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00:00And 100%, this is a must-win football game for the Texans.
00:03It's that simple.
00:04Must win.
00:05It's that simple.
00:05And it's not about NFC, AFC.
00:08I mean, to be honest with you, it's not about the Indianapolis Colts.
00:11To be completely clear, this is a must-win game
00:18because if you go out there and you backslide
00:22and it's closer to what we saw the first three weeks
00:24than it was what we saw weeks four and five, all right,
00:27then this is going to be a long-ass season.
00:29You've got major problems, right?
00:32Right now, you've got a quarterback that's got some confidence.
00:35Right now, you've got a play caller that's got some confidence.
00:37Right now, you've got an offensive line that's got some confidence,
00:40both protecting the quarterback as well as running the football.
00:42You've got some young players that are starting to kind of emerge.
00:45You've got a veteran tight end that you paid $12 million to
00:47that all of a sudden is part of the game plan
00:48and impacting this team's ability to move the football.
00:52And all of that dies on the vine if you go to Seattle
00:56and lay an egg offensively.
00:58If you go to Seattle and you can't protect the quarterback,
01:01you can't get the ball out, you can't create separation,
01:03you can't run the football, the quarterback's holding the ball
01:06and running for his life.
01:07If that is the case, then you come.
01:12You've got the home games.
01:13It doesn't matter who the opponents are.
01:15It's all internal looking of what's going on with Kaylee,
01:18what's going on with CJ, what's going on with the supporting cast,
01:22how do they move forward at two and four.
01:24This is not only a turning point game for the Texans.
01:27This is a must-win football game.
01:30And I wish, by the way, I wish that I could sit here and say,
01:33oh, it's an NFC game, man, it don't matter.
01:35I wish that I could sit here and say, hey, man,
01:38we play in this weak-ass division, man, it don't matter.
01:40I'm telling you, none of that is a factor.
01:45In me arriving at this is a must-win game, it's all about the Texans.
01:49It's not about the conference you play in.
01:52It's not about the division you play in.
01:53It's about this football team and what it looks like moving forward
01:57if you fall to two and four.
01:59If you fall to 0-4 against teams that are playoff-caliber teams or better,
02:05and you're 2-0 against two teams that are arguably two of the worst teams in football,
02:09especially when you played them.
02:10I'm talking about Baltimore with all the injuries.
02:13You're in a bad spot.
02:15You're in a really, really, really bad spot.
02:17And so I think this is a must-win.
02:20Must-win.
02:20But is that too far for you, Tyler?
02:22Is this must-win too far for you?
02:27I mean, some people say it's week seven.
02:29It's week seven.
02:30My knee-jerk is yes, but it's not lost on me, the state of things,
02:34as y'all beautifully just laid out with AFC South in particular.
02:38It's not lost on me, but it does feel early.
02:41It feels early?
02:42It feels early.
02:43It unfortunately feels early for me, too.
02:46But I'm there.
02:47I'm just telling you.
02:48I'm telling you, I'm there, man.
02:50Now, first is the caveat, if you will.
02:54I think if this offense is more like who we saw against Baltimore and Tennessee,
03:00if that is truly who they are and that travels,
03:04I think they win the game.
03:07I think they are a very difficult team to beat if that is the case.
03:10The problem is, is I don't see this being a kind of back-and-forth game.
03:19It's 27-24.
03:21There's some good.
03:22There's some bad.
03:22There's a turnover that kind of swings.
03:24I see this being either you go out there, you put up points, you move the football,
03:28you win this ball game, you give your defense a little bit of room to breathe,
03:32you give them a little bit of grace, and you win this football game,
03:34or you get smothered and we come home and we're going, what are they going to do offensively?
03:39So, if they lose this game, your thoughts of them making the playoffs become extremely concerning for you.
03:47Yes, and beyond, because, I mean, some folks would say, yeah, Ron, at two and four,
03:51that you're concerned about making the playoffs.
03:53But I'm, like, I agree, like, I'm not even, I'm more worried about, I go back to looking at, man,
04:01can D'Amico find an offensive play caller?
04:04Is C.J. Stroud the guy?
04:06Dude, because, I mean, you look up, if they're able to smother you tonight,
04:10now it becomes very real of, like, hey, man, the supporting cast is not enough.
04:16With San Francisco and Denver coming next.
04:21Come on, man.
04:21Right, and you've been talking about the top defenses that they have to play down the stretch.
04:27And I know Jacksonville just got skull drug in London, but Jacksonville can put all over.
04:33I've seen that.
04:33It's happened all year long with the exception of.
04:35They did it to you.
04:36Yeah.
04:36Yeah, so, I mean, we can poo-poo Jacksonville because they just got beat.
04:40They just got the doors blown off of them in London.
04:42But, I mean, just be completely honest with you, that's not, I don't know if that's a good idea.
04:46Yeah, someone texted in and said, if they lose tonight, the Super Bowl aspirations are over.
04:55Yeah, okay.
04:57If the Texans win this game tonight, they will be 3-3, and you can consider this a full reset on the season.
05:04I agree with that.
05:04I expect to see the Texans beginning to play regularly at a high level on both sides of the ball, having worked out most of the kinks on offense.
05:14Yeah, if they win, you get to 3-3, and then that puts you, I think, right there with the Bengals.
05:24And now you're looking at the Bengals who have Joe Flacco right now, and you've got to feel like that is not, you don't know if you're going to get that consistency like he got last week.
05:36I don't know if people are just going to allow him to throw it to Jamar Chase and Higgins that many times consistently.
05:43But you would, like, you'd actually jump the Bengals, you'd be 3-3 as they're 3-4, and then be behind Kansas City, Jacksonville, and the Chargers.
05:51And you would feel good about that.
05:54And that would then bring a ton of confidence to go on the road, one of the toughest places to play, against Seattle.
06:01And that would give you confidence the rest of the way.
06:05Because if you get to 2-4, and I'm looking at the playoffs and things like that, the math is hard to see.
06:12Because, like, to me, in your mind, you've got to get to 10.
06:15And, by the way, there have been teams that haven't made it at 10.
06:18But, to me, you've got to get to 10 wins, and that means if you lost tonight, you'd have to go 8-3 the rest of the way.
06:26And you have road games in Kansas City and Indy, and you have the Bills coming in.
06:31Right?
06:31Like, three of them.
06:32And you've got the Colts coming in again.
06:34You've got the Jags coming in again.
06:37Right?
06:37You've got Denver coming in.
06:38You've got the 49ers coming in.
06:40Like, you've got to go 8-3 the rest of the way if you lose tonight.
06:46And that's why the math is kind of tough to – it's hard to say, all right, you've only beaten the Ravens,
06:57who have been beat up and continuing to get their asses kicked by teams,
07:02and then you've only beaten the Titans, who continue to get their ass kicked by teams,
07:08and then to say, we'll go 8-3 the rest of the way with that being the resume there.
07:13So, I think this is a turning point game.
07:15They win this game, you feel, hell yeah, they can make a run to get into the playoffs with this team.
07:23The Colts have thrown a damn wrench in this thing with this 6-1.
07:26I didn't – you always thought you could fall back on maybe, hey, 10 wins might win the South.
07:31Right.
07:32That's not happening anymore.
07:33The Colts are 6-1, and they are rolling with this third-place schedule.
07:39And, damn it, they – I mean, they're – like –
07:41I outlined it Friday, Ron.
07:43If you look at – if you look at the Colts and their schedule, getting to 11 –
07:51I mean, getting to 11 is going to be – is going to be – I mean, their overrunner's got to be 11 right now.
07:57Yeah.
07:57I mean, their schedule – now, I did have the Bears on there.
08:00They've got the Bears, and the Bears are a better football team than maybe I gave them credit for.
08:05But, I mean, they –
08:06It's not the Packers or the Lions.
08:07Bro, they've got – like, seven of their remaining 10 games are very winnable games for them.
08:13Especially the way they're playing.
08:14I mean, people think they're the best offense in football right now.
08:17I mean, it'd be tough.
08:17They're playing them.
08:18I mean, yeah.
08:18I mean, look, I mean, there's some good ones up there.
08:21But, yeah, it's – I mean, here's the deal.
08:25To me, if you go win this game, if you're Houston and you go win this game,
08:29you validate what has happened the last two weeks.
08:32You validate the progress that you've made.
08:35And what you do is – I mean, you look at the standings.
08:38What you do is you validate being dead in the middle of the AFC.
08:46Forget the records, right?
08:47Just – I mean, clearly the Texans started out slow,
08:49dug a hole that they're going to have a hard time getting out of record-wise
08:52to be in the conversations with the 6-1, 5-2 teams.
08:56But if you look at the football product that's out there,
08:59if the Texans, what they did the last two weeks,
09:02if it transitions into – to Seattle and against that defense,
09:07nobody's going to have a – nobody's going to check up
09:10to put them in the same conversation with the 4-3 Chargers, right?
09:17As you said, the 3-4 Cincinnati Bengals, the 4-2 Pittsburgh Steelers.
09:22The Jags.
09:22The 5-2 Denver Broncos, who you play.
09:24The Jags.
09:25Yeah, the Jags are on here.
09:25I just skipped over them because you've already played them.
09:28The Beals are 4-2.
09:29That may be a little bit – that may be getting a little –
09:32over my ski.
09:32Look, but you are – you're in the conversation with some of these teams
09:36of having some of the better product in the NFL.
09:38Now, again, if you go up there and it's all for none
09:41and you backslide back to what you did against playoff-caliber teams
09:44prior to playing Tennessee and Baltimore,
09:46then, you know, you deserve to slide towards the bottom of it.
09:50Someone texted, what if they play well and lose?
09:52I mean, I think you'll feel better.
09:56You'll feel better than you did against – if the offense, especially.
09:59You'll feel better than you did against, like, the Rams
10:02and the other teams that they jumped off to.
10:06Yeah, look, there's a possibility.
10:07I just –
10:08But 2-4 is just – even if they play well and lose,
10:11if you're talking about – I mean, this team coming into the year,
10:14they're talking about putting a ring on the bull.
10:17Like, if you roll out 2-4 and to get to 10 wins,
10:20you've got to win eight of your last 11.
10:23And you know you've got road games at Indy, at Kansas City.
10:28You've got the Bills at home.
10:29And then the next three, you've got the Niners who are hot and playing well.
10:34You've got the Broncos who seem to have as much luck as anybody right now
10:38as they're pulling games off.
10:40They've got no business winning at 5-2.
10:42And you've got the Jags who you've already played that are in the playoff.
10:45So, yeah, it's a huge, huge game.
10:51I don't know I would go as far as this texture of the game.
10:53This game is the difference between 10-7 and 6-11.
10:59I don't know that – I'm not going to say that is a crazy take
11:03because I could see that, you know, we've seen downward spirals
11:07that could kind of roll down if you lose a game.
11:12I don't know if it would go to that far of a stretch,
11:14but it feels must-winish.
11:19Well, we just don't know.
11:20Look, I actually love that text.
11:22One of my favorite texts you've ever read, to be honest with you.
11:24I agree.
11:25Now, it may not be – again, the NFC is irrelevant.
11:29I think what the texts are saying as well is like if –
11:32I mean, this game is – the product you put on the field in this game
11:36is going to determine whether we have the ability to go win 10
11:39or we're going to struggle to get to six.
11:42I think that's fair.
11:44Yeah.
11:45Yeah.
11:46I would say this is going to tell a lot.
11:50A lot.
11:51And here's the other thing, Ron, and interesting.
11:54I mean, I'm getting off in the weeds on the negativity of it, if you will,
11:58but the – like D'Amico Ryan's and C.J. Stroud in particular,
12:05we've not seen them deal with that level of adversity.
12:10You know what I mean?
12:10We have no idea how they're going to handle that level of adversity.
12:14I just think –
12:14And then the flip of that, the confidence they would gain if they went on the road.
12:20Sky high.
12:20Sky high.
12:20Because, as you said, it would go a long way to say, all right, yeah,
12:27that thing in Baltimore, that wasn't completely because Baltimore sucked ass.
12:33No, that is because, all right, no, we found something.
12:36We did find something in the second half.
12:39Against Tennessee.
12:39See you next time.
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