10. Houston Texans
Yet again this week, CJ Stroud is not going to play. Albeit, the Texans are taking on the Bills on a short week, but Stroud has been out since the middle of the Texans' Week 9 game against the Broncos. That is a major, major concern at this stage. Head injuries/concussions are not the same as knee injuries or any other body part. This is a huge area of concern for the organization going forward.
I don't want to bury the Texans at this point because they have done a nice job in the absence of Stroud, but going up against the Bills on Thursday will be a huge test and determining factor for whether or not they are actually able to make a run at the Wild Card.
9. Kansas City Chiefs
Sitting at 5-5 is not a position anyone expected the Kansas City Chiefs to be in. This is a team that lost just one game all of last season with the starters on the field, and only lost a second in the Super Bowl against the Eagles. Obviously, the Chiefs had flirted with disaster a little bit last season, winning a lot of one-score games but also playing a lot of teams tight that they should have probably blown out.
This year, the Chiefs' addiction to one-score games has burned them on multiple occasions. They just lost to the Denver Broncos and have fallen 4.5 games back to the Broncos in the AFC West. The Chiefs would be out of the playoffs if the season ended today. Things aren't getting any easier in Week 12 with the Colts coming to town, so the Chiefs need to refocus quickly.