Houston Texans: Three must win games to secure a first round playoff bye

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HOUSTON, TX – NOVEMBER 02: DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Houston Texans (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /

Week 16: Texans vs. Eagles in Philadelphia

This game has been highlighted on the Texans schedule for this season ever since the Eagles took down the Patriots in the Super Bowl last February. The Super Bowl champs are always a target on anyone’s schedule but taking them down could be one of the final keys to the Houston Texans potentially locking up a first-round playoff bye.

The Eagles have not played the majority of this season like they just won the Super Bowl. It’s taken Carson Wentz a long time to get back to where he was pre-injury and I’m still not sure if he’s there yet. Losing a lot of their offensive staff obviously didn’t help them out much either.

However, the NFC East is probably the most wide open division in all of football right now. The Cowboys, Redskins, and Eagles all have a legitimate chance to come away with that division title. The Cowboys have been surging thanks to Amari Cooper‘s arrival and dominance. The Redskins appear to be slipping after losing Alex Smith. The Eagles are currently somewhere in between but their roster is talented and could make a huge push the final five games of the season.

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They have talent at every level on both sides of the football but their secondary is probably their weakest link at this point in the season. The Houston Texans are going to have to exploit that in a major way to ensure a victory. Fortunately, DeAndre Hopkins is the best in the game, Thomas is on the come up as a Texan, and Jordan Thomas is still on the rise.

This seems to be, as of now, a very winnable game of the Texans. However, they won’t be able to cakewalk to a victory by any means. If all goes according to plan, the Texans will have locked up their spot in the playoffs. So, they can either choose to breeze to the playoffs or fight for the chance to have a first-round bye. I’d reckon this team doesn’t take their foot on the gas pedal and they grind to the end.

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There are five games left in the NFL regular season. The Houston Texans have won eight games in a row. All of the last five are very winnable so, it’s not unreasonable to see the team winning out and going 13-3. However, these three games are absolutely must-win for the Texans.

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