If you want to start off a power ranking from the bottom, be sure to include the Houston Texans at No. 32.
The Indianapolis Colts obviously should rank higher because Carson Wentz, the offensive line, Frank Reich, scheme, et cetera.
As is the case every August, the attrition of training camp and the preseason reveals the true power rankings.
The injury bug has visited the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center, and quarterback Carson Wentz and All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson have been bitten. Wentz is expected to miss five to 12 weeks with the injury. Nelson has the exact same foot injury as his new signal caller.
Nelson is the anchor of the Colts’ offensive line, and the loss of their former 2018 first-round pick, or his substandard play as he battles the injury throughout the 17-game season, will impact their offensive line. How effectively can they open up running lanes for Jonathan Taylor? How effectively can they pass-protect for rookie Sam Ehlinger, Jacob Eason, Brett Hundley, and Jalen Morton?
With that type of hit to the offense, the Colts have come down to the Texans’ level.
If the AFC South is that wide open, with only the Tennessee Titans as the last credible team to take the division and make some noise in the playoffs (although their sounds of fury signified nothing in 2020 with a wild-card playoff loss), it presents an opportunity for Houston to avoid the division basement and maybe compete for the division crown.
There are still many variables in play, but the Texans may be closer to the middle than they are to the bottom.
The last time the Texans and Colts were equally moribund was in 2017 when each finished 4-12. However, Indianapolis swept Houston, but the Cleveland Browns enjoyed the spoils of the No. 4 overall pick as the Texans used it to move up for Deshaun Watson in the 2017 draft.