2023 NFL power rankings, Week 11: 49ers, Vikings soaring

10. Houston Texans (5-4)

I think most of us expected the Houston Texans to struggle this season, but they might be fun along the way. Well, they’ve been fun along the way, and they have done anything but “struggle” this season.

The Houston Texans are 5-4. They just went on the road in Week 10 and got a surprising win against the Cincinnati Bengals. It was close in the end, but there was one point in the fourth quarter that it looked like the Texans might have had the Bengals like fish in a barrel. 

Rookie quarterback CJ Stroud is the real deal. Rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans? He’s the real deal. This Houston team has played well on both sides of the ball. They are well-coached and they are getting contributions from all over the roster.

9. Dallas Cowboys (6-3)

It hasn't exactly been a seamless season for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys have been dominant in the majority of their wins, but their three losses have been brutal.

They lost in a blowout to the 49ers, a game where you might burn some sage along with the game tape. They lost an ugly one to the Arizona Cardinals, still one of the most confusing losses by an NFL team this season. And then they lost a tough one they probably should have won against the Eagles last week.

But the Cowboys got a gimme in Week 10 against the New York Giants, who trotted out Tommy Devito at the quarterback position. No, that’s not a character from the old Backyard Baseball game. Tommy Devito is apparently a real quarterback, and he started a real game against a team that ranks in the top five in scoring defense.

It ended exactly as you would have expected it to, but this might have been another “get right” game for some Cowboys skill players offensively. Specifically, we saw some good things from Michael Gallup and Brandin Cooks at the receiver position.