NFL Power Rankings: Steelers rise and Texans fall flat in July

18. Houston Texans (finished 11)

What I said at the end of last season:

"Alright, hear me out on this one. I know that the Texans didn’t really play today in the game where the Tennessee Titans absolutely beat them down. However, last week it took 4 Jameis Winston interceptions to keep them in the game and the week before that it took a blocked kick from an injured kicker and an 80 yard interception return on a play that was a hair away from being a touchdown to a third string TE before it was knocked out by the linebacker. With Deshaun Watson legitimately banged up and Will Fuller injured, the Texans are going to have to find a way to be better than they have been in weeks if they are going to win against the Buffalo Bills next weekend in the playoffs."

Looking back:

People are overthinking the Nuk Hopkins trade at this point. The Texans had one elite player and they traded him for a second-round pick.

Deshaun Watson is really good, but he has really only thrived when he has had Will Fuller and Hopkins on the field with him, and with one of those guys gone for good and the other basically penciled in to miss 6+ games, the margin for error gets smaller and smaller every season.

JJ Watt is still effective when he is on the field, but he is 31 years old and he has only played more than half a season once since 2015. The injuries are piling up and that try hard energy isn’t going to last forever.

With no young talent to really build around from this year’s draft class, no Hopkins, a mediocre (at best) offensive line, and an aging J.J. Watt, this is going to be a year where we really see if Deshaun Watson can drag this roster and coaching staff to the post season.