Philadelphia Eagles vs. Houston Texans: Live Score and Analysis for Houston

Every game in the NFL is important, but once the calendar rolls into November and the season reaches its second half, the stakes are raised dramatically.

Going into the bye week with a winning record at 5-4 instead of 4-5 should give a huge boost to the confidence and odds of making the playoffs for the Houston Texans.

It's hard to seriously talk about the Texans making the playoffs until they put together a stretch or streak of consistently solid play, but with the current state of the AFC South, they're only one game out of a playoff spot, so it is certainly a possibility.

To win this game over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Texans will have to run the ball well; breaking news, I know. On the season, the Texans rank fifth in the league in rushing yards per game at 139.4, but during October they averaged a league-high 164 rushing yards per game.

Arian Foster is easily their most important and valuable player on offense.

The other key—as it is in every game—will be the turnover battle. Currently, the Texans defense ranks second in the league in forcing turnovers, while the Eagles offense ranks 32nd with the most turnovers in the league so far.

Win the rushing battle and win the turnover battle, and they'll win the game.