Getty Gallery: 5/6
No. 7 Houston Texans
No. 8 Pittsburgh Steelers
The Houston Texans cemented their spot in the rankings with an impressive Monday Night Football victory over the Tennessee Titans. Some may be opposed to placing the Texans above the Steelers, and there's probably some level of an argument to be made. But on the other side of that, Houston has looked exceptional as of late.
Realistically, the Texans have just been red-hot, even if they've been winning close games prior to Monday's win. The old saying that "a win is a win" stands true for this team, as they've won seven-straight ahead of their primetime matchup with a tough AFC South rival. This streak includes some wins far more impressive than others, but regardless, Houston just keeps getting the job done.
While quarterback Deshaun Watson is getting things back on track, DeAndre Hopkins has proven that he's capable of dominating in any and all matchups. He had hauled in 68-of-96 targets this season through Week 11 for 950 yards and eight scores through 10 games. Hopkins has topped 50 receiving yards in each game this season, but that's far from the most impressive part. If opponents have managed to hold him in check at all from a yardage standpoint, he's had little trouble finding the end zone.
Hopkins has scored at least one touchdown in five of the last six games and seven of 11 games on the year.
Steelers Stumble After Hot Run
The Denver Broncos spoiled a six-game win streak for Ben Roethlisberger and company on Sunday. While the No. 8 spot may seem a little harsh for this team, the same argument about win streaks of the aforementioned teams can be made about the Steelers. Aside from the Carolina Panthers and either the Baltimore Ravens or Cincinnati Bengals (both need help), Pittsburgh hasn't been knocking off playoff teams.
That still doesn't change the fact that the Steelers are a talented team and one who nearly knocked off one of the NFL's best teams in the Chiefs earlier in the season. For what it's worth, this loss to the Broncos came on a bit of a wild play, which Roethlisberger even openly stated after, per ESPN.
"Of all the interceptions I've thrown it's one of the most fluky I've been associated with," Roethlisberger said. "I never thought in a million years a defensive lineman would get blocked off the ball that far, right into an interception."
Fluky or not, it was unfortunate and now the Steelers sit at 7-3-1 and have the Ravens at 6-5 hot on their tail. They have a few big tests ahead, with the first coming against the Chargers next week, followed by a final three-game stretch that could reveal a lot about this team. To wrap up the season, Pittsburgh faces hte New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and the Bengals.
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NFL Power Rankings Week 13: Texans Climbing, Steelers Stumble