NFL power rankings: 49ers stay even, Patriots fall entering Week 3

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NASHVILLE, TN – SEPTEMBER 16: Deshaun Watson #4 of the Houston Texans throws a pass as he is tackled by Wesley Woodyard #56 of the Tennessee Titans during the third quarter at Nissan Stadium on September 16, 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

10. . L, 20-17 @ Titans. Previous: . Houston Texans. 15. team

Yup, a pretty massive fall for the Texans in our NFL power rankings this week. You don’t lose two games in a row to start the season and still wind up in the top 10.

Especially going up against a backup Titans quarterback in Blaine Gabbert. Ouch!

Houston’s loss doesn’t exactly fall on quarterback Deshaun Watson, who passed for over 300 yards with two touchdowns against an interception. And it says something the Texans were a relatively impressive 5-of-11 on third-down tries too.

So, what happened?

Well, the Texans bit on some Titans trick plays early. That didn’t help. Neither did a whopping 11 accepted penalties against head coach Bill O’Brien’s squad. For the Texans to ensure their mastery of the division, they’ll need to be better in this category even if fully healthy.

They weren’t on Sunday.