Houston Texans 2020 NFL schedule: 5 must-win games

The third game appearing on the Texans’ must-win list is the most important one out of the division. Since most of the their games next year are of the either-or variety, they need to find a way to beat the Cleveland Browns on the road at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. This will help them get to 2-2 against the AFC North next year. Anything better than that would be a huge plus.

One of the few games we can say the Texans will win going away is at home over the Cincinnati Bengals. Losing that one at home would be a total disaster. Winning at home over the Baltimore Ravens probably isn’t happening, and neither is a road game at Heinz Field against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This means the road date with the Browns is all the more important. They have to have it.

In a way, it has the feel of the other road date the Texans have with the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. If the Texans want to remain a playoff team, then they need to beat playoff pretenders like the Browns and the Lions on the road. Though Cleveland and Detroit may be better this season than last, winning on the road in either place would serve as a tone-setter for the Texans’ campaign.

The reason this game is so important is because wins over Baltimore at home and Pittsburgh on the road are so unlikely. A potential playoff team can’t have a losing record or go 0-for against one of the two divisions it plays in its entirety in a given season. Houston would have to otherwise go 5-1 or be undefeated in AFC South play. Netting a perfect 6-0 record in divisional play is so hard.