12. Houston Texans (2-4)
Here come the Houston Texans for the second year in a row? The Texans were able to defeat Jacksonville in Week 6 on a walk-off field goal. Houston managed to put up 34 points to Jacksonville’s 31. For the second season in a row, it feels like the Texans are beginning to really feel themselves following a shaky start.
And while the team is still two games under .500, QB CJ Stroud has largely played very well this year and seems to be trending toward a long-term contract extension. He’s simply not even on the list of current or even former issues with this team from just a few weeks ago.
And the Texans being able to notch this divisional win does go a long way, as we are still early enough into the season that a 2-4 and now 4-2 Jaguars record really doesn’t guarantee anything. In the coming weeks, Houston is going to need to bring their record over .500, but it’s really not impossible to see this team again finish with double-digit wins.
Perhaps this is a team that needs to be punched in the mouth early in the season before turning it on…?
11. Detroit Lions (3-2)
The Detroit Lions were on the bye in Week 6 and are just outside the top-10 in our NFL power rankings as Week 6 closes out. Like other teams, the Lions are getting some amazing returns from their offense this year, but the defense has been among the worst in football.
And that’s really the main thing here. The Lions have seen this defense regress really since that 2024 season, as that’s when the mounting injuries began, and it remained with the team for much of 2025.
Here in 2026, the defense just flat-out stinks. They were 7-4 at one point in 2025 before finishing just 9-8, and I cannot imagine that head coach Dan Campbell allows that type of thing to happen again, especially with how awesome QB Jared Goff has been.
The Lions are a good team, but the NFC North is a very formidable division, and the Lions just have not truly separated themselves in the North right now. Better play from the defense would change that overnight.
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