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Twelve weeks into the 2015 season, the Texans are still in the hunt for both the division crown and the last AFC wild card spot. Here are the standings for the conference contenders as they sit now on Thanksgiving Eve.
|
Team
|
Win-Loss
|
Division Record
|
Conference Record
|
|
|
10-0
|
4-0
|
7-0
|
|
|
8-2
|
3-0
|
7-1
|
|
(3) Denver Broncos
|
8-2
|
2-1
|
4-2
|
|
|
5-5
|
3-0
|
4-3
|
|
(WC) Pittsburgh Steelers
|
6-4
|
1-2
|
3-4
|
|
(WC) Kansas City Chiefs
|
5-5
|
2-1
|
4-2
|
|
Houston Texans
|
5-5
|
2-1
|
4-3
|
|
|
5-5
|
3-2
|
5-4
|
|
|
5-5
|
1-2
|
4-4
|
|
|
4-6
|
1-1
|
4-3
|
|
|
4-6
|
1-2
|
4-4
|
|
|
4-6
|
0-4
|
2-5
|
With Houston sitting just outside of the playoffs because of a brutal loss to the Chiefs in Week One, Bill O’Brien will need a little bit of help from the Football Gods for the rest of the season make the playoffs more attainable. Here is a game by game breakdown of who Texans fans should be rooting for (and against) this Sunday.
New Orleans at Houston
Who you should root for: Houston.
Why you should root for them: Because you are a fan of this team and want them to succeed...I hope.
St. Louis at Cincinnati
Who you should root for: St. Louis.
Why you should root for them: The more the Bengals lose, the more likely it is that a potential fourth seed Texans team could avoid Cincy entirely in the playoffs if they drop down to the third seed. I, for one, do not want to face a vengeful Andy Dalton more than once this season.
Tampa Bay at Indianapolis
Who you should root for: Tampa Bay.
Why you should root for them: Because the Colts need to lose for Houston to have a shot at the division title, obviously.
Buffalo at Kansas City
Who you should root for: Buffalo.
Why you should root for them: If Kansas City loses and Houston wins, the Texans will be the 6th seed in the AFC. Buffalo is also in the wild card hunt, but that is a problem for another day. At this point, any Chiefs loss helps the Texans.
Oakland at Tennessee
Who you should root for: Tennessee.
Why you should root for them: Because not only would a win for the Titans give them an even worse draft pick next spring, but it keeps the Raiders at bay for another week in the playoff race. That’s a win-win, folks.
San Diego at Jacksonville
Who you should root for: San Diego.
Why you should root for them: The Jaguars are only a game back from the Texans right now, and that makes me very uncomfortable. This injustice simply cannot stand.
Miami at New York Jets
Who you should root for: New York.
Why you should root for them: Houston holds a head-to-head tie breaker over the Jets, but Miami holds the tie-breaker over Houston. Unless the Texans win the division, they have to finish the year with more wins than the Dolphins. That's where Gang Green comes in.
Pittsburgh at Seattle
Who you should root for: Seattle.
Why you should root for them: The Steelers are one of the few teams ahead of the Texans when it comes to wild card seeding, so any loss for them is a win for Houston.
New England at Denver
Who you should root for: New England.
Why you should root for them: Because this whole Patriots revenge tour has been thoroughly entertaining to watch, and I secretly hope they go 15-1 this season (with their only loss coming from the Texans, of course).
Baltimore at Cleveland
Who you should root for: Baltimore.
Why you should root for them: I’d like to see Matt Schaub gain at least a little bit of respect back before he calls it a career. Plus, both of these teams are irrelevant when it comes to playoff seeding, so the winner really does not matter at all.
Week 12 promises to be full of shakeups in the AFC standings with so many match-ups between contending teams. With any luck, the Texans will emerge from the chaos one step closer to realizing their ultimate goal – playing more football in January.
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