The Houston Texans’ offseason has set them up for a season of unheralded levels of excitement. Everyone and their parents seem to be picking the Texans as a dark horse candidate to win the Super Bowl this season. While those may be lofty goals, it’s not unfair to say so. The Texans were one of the best teams in the 2023 season, retained most of its roster, and added three Pro Bowlers to their core.

This is a team that’s on the rise and the national media is picking up on it. So much so that the NFL on Fox Podcast had the Texans at number five in their preseason power rankings. Fair, considering they added Joe Mixon, Danielle Hunter, and Stefon Diggs to a core that included C.J. Stroud, Nico Collins, Will Anderson Jr., Derek Stingley Jr., Tank Dell, and Laremy Tunsil.

The hype is real, as it should be. Yet, they didn’t just hit the fifth mark, it’s who they finished above that got us talking. Namely, the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens were the only team in the 2023 season who beat the Texans twice. They handed them losses in the first and final weeks of the Texans’ season. Proving that, at least in 2023, the Ravens were a better team.

Yet, the Ravens come in at just number eight, behind the Texans, Green Bay Packers, and the Cincinnati Bengals. Considering the two teams’ immediate past, you’d think that would carry some heft and weight with those making this list.

It didn’t.

Now, it’d be fair to say that the Ravens and Texans are not the same team in 2024 as they were in 2023 and that it’d be unfair to assume the Texans wouldn’t win the next time they face. Still, it’s a bit surprising to see, of all the teams that could be ahead of them, the Ravens not being there.

The Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions are over the Texans on the list, but I would argue that both teams are on par with the Ravens and Texans. So we’ll have to see how this all shakes out.

The full list can be seen below;

1. Kansas City Chiefs
2. San Francisco 49ers
3. Detroit Lions
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. Houston Texans
6. Green Bay Packers
7. Cincinnati Bengals
8. Baltimore Ravens
9. Buffalo Bills
10. Cleveland Browns
11. Los Angeles Rams
12. Dallas Cowboys
13. New York Jets
14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
15. Miami Dolphins
16. Chicago Bears
17. Atlanta Falcons
18. Jacksonville Jaguars
19. Pittsburgh Steelers
20. Seattle Seahawks
21. Indianapolis Colts
22. Arizona Cardinals
23. Minnesota Vikings
24. Tennessee Titans
25. New Orleans Saints
26. Las Vegas Raiders
27. Los Angeles Chargers
28. Washington Commanders
29. New York Giants
30. New England Patriots
31. Denver Broncos
32. Carolina Panthers