The season has been on the line for the Texans since September. Three weeks into the regular season schedule and without a win to show, it quickly became obvious to those watching that this was going to be a difficult year for Houston. Regardless of whether or not the struggle was justified, Houston was not the powerhouse Texans fans have to come to expect after two very successful years with quarterback CJ Stroud at the helm. Losing the first three games in a row to start the big 2025 season put both the team and fans in a crisis of confidence that is rarely seen so early in the year, especially for a two-time defending division champion. The defense had remained the same, but the offense had become such a liability that new offensive coordinator Nick Caley had become one of the most decried coaches in the city of Houston before he had even finished unpacking his bags from Los Angeles.
Despite all of the hullabaloo, though, Houston continued to cling on. Entering NRG Stadium in week 10 to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans had done an admirable job rebounding from the ugly start, eking to a record of 3-5 at the midway point. Not dead…but, everyone in the building knew on Sunday that this was a must-win game. At this point of the season, a 3-6 record and a 1-2 division record would practically be a death knell with eight games left to play. And then, you saw the injury report:
Now, the entire season was in dire straits. All of this pressure to win with an injured team will not fall on the shoulders of CJ Stroud, but Davis Mills! Then the game arrives, and the Texans have arguably the worst start to a football game in franchise history, crescendoing with a 73-yard punt return touchdown by Jacksonville’s Parker Washington to put the Jaguars up 17-0 with 11:40 left in the second quarter. Suddenly, it became clear Davis Mills can’t just play in this game – he’s going to have to win it. And at that moment, down 17-0 just 20 minutes into the game, it looked like this team of backups and band-aids had finally met their maker. Down by three possessions, desperate times were calling for desperate measures. In his first game starting since the famous (or infamous) 2022 season finale against the Indianapolis Colts, Davis Mills would have to lead one of the biggest comebacks in Texans history.
Down for the count and facing a despondent fanbase, Davis Mills led the Texans to two scoring drives to end the half, and then had three straight touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to take the lead with 31 seconds left in the game. He threw dime after dime to Nico Collins, Jayden Higgins, and Dalton Schultz, who accounted for nearly all of Mills’ completions in the fourth quarter. He was even complemented by several great runs by both Nick Chubb and Woody Marks, who continue to be a big part of Texans victories. And all of this would be for not if wasn’t for an incalculably valuable defensive line, which forced the Jags to two three-and-outs and a fumble in the fourth quarter, primarily thanks to the unblock-able Danielle Hunter. After he and the other mighty linemen tied a bow on the game with a sack fumble of Trevor Lawrence which was then returned for a defensive touchdown by Sheldon Rankins, the Texans had completed their second largest comeback in franchise history (they had a 21-point comeback vs. the Chargers in 2013), and the Jaguars had lost a game for the first time in franchise history where they were up by 19 points. They were 53-0 entering NRG Stadium on Sunday, and were 53-1 leaving!
Surely, this must have restored some confidence in the Texans amongst the power rankings’ crew of pundits. A historic win like this must mean something, right? RIGHT?!?! Well, without further ado and celebration, here’s where the Houston Texans are ranked entering Week 11 of the 2025 NFL Season:
17. Houston Texans (4-5) (Last Week: 18)
We might look back at Davis Mills’ fourth-quarter heroics against Jacksonville as the turning point of Houston’s season. The Texans looked dead and buried before he led the furious comeback, preventing Houston from falling to 3-6 and giving the team another critical division victory. The Texans sit in third place in the AFC South, and C.J. Stroud remains in concussion protocol early in the week. But they remain only two spots out of the final wild-card bid, and the Texans are as good defensively as almost anyone in the NFL, so they remain a threat, even with work to be done. A win at Tennessee this Sunday would get them back to .500, and that’s followed by a three-game stretch against AFC contenders who’ve all shown some vulnerabilities lately. If Houston can win in Nashville and then take at least two of those next three, the playoffs remain a reasonable goal.
Week 10 result: Beat the Jaguars 36-29
Week 10 ranking: 20
Non-QB MVP: RT Tytus Howard
Howard has performed as a premier right tackle, giving up the third-lowest pressure rate among tackles with at least 200 pass blocking snaps (4.6). His time to pressure rate is also top 10, as it takes 3.28 seconds to allow pressure — the ninth longest among right tackles. For an offensive line going through a lot of changes, he has been a constant.
Last week’s ranking: No. 22
Last week’s result: beat Jaguars, 36–29
This week: at Titans
Davis Mills was excellent on Sunday in a thrilling comeback win over the Jaguars. But what really sold me on Mills’s game-winning touchdown run was how incredibly good all of the complementary blocking was on a broken, improvised play. No flags. Total hustle.
Week 10 Result: Won vs. Jaguars 36-29
The Houston Texans may not be able to climb back into the AFC South race, but they can’t be counted out of the wild-card hunt just yet.
Sunday’s sensational comeback against the Jacksonville Jaguars—with Davis Mills in at quarterback for C.J. Stroud—showed they still have plenty of fight in them.
Houston is still trying to find an offensive identity, but it has a championship-caliber defense, has won four of its last six and has a chance to get to .500 next week against the lowly Titans.
18. Texans (Last Week: 20) (4-5)
Davis Mills saved their season against the Jaguars. Who saw that coming? They are still alive for a playoff spot.
13. Houston Texans (14): Like the Ravens, they’re a two-time-defending divisional champion that’s fought its way to a 4-5 record. Maybe the Texans can also make a charge back to the top if they get their QB1 back soon, too
16 (20): Houston Texans (4-5)
The Texans have a good enough defense to keep them in any game, and it did its job on Sunday. They’re still a significant underdog to make the playoffs, but a wild comeback win over the Jaguars gives them a little bit of hope.
Sunday: Beat Jaguars 36-29
Breakout player: Xavier Hutchinson
You won’t lose any NFL fan points if you don’t know who Hutchinson is. The wide receiver and sixth-round pick in 2023 has had an unremarkable 41-game career so far, but right now, he’s more productive than Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel, who were top-80 picks this spring. Hutchinson had at least one catch in each of the first eight games this season and has almost doubled his career high for a season with 222 receiving yards on 21 catches.
Up next: at Titans, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET
16. Texans (No. 20; 4-5): They saved their season in the fourth quarter on Sunday.
Average Ranking: 16.89 (Last Week: 19.56)
HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 09: Davis Mills #10 of the Houston Texans carries the ball against Devin Lloyd #0 of the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half in the game at NRG Stadium on November 09, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images) Getty Images
The Texans are coming on up, again! I think Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated summed it up best: not only was Davis Mills game-winning touchdown run and emphatic finish to a thrilling comeback, but the blocking he received from his teammates and particularly Woody Marks at the goal line is what’s sealed the deal. This kind of improvisational play making by Texans teammates is what has changed about the Texans since the first month of the season.
Much of what maligned the Houston Texans in September was a sort of sloppiness that made every yard difficult. They were unable to grab short gains on broken plays or scramble drills, nor were they able to rely on their new players to block when it mattered. Last Sunday, Houston showed much of that has changed, and they are now playing like a complementary football team. When they are all in sync with each other, the offense can do almost anything!
What do you think, though? Have the Texans really turned a page with this venerable victory, or were they just lucky last Sunday? Is their success on offense just a product of good fortune, or is there something legitimately spicy brewing in Houston, Texas? Let us know what you think down in the comments below! Next Sunday, the Texans travel to Tennessee to face the woebegone 1-8 Titans at Nissan Stadium at 12:00 PM CST. This could shape up to be another good game for the offense, but if this last Sunday’s thrilling comeback taught us anything, it’s that a lead is never safe in the AFC South.