Battle Red Blog
The Houston’s Texans victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday may have been the first time in over a month that the entire team looked completely ill-suited for the moment. Considering how this season started, it’s remarkable that they were able to establish this kind of momentum, but they now risk losing it right before the playoffs with a performance like this. Since their week 10 comeback against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans had become men possessed, outscoring their opponents in the fourth quarter 59-19. Yes, the Texans still submitted their fanbase to thrillers and heart-stopping finishes throughout that entire stretch of time, but there was no denying the Texans got stronger as the game went on. In the second half of the Raiders game, as I watched Houston’s offense flail in the wind drive after drive and gradually give up more and more yards to Raiders rookie RB Ashton Jeanty, I found myself worrying if that clutch gene had finally worn out…and against the Raiders? Yes, the 2-12 Raiders gave the Texans a very hard time, running all over that vaunted defense and forcing quarterback CJ Stroud into one of his worst games of the season, despite not getting sacked once.
Every team has a “trap game” at some point. Many thought last week’s match against the Arizona Cardinals would be the game Houston would “look ahead of” and play below expectations, but instead, Houston beat that team 40-20 and had one of their greatest offensive performances of the season. Then, one week later, they had the complete opposite kind of performance against an uglier team…how does that happen?
It’s still a win – Houston’s seventh in a row – but not one anyone can feel comfortable about. A two-point victory over one ofthe worst teams in football, where the offense was out scored and needed WR Nico Collins to bail them out at the very end of the game is not something you want to walk into the playoffs with. A win is a win, though, so it’ll be interesting to see where the power rankers put Houston in this week’s rankings.
Here’s where the Houston Texans are ranked entering week 17 of the 2025 NFL season:
10. Houston Texans (10-5) (Last Week: 10)
The Texans won their seventh straight game on Sunday, but the close-shave victory over the lowly Raiders induced several rounds of boos from the NRG Stadium crowd. Houston’s ballyhooed defense gave the team an early lift with Derek Stingley Jr.’s pick-six, but it also allowed Las Vegas to score 21 points and rip off a surprising number of big plays. Meanwhile, the Texans’ offense didn’t score a touchdown until midway through the fourth quarter, resurfacing concerns about the shape of that unit. The Jaguars’ win in Denver also kept the chances higher that the Texans will have to go on the road if and when they clinch a postseason bid.
13. [**Houston...
