Finally, with great mercy and grace, the Houston Texans shook off the burden of a rough start and began their ascent back to an even record with a convincing, 26-3 victory over the hapless Tennessee Titans. The hot hand of QB CJ Stroud delivered the Texans from their worst start since 2005, targeting six different receivers four or more times and accounting for 261 passing yards and two touchdowns. Likewise, the DE combination of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter was on fire most of the day,
showcasing Houston’s first extended stretch of complementary football in 2026. Anderson and Hunter combined for four sacks, five QB hits, four TFLs, seven combined tackles, and one tipped pass that resulted in the first interception of Texans LB Jake Hansen’s career!
It took a full month of regular season action, but the Texans have finally gotten back on track, and did so against the same division-rival that christened their 12-2 run last year! Now, the Texans still have a long way to go before anything like that happens this year, but following this big win, head coach DeMeco Ryans made an announcement making it clear the team was all-in on a comeback in 2026: the Texans were trading for Arizona Cardinals WR Marvin Harrison Jr.:
This is huge news for a team that entered 2026 with Super Bowl aspirations and isn’t ready to bail on them quite yet. A former fourth-overall pick out of Ohio State in 2024, Harrison arrives in Houston looking to rekindle the connection he and CJ Stroud shared in college together. He and Stroud dominated college football in 2022, and if a reunion can get Harrison Jr. back to his rookie form, the Texans could be in store for their best offense of the Stroud/Ryans era!
Finally, there’s some good news surrounding the Houston Texans. This victory and the Harrison Jr. trade – even if you’re disappointed with the move – give us something to look forward to in Houston’s upcoming game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. It’s like a ray of sunshine after a full month of dreary, messy…poorly blocked weather. What will all of this mean for their position on the power rankings, though? Will this positive momentum send the Texans bouncing up the rankings, or will the pundits remain bearish on a 1-4 franchise? Well, let’s find out! Here’s where the Houston Texans are ranked following their 26-3 victory over the Tennessee Titans:
NFL.COM:
25. Houston Texans (1-4) (Last Week: 23)
Houston did what everyone expected it to do: take care of business against the worst team in the NFL. C.J. Stroudadded another fruitful week to what is quickly becoming a very strong rebound season, the Texans finally got a little bit more out of their ground game (despite losing David Montgomery to injury), and the superior AFC South team walked away with an easy win. It’s a start, and we’ll see what becomes of the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade, but it’s going to be a long climb out of 0-4.
ESPN:
21. Houston Texans (1-4)
Week 5 result: Beat the Titans 26-3
Week 5 ranking: 24
Biggest issue on defense: Health at all three levels
The Texans have dealt with injuries to key players. Pro Bowl linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair sat out time because of a groin injury. Nickelback Jalen Pitre just sustained a shoulder injury against the Titans, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald was on IR because of a quad injury to start the season, and linebacker Henry To’oTo’o landed on IR after Week 1 because of a shoulder injury. That has factored into their defense giving up 234 passing yards per game (23rd). Overall, Houston is tied for 15th in scoring defense (22.4 per game) after ranking second last season (17.4).
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED:
14. Houston Texans (1–4)
Last week’s ranking: No. 20
Last week’s result: beat Titans, 26–3
This week: vs. Jaguars (London)
My column on the Marvin Harrison Jr. trade. Something tells me this is going to be a fleecing for the Texans. But either way, there will be one clear winner.
BLEACHER REPORT:
26. Houston Texans
Last Week: 28
Week 5 Result: Won at Tennessee 26-3
Don’t write off the Houston Texans yet. Yes, they should’ve beaten the winless Tennessee Titans, and no, Marvin Harrison Jr. isn’t the savior who’ll turn the offense into a juggernaut.
However, if the Texans beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in London this week, they’ll be 2-4, like last season before winning 10 of 11 games. It’s a tough feat, but Houston did it with mostly the same players from the previous campaign.
It’s not time to jump back on the Texans bandwagon, but a win over the division-leading Jaguars could spark a season turnaround.
CBS SPORTS:
23. Texans (1-4) (Last Week: 26)
The offense with C.J. Stroud has been playing good football. The change to DeMeco Ryans calling plays seemed to work as they ready to play a big game this week with Jacksonville.
USA TODAY:
26. Houston Texans (27): Just noting DE Will Anderson Jr. is on pace for 25½ sacks, which would break Garrett’s nine-month-old record. Of course, Anderson couldn’t have expected his Texans to be as bad as Garrett’s Browns were.
YAHOO! SPORTS:
24. Houston Texans (1-4, LW: 26)
Beating the Titans this season doesn’t mean a whole lot. But at least the Texans looked good doing it. Their defense gave up a 58-yard drive and a field goal on Tennessee’s first possession of the game. The rest of the day, the Texans allowed no points, 129 yards and no drive longer than 27 yards. C.J. Stroud played well, and while the running game still lagged at 2.9 yards per carry, it was good enough on offense.
The next question is whether Marvin Harrison Jr. can help the offense. The Texans must think so considering they sent a second- and seventh-round pick to Arizona for Harrison and a sixth-round pick. They need some punch in the offense. It’s questionable if Harrison can come in and be an impact player in the middle of the season after having just five catches for 85 yards and a touchdown for Arizona in 2026. It’s tough for any receiver to learn an offense and establish chemistry with a quarterback during a season. However, if it works it could transform Houston’s offense. That’s the Texans’ gamble.
THE ATHLETIC:
21. Houston Texans (1-4)
Last week: 24
Sunday: Beat Titans 26-3
Who have you beaten? Titans
Finally, some positive vibes in Houston! Beating the Titans is hardly much to celebrate these days, but at long last, the Texans are in the win column, and reinforcements are on the way. After trading for Kayshon Boutte just before the season, the Texans added another wide receiver this weekend in 2024 No. 4 pick Marvin Harrison Jr.
Up next: at Jaguars (in London), Sunday, 9:30 a.m. ET
PRO FOOTBALL TALK:
24. Texans (No. 24; 1-4): They still have a long way to go to become the team that they were in 2025.
Average Ranking: 22.67 (Last Week: 24.67)
Nobody is going to give the Texans a big boost for defeating the Titans, but at least Houston is finally moving in a positive direction here. Besides the trade for Marvin Harrison Jr., another reason for optimism is the debut of rookie DT Kayden McDonald. He only played 11 snaps in the game, but the second-rounder out of Ohio State disrupted multiple running plays, ate a wham block like it was nothing, and got some real push on some drop backs.
The star of Houston’s defense is once again the defensive line, which can only stand to get deadlier if McDonald can continue this upward trajectory now that he’s returned on IR. Although, while McDonald returns from injury, some starters left this game with notable injuries: RB David Montgomery with a groin injury, and S Jalen Pitre has an AC joint sprain. DeMeco Ryans stated both are “week-to-week,” but it’s unlikely either will play in Houston’s upcoming game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Second-year RB Woody Marks is capable of preventing Montgomery’s absence from being too noticeable, but Pitre’s absence will require veteran S M.J. Stewart and rookie S Kamari Ramsey and to step into much bigger roles. Ramsey looked fine filling in for Pitre last week, but Pitre’s multi-purpose, cerebral role on the team is going to be a very demanding job for a rookie and/or a veteran that hasn’t played since Week 10 of last year. With Jacksonville’s offensive unit that can inflict death by a thousand cuts, it’s practically guaranteed that they will be targeting the hole left by Pitre come Sunday.
Ramsey has the awareness and the speed to play all around the field like Pitre, but the experience Stewart has in the NFL will be indispensable against the Jaguars, who will no doubt be using play-action to try and manipulate the defensive backfield. In short, if Ramsey and Stewart aren’t on their P’s and Q’s all game long, the Texans could be asking a lot more out of Marvin Harrison Jr. than expected. If they come to London prepared, however, the Texans could be set up to get back to .500 by mid-November!
What do you think, though? Are the Texans primed for another win streak following this get-right game in Tennessee, or will the Jaguars knock Houston down another peg? Are CJ Stroud and Marvin Harrison Jr. going to pick up right where they left off in 2022 and light up the Jags’ defensive backfield, or will the Texans be chasing WR Parker Washington around London all day? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments below!
Go Texans!
