18. Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1)
Cowboys are on their bye in Week 10
You have to give credit where it’s due; Jerry Jones told the NFL world that he had some trades cooking, and he was not lying. Not only did the Dallas Cowboys trade for linebacker Logan Wilson, but they also swung a trade for defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
Jones and the Cowboys added two plus-players at their respective positions, and with Dallas being on their bye in Week 10, Wilson and Williams will have time to get acclimated to the defense. You still get the feeling that another addition is probably necessary, but Wilson and Williams are good, even great football players, period.
Dallas is fielding a playoff-caliber offense that is good enough to win multiple games, but, like the Cincinnati Bengals, is fielding a bottom-tier defense, and that’s the issue. You still have to applaud Dallas for being proactive, and whether it works or not is not the discussion right now.
The Cowboys weren’t going to figure out one way or another unless they actually went out and made the moves. I would not expect Dallas to make the playoffs this year, but they did position themselves to field a more competent defense and perhaps stack a few wins.
I get the sense that 10 wins is probably what Dallas has to hit in order to get into the postseason, so Dallas probably needs to win seven of their final eight games, which is likely not possible.
17. Houston Texans (4-5)
Once 0-3, the Houston Texans have since gone 4-2 and are improving before our eyes. The issues with this team are obviously along the offensive line, and there isn’t a realistic way for that unit to improve until the offseason.
It doesn’t feel like the Texans are a legitimate playoff team, but their defense is just magical and could lead this team down the stretch. Likely having to get to 10 wins to make the postseason, Houston would have to win six of their final eight games, which could happen.
However, the AFC South title is likely out of reach unless the Colts collapse big-time, but the Wild Card might still be something. CJ Stroud was not in this game, as he got a concussion in Week 9 after a legal hit from Broncos’ CB Kris Abrams-Draine.
Houston is slowly climbing in our NFL power rankings. This is a team to watch out for down the stretch.