Houston Texans Daily Roundup: A must-win weekend against Colts

There is no secret about it, the Houston Texans need to defeat the Indianapolis Colts this weekend, or the season could have a much different outlook the rest of the way.

Any way you look at it, this weekend is very important for the Houston Texans, and it is a must-win weekend for the team, even if it is Week 4 of the 2018 season. The Texans have dug a huge hole to begin this year with a 0-3 record, and falling to 0-4 is all but saying there isn’t much of a chance to not just make the playoffs, but even thinking about that opportunity.

If the Texans were to start 0-4 this season with a loss on Sunday, there would still be a glimmer of hope to make the postseason as only once since the NFL-AFL merger a team has made the playoffs with an 0-4 start. That team was the 1992 San Diego Chargers, who finished 11-5 that season.

The three losses by the Texas this season have been by a combined 15 points, with no loss by more than a touchdown. A lot of it has been because they’ve not held a lead at halftime and are always playing while trailing.

No matter how you look at it, the Texans need a win in the worst way, just to not push their luck in trying to become the second team in NFL history to overcome a start of 0-4. Before the game on Sunday, here is a look at some of the headlines for this weekend’s game against the Colts.

• Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said that this is a must-win game for the team this weekend, as Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com quoted the head coach in a recent article:

"“We have to win,” O’Brien said. “We all understand that. [Texans owner] Bob [McNair] has made it very clear to me that we need to improve.”"

That seems to be a “better win now or the Texans will have a new head coach” type of message from the owner of the Texans. It is tough to not be frustrated if you are the owner of the Texans after watching the product at times this season. The Texans need to play with urgency, and McNair gave the Texans that motivation for their away game with the Colts for Sunday.

• Brian K. Patterson of FanSided’s House of Houston wrote about why the Texans should trade Jadeveon Clowney, and now is the right time. Patterson wrote:

"“After the Houston Texans making strong signals that they wanted to extend Jadeveon Clowney‘s contract this off season, the franchise has backtracked and decided to move on with things.”"

The re-signing of Clowney will continue to be interesting to watch and see how all of that progresses. The Texans are a better team with a player of Clowney’s talent on their roster, but they do need to vastly improve their offensive line if they ever want a chance at competing in the AFC at a serious level. Time will tell what the Texans do, and either way, it will be a tough decision to make.

• Kevin Hickey of Coltswire.USAToday.com gave four “causes for concern” before the Colts face the Texans on Sunday. One of the causes written by Hickey was about J.J. Watt:

"“Watt is coming off of a three-sack performance against the New York Giants, and he now faces a Colts offensive line that will be missing some pieces at the tackle positions.”"

The opportunity is there for Watt to have another three-sack performance, and for others to get to know Colts quarterback a little more closer on Sunday, but Watt needs to take advantage of it and have another Watt type of performance. Maybe last Sunday was just a preview of what is to come, but consistency for Watt is what is needed for the Texans defense from their top player.

• Tweet of the Day

Once again, it can’t be said enough the Texans really need to gain a win this weekend. It isn’t a guarantee anymore that they will, but their backs are seemingly against the wall, and avoiding an 0-4 start should be enough motivation to go out to Indianapolis and play their best game of the season. If not, the seat will be getting hotter for O’Brien and the rest of the Texans as well.