The Texans have lost five of their last six games but they are still only 2 games behind the Jaguars in the AFC South.  The Ravens lost a tough game 13-10 to the Steelers last Sunday Night.  The Ravens are 1 game behind the Steelers in the AFC North.  This is a “must win” game for both teams.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans need to control the clock in this game to keep their defense off the field.  With that in mind look for Arian Foster to be heavily involved in the offense.  He has 1,709 yards rushing and receiving this year and he has scored 15 combined TDs.  It won’t be easy though as the linebackers of the Ravens are some tough cookies.  If Matt Schaub has time to throw the ball, Andre Johnson is going to have a HUGE game because the Ravens’ corners aren’t good enough to stop him.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Ravens have  good offensive players and they are going to be hard to stop.  The Texans better hope the Mario Williams gets to Joe Flacco a lot or he’s likely going to torch the secondary.  Anquan Boldin, Derrick Mason and T.J. Houshmandzadeh are all likely to get their fair share of catches and yards in this game.  The Texans have played decent against the run this year and they will have to be ready to deal with Ray Rice & Willis McGahee.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 24, TEXANS 23

The Texans are only 1-3 in their last four games but they have scored 95 points so it’s not entirely the offense’s fault.  In fact, in 29-year old QB Matt Schaub’s last four games, he has completed 88 of 136 passes (64.7%) for 1,083 yards with 7 TD passes and only 1 INT.  Schaub has now played in 12 games this year for the Texans and he has completed 258 of 403 passes (64%) for 3,089 yards with 17 TD passes and 8 INTs (93.2 QB Rating).  Schaub has also carried the ball 18 times for 19 yards (1.1 ypc) so far this year.  The Texans really need to improve the defense in both the draft and free agency because they are wasting the offense.

The Texans are amazingly back in the division race in the AFC South as last weeks’ win against the Titans has pulled them within one game of the Colts & Jaguars making this a huge game for them tonight.  The Eagles are coming off a loss to the Bears in Chicago and they also need this game as they are tied atop the NFC East with the New York Giants.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  I have a feeling that the Texans’ game plan is going to revolve around ball control tonight.  That means Arian Foster is going to have a huge role both running the ball and catching passes out of the backfield against a Eagles’ D that had a rough time dealing with Matt Forte.  The Eagles have 30 sacks and 19 interceptions so the O-Line is going to have to give Matt Schaub time to throw the ball and he’s going to have to be careful with the ball.  Andre Johnson could be in line for a big game tonight as long as he doesn’t act like Mike Tyson.

When the Eagles have the ball:  The Texans are giving up 286.2 yards passing per game so look for Michael Vick to be putting the ball up a lot.  The Texans need to contain Vick to the pocket if they want to have any chance of stopping him.  The Texans’ linebackers are also going to have to deal with Lesean McCoy who is having a solid year for the Eagles both running the ball and catching it out of the backfield.  The Eagles have a nice set of very speedy receivers in Jeremy Maclin, Desean Jackson and Jason Avant which will cause matchup issues with the Texans’ secondary.

PREDICTION:  EAGLES 37, TEXANS 31

The Texans have lost four games in a row and the last two came in devastating fashion.  They at least seem to be catching a Titans’ team who is also have problems both on and off the field.  The Titans have lost three games in a row.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  I think the Texans should come out passing the ball to get a quick lead on the Titans.  The Titans are allowing 258.7 yards passing per game, but, Matt Schaub is going to have to be careful as the Titans have 30 sacks and 15 interceptions so far this year.  Still, Schaub will take aim at the Titans’ secondary with Andre Johnson, Joel Dreessen, Jacoby Jones, Kevin Walter and Arian Foster.  Make no mistake though, Arian Foster is going to get his fair share of carries this weekend.

When the Titans have the ball:  The Titans are going to feed the ball to Chris Johnson and that’s a good idea for them.  He averaged 174 yards per game and 7.7 yards per carry against the Texans last season.  The team must slow down Johnson because the Titans are starting a rookie QB (Rusty Smith).  The Titans will likely take a couple of shots deep off play action to Randy Moss and Nate Washington so the secondary needs to be ready.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 27, TITANS 21

The Texans are reeling now as they have lost three games in a row including the devastating loss to the Jags last weekend on a Hail Mary.  The Texans are 2-2 on the road and the Jets are 2-2 on the road so something has to give.  Here’s a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans will likely try to mix things up on offense with Arian Foster’s running and Matt Schaub’s passing.  The Texans are averaging 5.0 yards per carry this year while the Jets are only giving up 3.4 yards per carry so something has to give this weekend.  The Jets will need to put pressure on Matt Schaub because they can be passed on.  Andre Johnson, Joel Dreessen, Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones will all be likely involved in the passing game this Sunday.

When the Jets have the ball:  The Jets are going to pound the ball on the ground with LaDainian Tomlinson & Shonn Greene this Sunday against a Texans’ D that is allowing 108.3 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry.  This should be the week that Rex Ryan takes the shackles off of QB Mark Sanchez because the Texans are allowing 301.3 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 110.2 Rating against them.  Look for Sanchez to keep Dustin Keller, Braylon Edwards, Santonio Holmes and L.T. heavily involved in the passing game.

PREDICTION:  JETS 30, TEXANS 24

These teams are tied in the AFC South, 1 game behind both the Titans & Colts so this is a HUGE football game.  The Texans are 2-1 on the road this year while the Jaguars are 2-2 at home.  The Texans have lost two games in a row and they will be going up against a rested Jaguars team that is coming off their bye week.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the football:  The Texans are going to try to mix it up this weekend in Jacksonville.  Arian Foster is the leading rusher in the NFL right now (864 yards) and he will be taking aim at a Jags’ D that is allowing 119.1 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry so he should have success.  If the Texans give Matt Schaub time to throw the ball both he and Andre Johnson could have big games against a Jags’ D that is allowing 267.1 yards passing per game and a opposing QB Rating of 103.8.

When the Jaguars have the ball:  David Garrard is coming of probably his best game of his NFL career (against the Cowboys) two weeks ago so look for the Jags to be more balanced than usual.  That doesn’t mean that Maurice Jones-Drew won’t get his usual number of touches in this game…..because he will.  The Texans only have 12 sacks this year and they are allowing 298.3 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 107.7 Rating against them.  Look for Garrard to spread the ball around to Mike Sims-Walker, Mike Thomas, Marcedes Lewis and Maurice Jones-Drew.

PREDICTION:  JAGUARS 34, TEXANS 31

The Texans have been up and down this season and they are 2-2 at home, but they have been outscored 116-92 in Houston.  The Chargers won at home last week over the Titans but they are 0-4 on the road this year and they have been outscored 103-78 away from San Diego.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are likely going to try to mix it up on offense tomorrow using the running game and short passes in an attempt to control the clock and keep Philip Rivers off the field.  Arian Foster will likely have to fight for every yard tomorrow as the Chargers are only giving up 83.1 yards rushing and 3.5 yards per carry so far this year.  The Chargers also have 25 sacks already this year so Matt Schaub is going to have to get rid of the ball quickly.  That means that Kevin Walter, Andre Johnson, Owen Daniels, Joel Dreessen, Jacoby Jones and Arian Foster are going to have to get yards after the catch and they will likely take some hits tomorrow.

When the Chargers have the ball:  The Texans might really luck out in this game as starting TE Antonio Gates is doubtful for tomorrow’s game.  The bad news is that Philip Rivers is still going to be there and he can make pretty much anyone a good WR.  He was throwing the ball to Patrick Crayton and Seji Ajirotutu last week and they will be his top 2 receivers this weekend.  Look for Rivers to use his running backs in the passing game a lot tomorrow so the Texans’ LBs better be up for the challenge.  Mike Tolbert, Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles are all decent backs.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 30, CHARGERS 27

This is a statement game for the Texans.  The Texans pushed the Colts around the first time they played this year and this game is for first place in the tough AFC South.  The Texans have been good on the road this year as they are 2-0 outscoring the opposition 61-51.  The Colts are a different team at home this year as they are 2-0 outscoring the opposition 57-23 as they tend to play some D at home.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  Arian Foster has to be licking his chops right now (and his Fantasy owners’ too) as he rushed for 231 yards and 3 TDs the first time these two teams met this year.  I see no reason for the Texans not to come out running in this game against a Colts’ D that is allowing 137.3 yards rushing per game and 4.8 yards per carry.  The Texans’ O-Line must keep Matt Schaub clean in this game.  If they do he’s going to also have a big game throwing the ball to Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Jacoby Jones and Owen Daniels. 

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts won’t have Dallas Clark, Austin Collie or Joseph Addai in this game and that’s going to hurt the offense.  Donald Brown & Mike Hart will handle the running game for the Colts and they will likely do a decent job against a Texans’ D that is allowing 104.3 yards rushing and 4.2 yards per carry this year.  The Texans better hope that DE Mario Williams gets into Peyton Manning’s grill a few times this week because if he’s feeling good in the pocket, they are in trouble.  The Texans are giving up 306.2 yards passing per game so it’s a nice week to break in TE Jacob Tamme and WRs Blair White & Anthony Gonzalez.  Reggie Wayne & Pierre Garcon will be Manning’s top targets in this game.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 34, COLTS 30

The Texans have lost their last two home games by a combined score of 61-23!  They will look to get back on track against a Chiefs team that lost their first game of the year last weekend in Indianapolis.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  I have a feeling that the Texans are going to come out throwing the ball against the Chiefs even though it didn’t work so good for the Colts last weekend.  Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter will likely get most of the passes thrown there way with Jacoby Jones & Owen Daniels a tad gimpy right now.  Matt Schaub has been sacked 14 times already this year so the Chiefs will likely be blitzing a lot.  The Chiefs’ are only giving up 80.5 yards rushing (3.2 ypc) per game this year but that won’t stop the Texans from feeding the ball a lot to Arian Foster (562 yards rushing, 5.9 ypc,  4 TD runs). 

When the Chiefs have the ball:  The Chiefs will likely come out running the ball with Thomas Jones & Jamaal Charles despite the Texans having a solid run D (79.6 rushing yards per game, 3.9 ypc).  The Chiefs are one of the worst throwing teams in the NFL as Matt Cassel has been pretty brutal so far this year.  But, the Texans’ D is giving up 329.6 yards passing per game and opposing QBs have a 102.6 rating against them.  Rookie TE Tony Moeaki is Cassel’s favorite target but WRs Dwyane Bowe and Chris Chambers have solid track records in the past despite not playing too well yet this year. 

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 24, CHIEFS 17

The Giants are coming off a very impressive win against the Bears last Sunday Night while the Texans held on against a tough Raiders team in Oakland.  This should be a very exciting, high scoring football game this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans will likely try to stay balanced in an attempt to slow down the Giants’ pass rush (they had 10 sacks last weekend against the Bears).  That means that they are likely to give Arian Foster a lot of work in this game both running the ball and on short passes out of the backfield.  With Andre Johnson expected back for this game look for the Texans to be at full speed in the passing game.  I look for Matt Schaub to move the ball around using all of his receivers in this game against a Giants’ D that is only allowing 139.8 yards passing per game.

When the Giants have the ball:  The Texans need to get Mario Williams and OLB Brian Cushing (back from his league suspension) in the backfield and after Eli Manning.  That’s because if Manning has time to throw the ball he’s likely going to torch the Texans’ secondary which is giving up a stunning 337.8 yards passing per game.  The Texans have to hope that their front seven can handle stopping Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs without much help from the secondary which already has it’s hands full.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 31, GIANTS 27