Texans Power Rankings Roundup After Week 1

ESPN: 11

Sports Illustrated: 8

DAZN: 13

USA TODAY: 11

The Athletic: 9

What Do Experts Say About the Texans?

“Montgomery, who was acquired via trade from the Lions in March, finished with the most touchdowns in a debut in Texans franchise history. He had three touchdowns and 79 total yards (60 rushing and 19 receiving), as Houston scored its most points in a season opener under coach DeMeco Ryans. Overall, the Texans finished with 124 rushing yards on 32 carries, which helped create more passing lanes for quarterback C.J. Stroud en route to 287 passing yards,” ESPN’s NFL Nation.

“That’s nine turnovers in QB C.J. Stroud’s last three games. Worth wondering if he should have taken whatever extension was offered rather than tabling negotiations,” USA Today’s Nate Davis wrote.

“Houston are one of the very few losing teams to climb in these rankings, and deservedly so after coming extremely close to beating the No. 2 Bills on the road. C.J. Stroud’s fumbles obviously hurt, but if David Montgomery finds more room and Nico Collins keeps doing his thing, Jayden Higgins’ injury need not be their downfall,” DAZN’s Jason Abbey wrote.

“That side of the ball is supposed to carry this team. Even though the Bills had the ball for under 24 minutes of game time, the Texans’ usually dominant defense still got gashed at home. C.J. Stroud was better Sunday than in the playoffs, which is the last time we saw him, but his strip-sack in the final seconds cemented Houston’s loss,” The Athletic’s Chad Graff and Josh Kendall noted.

What the Texans Need to Fix Before Facing the Bengals

Houston’s defensive front was expected to be the team’s identity. Against Buffalo, Anderson and Hunter combined for only half a sack, while the Texans pressured Allen on just 19% of his drop backs. Buffalo also produced two drives of over 90 yards.

Conversely. C.J. Stroud’s overall performance against Buffalo gave Houston plenty of reasons for optimism. He was accurate, moved the ball downfield and finished with two touchdown passes. Stroud completed 26 of 38 passes for 274 yards and two touchdowns. But both of his fumbles came on strip-sacks, including one that ended Houston’s final drive.

David Montgomery’s arrival immediately changed Houston’s short-yardage and red-zone offense. His three-touchdown debut showed what the Texans hoped they were getting when they traded for him.