NFL power rankings: Week 14 hump day edition
16. team. 10. <p>The Houston Texans are a hard team to figure out. On one hand, they started out the season 2-5 and went back and forth between quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer. It was puzzling from the start because head coach Bill O’Brien named Hoyer the started for the Week 1 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, only to bench him by the fourth quarter for Mallett.</p> <p>Now, Mallett has been released and the team has turned the season around. Unfortunately, Houston sustained a tough 30-21 against the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium last Sunday, and now finds itself at 6-6 and still in second place of the AFC South, losing a tiebreaker to the Indianapolis Colts.</p> <p>The Texans face a massive test this weekend, playing the New England Patriots on Sunday in primetime. New England has lost two consecutive games and could be getting tight end Rob Gronkowski back for the contest. Houston will then play each divisional opponent one more time, hoping that a win over the Colts and subsequent victories against the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars are enough.</p> <p>Houston has played better than many expected, but there is plenty of work to be done for this playoff hopeful.</p> <p> </p>. (6-6). Previous: . Houston Texans