8. CJ Stroud/DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
Coming in at No. 8 in our power rankings, CJ Stroud and DeMeco Ryans make their debut and are quite the duo. In all three seasons together, Stroud and Ryans have helped lead the Houston Texans to double-digit wins and a berth into the Divisional Round.
Houston has oddly lost in the Divisional Round in all three years, clearly displaying an inability to advance past that. It’s a weird, but stable trend. Many franchises would love to get into the second round of the playoffs each year, but we all know that is not the goal.
Stroud has been a rather average player the last two seasons after a stellar start in 2023, but Ryans, on the other hand, is clearly one of the better head coaches in the league and a defensive wizard.
As a former player himself, it’s not surprising that Ryans knows what he’s doing on defense. Houston is a great operation and should again enjoy double-digit win success in 2026.
7. Bo Nix/Sean Payton, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix and Sean Payton may have very well won the Super Bowl this past season had Nix not broken his ankle in the Divisional Round victory over Buffalo. If nothing else, most should agree that Denver would have beaten the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game if Nix was on the field.
Nix and Payton have helped the Broncos win 24 regular season games, which included a 14-win season in 2025 and an 11-game win streak. Payton has a long track record of winning, even dating back to the 2000s with New Orleans, and Nix has done nothing but prove people wrong this far.
This duo should be able to win it all at some point and could rise in these power rankings when 2026 gets going.
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