Arian Foster Will be X-Factor For Houston Texans In Week 5

By Kenneth Teape @teapester725 on October 1, 2014

The Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys will continue their Texas rivalry in Week 5. This is an important game for both teams as each will be attempting to cement themselves amongst the contenders and elite of their respective conferences. For the Texans to gain respect and pick up a road victory against the Cowboys, they will need a big performance from Arian Foster, their x-factor this week.

Foster is the most important player on the Texans’ offense. This is evident from the fact that the Texans are 3-0 in games that he suits up in; they lost the one game he missed. When he is healthy, he is a workhorse for the team as he racked up 59 touches the first two weeks of the season. That workload is also what sidelined him for the Texans’ Week 3 game against the New York Giants, and the offense faltered. With more responsibility on his shoulders, Ryan Fitzpatrick wilted under the pressure, throwing three interceptions.

For the Texans to pick up their fourth victory of the season, having Foster in the lineup would go a long way. Foster was clearly limited against the Buffalo Bills in Week 4, but having him on the field as a potential threat put the rest of the team back in their somewhat regular roles.

Against the Cowboys, the Texans will need Foster to perform a little more out of the backfield, and he should be able to do so if his hamstring holds up. Thus far this season, the Cowboys have surrendered 5.0 yards per carry, tied for 26th in the NFL. Foster has also performed well on turf in his career, averaging 4.84 yards per carry on the fake grass, compared to 4.38 on real grass.

It also helps the Texans if Foster is able to perform because the Cowboys counterpart at the running back position is currently putting together a career season. DeMarco Murray is currently leading the NFL with 534 yards, averaging 5.4 yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns.

Foster is fully capable of keeping up with Murray’s production if given the chance. It will be one of the most important things to watch in the game as the Texans cannot afford to fall into a big deficit early on and rely on Fitzpatrick. The Texans’ offense runs best when Foster is the centerpiece, and if he is healthy Sunday, expect him to be featured with as many carries as he can handle. His health and the workload he is able to carry makes him the Texans’ x-factor for their Week 5 matchup with the Cowboys.

Kenneth Teape is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @teapester725 or join his Google network