What can beating the New England Patriots do to a team’s placement in the power rankings?
According to Mark Schofield from the Touchdown Wire, the Houston Texans jumped from No. 28 to No. 23 in the latest NFL power rankings after vanquishing the 4-5 Patriots with a 27-20 score in Week 11.
In his final college football game, Deshaun Watson and the Clemson Tigers faced a third-and-long against the vaunted Alabama defense. Watson was forced to pull the football down and try to scramble for the first down, and he propelled himself into linebacker Reuben Foster. The defensive player’s hit sent Watson into helicopter mode, and the QB came up just short.
But he bounced right up, showing you that competitive fire that made me and others a believer in him.
I could not help but think of that play Sunday when I watched Watson do this:
.@deshaunwatson lowers the shoulder and will NOT be denied.
The @HoustonTexans take a 14-10 lead! #WeAreTexans
đź“ş: #NEvsHOU on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/dGRXeByfnl pic.twitter.com/UjvWItRdMY— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2020
Watson’s short touchdown run, bowling over New England defenders along the way, gave the Houston Texans a lead they would not surrender, as they topped the New England Patriots 27-20. Watson was again very impressive, and as he had in previous weeks he joined some elite company with that touchdown run:
#Texans QB @deshaunwatson became the first player in franchise history to notch at least 225 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown in the first half of a game. Watson and Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes are the only players in the NFL to do so this season. pic.twitter.com/q1djBP6WnJ
— Texans PR (@TexansPR) November 22, 2020
Why was this such an impressive win for the Texans? The Patriots entered Sunday believing they had a path to the postseason. Houston may have closed that down with the win. On this Sunday – like many Sundays – Watson was the best quarterback on the field. Furthermore, the Texans showed flashes of what could be, provided they make the right decisions at season’s end.
Around the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars stayed exactly at No. 31. As long as the New York Jets continue to be awful, that may be the furthest that they fall. The Tennessee Titans improved from No. 14 to No. 10. The Indianapolis Colts, who managed to beat the Green Bay Packers 34-31 in overtime, climbed from No. 7 to No. 4.