16. CJ Stroud, Houston Texans
CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans were able to win their second game in a row against the Baltimore Ravens back in Week 5 and were on their bye in Week 6. Stroud and the Texans have had a lot to sort through on the offensive side of the ball, but perhaps that win over the Ravens could begin to paint a better picture.
The Texans did see the Titans and Jaguars lose in Week 6, but the Colts winning does separate them by another game. The Texans do have what it takes to win the division and have done it the past two seasons, but CJ Stroud is going to have to play like the QB he was during his breakout season back in 2023.
For now, though, he’ll be ranked right in the middle of our updated QB rankings, but has the potential to rise big-time.
The offensive line has been a sore spot for this franchise for multiple seasons, so I do wonder if GM Nick Caserio is working the phones to try and get that unit a bit better before November 4th.
15. Bo Nix, Denver Broncos
Bo Nix has not lit up the stat sheet over the past month, but he’s now thrown five touchdowns against just one interception during the Broncos’ past four games. Denver is now 3-1 over their last four and have won three games in a row.
In the second half of their win in Week 6, Sean Payton’s play-calling seriously went off the rails, so the total nonexistence of the passing game wasn’t Nix’s fault, at all. However, the second-year QB has been efficient in keeping the ball out of harm’s way and simply never takes many sacks, so the Denver Broncos generally don’t give it away on offense much at all.
Nix and the Broncos now move to 4-2 on the season and are one game ahead of where they were at this point in the 2024 campaign. The Broncos return home for a two-game homestand after a brutal schedule over the past three weeks.