NFL Power Rankings Week 12: Reaction and Standings After Thursday Night Football

DeAndre Hopkins caught two touchdowns to help the Houston Texans earn a 20-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts and kick off Week 12 of the 2019 NFL season with a bit of drama.

Since both teams entered the contest at 6-4, Houston now stands atop a hotly contested AFC South.

The Texans have edged their way into the top 10 of our most current NFL power rankings. While the remainder of the Week 12 slate will affect the order, Houston finds itself in a promising playoff spot with regard to the playoff picture, too.

Post-TNF Week 12 Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots (9-1)
2. San Francisco 49ers (9-1)
3. Baltimore Ravens (8-2)
4. Seattle Seahawks (8-2)
5. Green Bay Packers (8-2)
6. New Orleans Saints (8-2)
7. Minnesota Vikings (8-3)
8. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
9. Dallas Cowboys (6-4)
10. Houston Texans (7-4)
11. Buffalo Bills (7-3)
12. Oakland Raiders (6-4)
13. Indianapolis Colts (6-5)
14. Los Angeles Rams (6-4)
15. Philadelphia Eagles (5-5)
16. Tennessee Titans (5-5)
17. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5)
18. Carolina Panthers (5-5)
19. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-6)
20. Los Angeles Chargers (4-7)
21. Chicago Bears (4-6)
22. Cleveland Browns (4-6)
23. Arizona Cardinals (3-7-1)
24. Atlanta Falcons (3-7)
25. Detroit Lions (3-6-1)
26. Denver Broncos (3-7)
27. New York Jets (3-7)
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-7)
29. New York Giants (2-8)
30. Miami Dolphins (2-8)
31. Washington (1-9)
32. Cincinnati Bengals (0-10)

Thursday Night Football Reaction

Deshaun Watson and the Houston passing game provided the most excitement in this relatively low-scoring game.

Will Fuller V paced all receivers with seven catches and 140 yards, while Hopkins recorded six receptions and 94 yards. His second touchdown gave the Texans a 20-17 advantage early in the fourth quarter, and they held on the rest of the way.

That 30-yard score will not be remembered as the night's key play, though. Instead, that discussion will center on Watson's non-fumble fumble at the end of the game.

On and 2nd-and-9 in the closing minutes of regulation, Colts linebacker Darius Leonard jarred the ball loose and seemed to make a recovery. However, that sequence will remain up for debate forever, because―rather stunningly, in today's review-heavy era of football―the play wasn't even reviewed.

"Officials on the field ruled a fumble recovered by the offense. There was no clear visual evidence of a recovery by the defense," the NFL said through its officiating Twitter account.

After the game, Leonard disagreed with that assessment.

Nevertheless, the result cannot be changed. And the victory puts the Texans in a promising spot within the AFC South.

"It means a lot, off a short week, against a division opponent," defensive lineman D.J. Reader said, per Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle. "First place in the division—it was a lot."

Thanks to a head-to-head win over Kansas City, Houston is now positioned third in the AFC.

Indianapolis, meanwhile, tumbled from the division lead to outside of a wild-card spot, and the Raiders hold the tiebreaker on the Colts. They cannot afford a loss to the Titans or Bucs in upcoming games, especially with the Saints looming in Week 15.

Updated Playoff Standings

AFC

1. New England Patriots (AFC East leader)
2. Baltimore Ravens (AFC North leader)
3. Houston Texans (AFC South leader)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (AFC West leader)
5. Buffalo Bills
6. Oakland Raiders

NFC

1. San Francisco 49ers (NFC West leader)
2. Green Bay Packers (NFC North leader)
3. New Orleans Saints (NFC South leader)
4. Dallas Cowboys (NFC East leader)
5. Seattle Seahawks
6. Minnesota Vikings

Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.