davis

PRO FOOTBALL TALK:

4. Texans (No. 4; 5-1): The road to New Orleans might end up going through Houston.

– Mike Florio

AVERAGE RANKING: 4.89 (Last Week: 4.78)

Yes, the Houston Texans’ average rankings actually went down this week after their dominant victory over the Patriots. Why is that? Well, both ESPN and The Athletic’s power rankings moved Houston down one spot to make room for the Detroit Lions, fresh off their historic pounding of everyone’s favorite villain: the Dallas Cowboys. As upset as I’d like to be seeing Houston drop after a win, I can’t be mad at Detroit getting some deserved attention after that huge win over Dallas.

Not only that, but Houston is going to have their chance to prove themselves worthy of a higher ranking this Sunday when they face the 4-2 Green Bay Packers. Green Bay has a far better run-defense than the New England Patriots, and with Cam Akers now shipped off to the Minnesota Vikings for a conditional sixth-rough pick, the performance of Joe Mixon and Dameon Pierce just became that much more important. After this last game, I think it’s become clear that Bobby Slowik’s offense is much more functional with a good rushing attack, but will he be able to produce that in Green Bay? Let us know down in the comments below!

Go Texans!!!