5 NFL teams that must win in Week 5

After a wild and wacky Week 4, these five NFL squads find themselves in need of a victory entering the first weekend of October.

We have reached Week 5, and that means pretty much the entire league (minus the Jets and 49ers, who were on bye in Week 4) have played a quarter of their schedule. Time flies in the NFL, which can often mean “Not For Long” in this league, so picking up wins is essential to keeping the season alive.

These five squads find themselves in need of a victory in Week 5, starting with the inconsistent Houston Texans.

5. Houston Texans

The Houston Texans were considered the presumptive favorite in the AFC South after Andrew Luck‘s retirement, but things have not gone according to plan. After a brutal loss to Carolina on Sunday, the Texans find themselves at 2-2 in a four-way tie atop the division.

Houston has been wildly inconsistent all year long, but they are actually lucky to be 2-2 to begin with. The Texans nearly blew a late lead to Jacksonville in Week 2, winning only when the Jaguars blew a two point conversion for the win, and rallying from a 17-7 deficit to top the Chargers in Week 3.

The Texans are home again this week against the Atlanta Falcons, who have been inconsistent themselves but remain highly dangerous because of their offensive weapons. In a division that is much tighter than initially anticipated, the Texans can ill-afford to drop a home game to Atlanta.