After six weeks, the NFL has already sorted itself into a familiar mess: a few teams out in front, a pile of mediocrity in the middle, and a whole lot left to be decided. The Texans just made sure they’re no longer buried in the wreckage.
Houston’s 34-31 win over the Jaguars in London came down to the last kick, a 49-yard field goal from Ka’imi Fairbairn as time expired. That was enough to give the Texans a second straight divisional victory after last week’s win over the winless Titans in Nashville, and it flipped the mood around a team that looked finished two weeks ago at 0-4.
That’s the part that matters most here: the Texans were staring at a dead end, with a defense that had been tagged by a pair of 30-point outings from the offense and a record that looked hard to escape. Now they’re 2-4 and, at least for the moment, back in the AFC South conversation.
The defense still isn’t fixed, but C.J. Stroud looks like himself again after a rough stretch that included five interceptions in the 2025 postseason.
So far in ’26, he’s thrown for 300 yards three times and has nine touchdown passes against one interception.
The supporting cast is helping, too. Nico Collins is healthy, Marvin Harrison Jr. is in the mix, and the Texans have a stretch coming up that could keep this thing moving in the right direction: the Giants, Chargers, Browns and Colts over the next month. Houston still has a lot to prove, but it also still has a path, which is more than it had a couple of weeks ago.
The math is brutal, though. The Texans are 2-4 in a deep AFC, and the Jaguars remain two games ahead in the South at 4-2.
Houston also has a strange piece of history working against it: last year, the Texans were the only team under the expanded playoff format to start 0-3 and still make the postseason. If they manage to do something similar from 0-4 this season, they’d join the 1992 Chargers as the only teams ever to pull it off.
Before any of that gets too far ahead of itself, Houston has to handle the games in front of it. The Texans host the Giants next, then go on bye, and they’ve at least done the essential work by beating Jacksonville in London. That was the assignment, and they got it done.
Elsewhere, the league’s middle is crowded, and the ugly parts are getting harder to ignore. The NFC East, in particular, is becoming a study in dysfunction.
The Eagles are 2-3 with Jalen Hurts on injured reserve because of a blood clot in his calf and a pile of other injuries around him. The Giants sit atop the division at 3-1-1, but they’re being led by Jameis Winston, with Jaxson Dart done for the year after a knee injury in Week 2.
Washington is 1-3-1 and, as the source of this chaos goes, does not understand the concept of time. The Cowboys are 2-3 after losing to the previously winless Buccaneers.
The trade deadline is still a few weeks away, so there’s time for the division to shift. New York could try to build something around Winston.
Jerry Jones could decide to make a move and try to fix a defense that ranks 31st, with first-round rookies Malachi Lawrence and Caleb Downs already in the mix. For now, though, the NFC East looks like one of the league’s messiest races, which is saying something.
Denver, meanwhile, is sitting at 4-2 and has survived a brutal opening run against the Chiefs, 49ers, Rams, Jaguars and Seahawks. That record would normally buy a team plenty of confidence. Instead, the Broncos have a real problem on offense.
They paid a steep price to bring in receiver Jaylen Waddle, sending three draft picks to do it, but the attack has gone backward. Bo Nix has thrown for 1,049 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions, but he’s averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt, and the results are ugly: Denver ranks 31st in yards per game, ahead of only the winless Titans, and 26th in points.
Waddle has barely made a dent outside of his 138-yard game in Week 2 against Jacksonville. He has 14 catches for 90 yards in the other games.
Cortland Sutton hasn’t helped much either, with 13 catches on 29 targets for 123 yards. The Broncos are still in the AFC playoff hunt, but not in any comfortable way.
They get the Cardinals in Week 7, then a rematch with the Chiefs, who beat them 31-10 in the season opener at Arrowhead Stadium. Another loss to Kansas City would probably push Denver into wild-card territory.
Right now, the defense and record are keeping the Broncos afloat, but the offense is becoming impossible to ignore. Davis Webb and Sean Payton have called plays that have gone nowhere.
Sutton and Waddle have done next to nothing. If Nix doesn’t lift the whole operation, the rest of it won’t matter.
In Other News...
Jaguars Just Sent A Clear Message On Brian Thomas Jr
The Jaguars have made their stance on Brian Thomas Jr. pretty clear, even with other NFL teams showing interest in the young receiver. Despite a limited role in the offense this season, Jacksonville is not entertaining trade talks for Thomas, according to Jonathan Jones of The Athletic, and the move says plenty about how the team views his place in the long-term plan.
For a roster trying to position itself as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, keeping a player with Thomas upside matters more than dangling him for short-term help. The decision leaves the Jaguars choosing continuity over a possible market-driven move, and it suggests they see enough value in holding onto him even if his volume has not yet matched the outside attention. [Read more 🡒]
Texans Fans Will Notice A Different Broadcast Team In London
The Texans and Jaguars will take their matchup to Wembley Stadium in London for Week 6, giving the game a different kind of stage and a different kind of viewing experience for fans back home. It will also come with a fresh broadcast crew, as Bob Wischusen and Louis Riddick are set to handle the call for the international game.
For viewers used to hearing the same voices week after week, the change is a notable one, especially in a game that will air at 9:30 a.m. ET. It will be the first NFL broadcast of the season for both Wischusen and Riddick, adding another small wrinkle to a morning matchup that already stands apart on the league calendar. [Read more 🡒]
Jaguars Rookie Receiver Is Earning A Bigger Role For One Clear Reason
Josh Cameron has already done enough in his first five games to get Jacksonvilles coaching staff paying closer attention. The sixth-round pick has caught eight of 12 targets for 117 yards and two touchdowns, while also chipping in on special teams, and offensive coordinator Grant Udinski has been quick to point to more than just the box score. What has stood out is the rookies physical tools and the speed with which he has started to grasp the Jaguars offense.
For a young receiver, that kind of trust usually comes from handling the details, and Cameron has given the staff reason to believe he can do more than line up in one spot and run a simple route tree. Udinski has praised Camerons ability to learn multiple receiver positions and make the subtle route adjustments that depend on defensive coverage, which is often the difference between staying on the field and watching from the sideline. In a room where versatility matters, that understanding could be the clear path to a bigger role. [Read more 🡒]