Week 9 rooting guide: Who should Texans fans cheer for this weekend?
By Randy Gurzi
The Houston Texans are off this Sunday after playing on Halloween night. Thursday Night Football can be a blessing when a team wins, giving them plenty of confidence and more time to prepare for the next opponent.
It can also be a curse, which is the case for Houston in Week 9. A frustrating loss to the New York Jets leads to a long break before they face the Detroit Lions in Week 10. They do still get some extra rest, which is much-needed, but the time off feels worse when trying to get past a loss.
For fans, it allows them to check out a few other games during the weekend. With that being the case, here's a look at a handful of games and a recommendation of who to cheer for.
Cowboys at Falcons: Cheer for Dallas
Normally, this game wouldn't matter much with both the Dallas Cowboys and Atlanta Falcons in the NFC. It's also easy to cheer for anyone playing against the Cowboys.
So why should Houston fans root for their in-state rival this weekend?
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Simple, they play the Cowboys in two weeks. Anyone who follows Dallas should know that they're easier to beat when they start believing in themselves. If they happen to knock off the Falcons and can win against Philly in Week 10, they will head into NRG Stadium for Monday Night Football in Week 11 full of confidence, making them ripe for the picking.
Raiders at Bengals: Cheer for Las Vegas
Las Vegas is the underdog with a record of 2-6. The Bengals aren't much better with a record of 3-5 but they could get hot. Houston would be better served to see Joe Burrow and company continue to lose. That way, if they were to somehow lose the AFC South title to the Colts, they would have a better record than a potential Wild Card team.
Chargers at Browns: Cheer for Cleveland
The same logic goes for the Chargers as they head to Cleveland. At 4-3, they could be in contention for a Wild Card berth in the AFC. Seeing them lose could be a plus for the Texans down the road.
Colts at Vikings: Cheer for Minnesota
This is the easiest one this weekend. The Minnesota Vikings host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football.
Indy is 4-4 and despite being swept by Houston, they have life thanks to the Jets win in Week 9. The Colts also just turned to Joe Flacco, who has been far better than Anthony Richardson. Let's cheer for Sam Darnold and the Vikings, hoping they keep the Colts two games back while preventing them from catching fire.
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