6. Houston Texans, 3-5
The Houston Texans blew out the Chargers in Week 9 and got back in the win column. Houston is now 3-5 on the season and still hanging around in the Wild Card race.
While it may seem unlikely that the Texans make it, QB CJ Stroud has been playing out of his mind this year and is giving his team a chance to win. And if the defense, which was the best unit in football last year, can somehow find a way to channel that down the stretch, this team could be very dangerous.
We're pretty high on the Texans in our latest rankings, but it's warranted at the moment. If there was any team in the AFC that could go on a streak and shock us down the stretch, it's this squad.
5. Kansas City Chiefs, 6-2
The Kansas City Chiefs come in at No. 5 in our updated AFC power rankings. The Chiefs did make a move at the deadline at wide receiver, adding Josh Downs from Indianapolis. Downs is not a special player, but he's competent and does help address the Chiefs biggest remaining need.
It did feel like Downs was going to end up as a Chiefs this entire time, didn't it? The Chiefs still have some concerns with the room, as there isn't a clear-cut No. 1 option, and the pass rush has been shaky this year, but they are still 6-2 and have already hit their win total from the 2025 season.
Doubting the Chiefs is something that we could come to regret, as they have simply 'found a way' for years, but this is a flawed team that has been poorly constructed in recent years by GM Brett Veach.
Still a formidable team, the Chiefs land rather high in our power rankings and could rise a bit more.
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