Down goes the Chiefs! Down goes the dynasty! The Houston Texans marched into Kansas City’s home stadium, lined up against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and kicked them straight out of the playoff race!
Okay, maybe it’s an exaggeration to say the Chiefs are actually out of the race when they’re only 6-7 (get it), but their chances of making the postseason have now fallen all the way down to 10%. Meanwhile, Houston’s playoff chances have surged all the way up to 87%, something that…I just simply can’t believe. As the north pole has gradually tilted away from the sun, the Texans have grown more ferocious, like a cornered animal that senses winter approaching. Each week over the last month has seen another opponent throw their offense into the teeth of the Texans defensive line like a sacrificial lamb, with even the greatest quarterbacks incapable of escaping the grinder. Led by DE Danielle Hunter, DE Will Anderson, LB Azeez Al-Shaair, CB Derek Stingley, and S Jalen Pitre, the Texans defense has become such an unrelenting force that a small library’s worth of montage videos and edits have cropped up highlighting them in particular:
They’re not as photogenic as the Patrick Mahomes cross-body pass, or as easy to gawk at as the Josh Allen touchdown run, but the Houston Texans defense is as fearsome and dominating as any player or group on offense out there. In the last three weeks, they faced three AFC teams in the thick of the playoff race and gave up a grand total of just 45 points. Surely, a run like this has to send Houston flying up the power rankings all across the internet, right? Well, if it ain’t happening now, it’s gotta happen soon enough! Here’s where the Houston Texans are ranked entering week 15 of the 2025 NFL season:
NFL.COM
11. Houston Texans (8-5) (Last Week: 13)
C.J. Stroud completed three passes in the second half — three! — but the Texans produced just enough offense to finish what the defense started. DeMeco Ryans’ elite D has thrown some beauties this season, but Sunday night’s effort was probably its most important performance of the season, with Houston intercepting Patrick Mahomes three times (even if the last one was a gift off the hands of Travis Kelce). Andy Reid rolled the dice twice on fourth downs, and in some ways, that was a nod to just how good the Texans are defensively. Reid felt he had to play that riskily in order to get any spark offensively. Houston also managed an injury to Nick Chubb, with Dare Ogunbowale spelling Woody Marks to score his first rushing TDsince 2022 (on only his fourth carry of the season). The Texans keep finding ways to win games, and they could run their streak to seven straight, with the Cardinals and Raiders on tap in Houston.
ESPN:
12. Houston Texans (8-5)
Week 14 result: Beat the Chiefs 20-10
Week 14 ranking: 12
Most shocking statistical ranking: Safety Jalen Pitre is second in passer rating allowed
Last season, Pitre allowed a passer rating of roughly 113 by giving up five touchdowns and an interception, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. But he’s allowing only a 43 rating this season, which is behind Tampa Bay’s Jamel Dean for best in the league. Pitre had a highlight interception against the Chiefs when he forced a tipped pass up in the air and found a way to secure the pick.
SPORTS ILLUSTRATED:
11. Houston Texans (8–5)
Last week’s ranking: No. 16
Last week’s result: beat Chiefs, 20–10
This week: vs. Cardinals
The Texans, through almost a complete NFL season, have more interceptions than total touchdowns surrendered. The team has also allowed just 16 points per game. Sixteen. While I refuse to be a prisoner of the moment amid these Texans-to-the-Super Bowl takes, I think I can be convinced.
BLEACHER REPORT:
8. Houston Texans (8-5)
Last Week: 12
Week 14 Result: Won vs. Kansas City 20-10
The Houston Texans’ early-season struggles may prevent them from winning the AFC South, but they’ve become the type of defensive powerhouse that can beat virtually anyone on the road in January.
Sunday night’s win in Arrowhead showed how Houston is capable of performing in a high-pressure game. The Texans seem to still be searching for offensive consistency, but they’ve gotten enough during their five-game winning streak to put themselves in playoff positioning.
Right now, Houston feels like the scariest wild-card team in the AFC.
CBS SPORTS:
9. Texans (8-5) (Last Week: 11)
They have righted things in a big way, and with a soft schedule left, they should be a playoff team — and maybe win the division. That defense is nasty.
USA TODAY:
6. Houston Texans (6): They’re holding steady at No. 6 − and on the verge of a sixth straight win with Arizona headed to Houston on Sunday. And if QB C.J. Stroud and the offense can pick up the pace just a bit, this team poses a legit Lombardi threat.
YAHOO! SPORTS:
7 (14): Houston Texans (8-5)
This is a big jump for the Texans, but they pass the eye test of a team that is peaking at the right time. Their defense continues to be fantastic, holding Patrick Mahomes to a 42.4% completion percentage and a 19.8 passer rating, the lowest marks in a game for his career. Houston’s offense is inconsistent, but there’s no complete team in the AFC. Houston’s defense is the most reliable unit in the conference.
THE ATHLETIC:
9. Houston Texans (8-5)
Last week: 11
Sunday: Beat Chiefs 20-10
Worst-case scenario: A playoff flameout
Houston has gone 8-2 since an 0-3 start. The Texans lead the league in scoring defense (15.7 ppg allowed) and are fourth in scoring margin (plus-88) in that stretch, and they feel playoff-bound after bullying the Chiefs on Sunday night. Those playoffs probably won’t include Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson or Joe Burrow. Houston has a shot this year. Hopefully, it doesn’t waste it.
Up next: vs. Cardinals, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
PRO FOOTBALL TALK:
9. Texans (No. 12; 8-5): Defense wins championships — and takes out champions.
Average Ranking: 9.11 (Last Week: 11.89)
Oh, what a sight to see! For the first time in the 2025 season, the Houston Texans are averaging a power rankings position inside the top ten, a gratifying validation of their ascent up the ranks. While the offense has not made any game pretty, the Texans’ defense has practically forced pundits across the nation to take Houston seriously, whether they want to or not. There’s even some Super Bowl buzz beginning to percolate, a possibility Texans fans have only rarely had the fortune of earnestly engaging with. Although, at this juncture of the season, who else is there that could represent the AFC in the Super Bowl? The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots are the only other conference teams I can think of that may have the mettle to take on the grinder, but with Houston’s recent resume-building games against QBs Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, I doubt Bo Nix or Drake Maye could handle this defense in its current form. The time will come where one or both of them will have to be sacrificed to the gods of Battle Red, and that time can’t come soon enough!
What do you think, though? Are the Texans a surging superpower primed to make a run for the ages, or are they still missing something to get them over the edge? Will this offense be able to get on their feet before the season’s over, or are they cursed to remain mediocre for the rest of the year? Let us know down in the comments below!
GO TEXANS!!!!
