The Houston Texans are in the top 5 again

The Houston Texans’ turnaround is real. That’s the feeling every fan has with countless preseason statements that seem to support the team’s rise. The Houston Texans are a team on the rise, with young stars, stellar veterans, an in-demand coaching staff and a front office that seems to know how to spot talent.

The era of success has arrived, or at least we hope so. The hype around this team continues to grow, and while we have to see how all of these moving parts will fit over the course of the season, it’s only fair to embrace the excitement around this team currently.

Fans have even more reason to buy the hype, as the folks at Pro Football Focus just named the Houston Texans as one of the five teams most likely to make the playoffs this year in the AFC. PFF gave the Texans a 52% chance of making the playoffs, behind the Cincinnati Bengals (59%), Buffalo Bills (61%), Baltimore Ravens (67%) and Kansas City Chiefs (76%).

Of all the teams, the Texans are the only AFC South team ranked in the Top 5, and no other AFC South team ranks in the Top 7.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Jacksonville Jaguars will likely be good again this season, but they fell apart last season and we don’t know if any of their offseason moves will make them significantly better than the Texans. Especially the signing of Mac Jones.

The Tennessee Titans are in the midst of a rebuild and should not be considered a true contender in any way. Maybe Will Levis can make a big move, but I don’t think it’s very likely. The Indianapolis Colts are the wild card in the division, with the return of Anthony Richardson proving to be a major question mark. Gardner Minshew really proved his worth to the Colts in 2023, and although they didn’t make the playoffs, he made it to the Pro Bowl.

Now Richardson must prove that he is not only on Minsehw’s level, but can do better than he did in the recent Pro Bowl for the first time. That’s a huge question mark to ask of a guy who struggled at times as a rookie.

The Texans are the only team with serious clout under their belt heading into 2024, so it makes sense that they would be a top-five contender in the AFC.