How The Houston Texans Can Keep Their Playoff Hopes Alive During The Bye Week

The Houston Texans have plenty of work to do if they want to turn their season around, but their Week 8 bye doesn't necessarily mean they have to sit back and watch their playoff hopes fade. At 2-5, Houston has fallen well short of expectations through the first half of the season. However, the AFC playoff picture is far from settled, and there are still ways for the Texans to make up ground while they aren't playing.

The first priority for Houston fans should be rooting against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville currently sits atop the AFC South, making every loss important for a Texans team trying to climb back into the division race. Fortunately, Houston already owns a head-to-head victory over the Jaguars, which could become extremely valuable if the two teams finish with identical records. That makes Sunday's matchup between Jacksonville and the Indianapolis Colts particularly important. Texans fans should be pulling for Indianapolis to hand the Jaguars another loss and keep the division within reach.

Beyond the AFC South, Houston needs to keep an eye on the Wild Card race. Given the Texans' current record, winning the division might be their most ideal path to the postseason, but they shouldn't count on that being their only opportunity. Every loss handed to a potential AFC Wild Card contender could help Houston down the road.

That means Texans fans should generally be rooting against AFC North teams whenever they aren't playing one another. The Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns could all factor into the conference standings, and Houston needs as many of those teams to accumulate losses as possible.

The New England Patriots are another team worth rooting against, as they could be competing for one of the final playoff spots when the season reaches its final stretch. The same goes for the Las Vegas Raiders, who Houston would benefit from seeing fall further behind in the conference standings.

Then there's the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Denver Broncos. Ideally, Texans fans should be rooting for a tie. Neither team gets a win, both teams get frustrated, and Houston gets a little help without having to pick a side. It's not exactly a realistic expectation, but a Texans bye week could use a little chaos.

None of these results will magically fix Houston's 2-5 record. The Texans still need to take care of their own business when they return from the bye. However, the season isn't over, and a favorable Week 8 could help keep their postseason hopes alive. Houston needs to get healthier, correct its mistakes and start winning games. In the meantime, Texans fans have plenty of reasons to spend Sunday scoreboard watching.