Colts at Texans: Preview, Predictions, and More

Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans

The AFC South has been awful so far. The Houston Texans (3-2) are the best team in the division right now, but the Indianapolis Colts are right behind them (2-3). A win by Houston and they create some early space. A win by Indy and it creates an early tie.

Again, it looks like nine wins will do it in this division and the most important thing for whoever wants to win it is this divisional games. Whoever can notch the best record against the South foes should be able to take the crown. That may be the best reason to tune into this Sunday Night Football game.

Let’s look at what each team has to do to pick up the win and gain control of the division.

Colts Keys To Victory

1. Play some defense! The Indianapolis Colts are simply awful on defense. They may be able to put up points in a hurry, but that means little when they are terrible against the run and the pass. To tie up this AFC South race early on they need to show up on both sides of the ball.

2. Run the ball: They’re not a consistently good running team. They’re ninth in the NFL in passing yards (268.8 yards per game) but 22nd in rushing (90.0 yards per game). Staying balanced could slow down the pass rushers on Houston and keep the defense off balance.

3. No turnovers: Andrew Luck has been pretty good about not turning the ball over this year as he has just three interceptions in five games. He needs to stick to that smart style of football to get a W here for his squad.

Texans Keys To Victory

1. Play some offense! Just as the Colts have been bad on defense, Houston has put up some ugly offensive performances. Quarterback Brock Osweiler has been a poor player to date and their offensive line is creating no room for Lamar Miller. They still are in first place, but to stay there they need to wake up on offense.

2. Stop forcing passes: One thing that could really help the offense is to quit pressing the issue. Osweiler is staring DeAndre Hopkins down and forcing passes his way. It’s a good idea to get their best playmaker involved, but forcing it into coverage isn’t the best plan to do that. They need to find a way to get it in Nuk’s hands with less risk.

3. Generate pass rush: Since defensive end J.J. Watt went down injured the defense has taken a step backwards. No one else generates the attention he does, but to slow down Andrew Luck and company, someone has to step up. Whether it be Whitney Mercilus or Jadeveon Clowney, these guys just need a spark to get them rolling again.

Odds

Point Spread: Colts +3.5
Moneyline: Colts +128, Texans -152
Over/Under: 46.5

Prediction

This may not be a very good game. The Colts have no defense. The Texans have no offense. The real losers here are the Sunday Night Football viewers.

Pick: Indianapolis Colts: 23, Houston Texans: 26

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