Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys: Live Score and Analysis for Houston

If the Houston Texans win their Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys, we can start seriously talking about the playoffs, because their odds at that point would be strong.

Of course that's a big if—I picked them to lose in my preview article—but a victory would give them four wins and mean that they would only need to finish 5-6 to reach nine wins, which should be good enough to make the playoffs in the weaker AFC.

Now for a note from the department of the obvious! This game will be decided up front along both the offensive and defensive lines.

The Cowboys offensive line has been excellent, as they've kept Tony Romo upright and have led the way for DeMarco Murray to lead the NFL in rushing yards. Actually, saying that Murray leads the NFL in rushing isn't doing it justice; he's lapped the field with 156 more yards than second place.

On the other side from that great Cowboys rushing attack will be a Texans defense that has struggled to stop the run. The Texans currently rank 24th in rushing yards allowed per game and 26th in rushing yards allowed per attempt. This game has the look of the unstoppable force against a very movable object.

Running the ball on the offensive side has also been an issue for the Texans recently, as they rushed for just 37 yards, including 15 yards on 17 carries from Arian Foster and Alfred Blue. With Foster still banged up and the Texans offensive line struggling, it's hard to have confidence in how well they'll perform.

Stopping the run on defense and running it efficiently on offense in situations where they want to or need to will be important for both teams, because both also have quarterbacks under center who have a history of turning the ball over too much.

The wild card, of course, will be J.J. Watt, who can destroy another team's game plan.

It's a big game for two 3-1 teams looking to return to the playoffs and for their fans to secure bragging rights for the next four years.