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Why Monday's game became an even bigger must-win for Houston
The stakes in the Houston Texans' Monday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers grew exponentially Sunday.
The Texans' divisional rivals, the Indianapolis Colts, improved to 2-0 on the season after beating the Denver Broncos on a field goal as time expired.
What was most revealing about the win was that the Colts' offense actually looks good, and is arguably the best it has been in Shane Steichen’s three seasons as head coach.
The Colts have a new starting quarterback in Daniel Jones, who has completed flipped the outlook of this team. After two games, they haven’t punted once, a credit to Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor, who leads the NFL with 236 rushing yards.
If the Texans were to lose to the Bucs and fall to 0-2, they’d be facing an uphill climb to win the AFC South with the toughest schedule in the division. The odds of a team making the playoffs after losing its first two games drop significantly.
Furthering the concern for Houston is the fact that its offense was far from good in its season opener. The Texans didn’t score a single touchdown through four quarters, mostly due to untimely penalties.
The Bucs won’t be easy, but perhaps playing at home in a prime-time game with a loud crowd behind them can help.
But this one is a must-win game for the Texans.
Read the rest of my column looking at the five things I’m watching here.
 | Jonathan M. Alexander, Texans beat reporter |