The newest set of SB Nation power rankings are out and, predictably, the Texans have fallen from No. 7 last week to No. 11 this week. All that goodwill that came from them gutting out a victory over the Steelers was wasted by one bad pass by Matt Schaub on the goal line.
Well, that's not entirely true. The Texans had plenty of chances to win that game earlier and couldn't pull it off. Neil Rackers could have made that 40-yarder and put the Texans in a position to kick a field goal late for the win. But, they didn't do any of that. They lost a very close game at the brink of the goal line to a Raiders team ranked four spots below them and 12 spots below them heading into the week.
I can't argue with any of the teams picked above Houston, with the exception of Pittsburgh. However, the Steelers dominated a good Titans team while the Texans...you know...lost. All of the teams above Houston have a better record than them and aren't suffering through such debilitating injuries.
That's the reason why the Texans should have dropped in these power rankings. These are a product of how teams are playing RIGHT NOW, not how good they could potentially be. When the Texans are healthy, they are a playoff-caliber team. Right now, they are not healthy enough to be there, so I can take that No. 11 ranking in stride. In fact, it's higher than I expected. Once Andre Johnson comes back, I'd expect that number to start creeping back upwards.