Texans vs. Colts: Houston still searching for first win

The Houston Texans remain winless as they go on the road against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in a Week 4 matchup.

Coming into the 2018 season, it wasn’t hard to find people championing the Houston Texans. With the return of Deshaun Watson after the quarterback tore his ACL last season, the hope was that they’d put it all together this year. They’ve done the polar opposite to this point, unfortunately, beginning the campaign with an 0-3 record as they head to take on an AFC South foe, the Indianapolis Colts, on the road in Week 4.

While Watson has come back to Earth after a blistering start to his career as a rookie last year, he’s not been the issue. Some of his struggles have been a result of the biggest issue, which is the play of the offensive line. They have been abysmal, and that might be putting it kindly. The Texans honestly have seemed unable to function on offense because of the guys up front.

However, the Houston defense did show some life last week against the Giants, most notably with JJ Watt looking like his former self. That’s important to note as he was largely ineffective in the first two weeks. Now that he’s up against a still-weak Indianapolis offensive line, he could have another big day, which would be huge for the Texans trying to get their first win.

As for the Colts, getting Andrew Luck back has been a big get for them. Having said that, there are growing concerns about the quarterback’s arm strength as he’s still getting back into the fold following essentially a two-year shoulder injury. With that and a limited group of weapons on offense, there is a high degree of variance with the Indianapolis offense.

Their defense, while seemingly short on talent, has actually performed well this season. Colts rookie Darius Leonard has been a breakout star early in the season. With playmakers like Malik Hooker also growing with this unit, they have the potential to grow and improve as the season goes on.

TV and Live Stream Info

Date: Sunday, Sept. 30, 2018
Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Location: Indianapolis, IN
Stadium: Lucas Oil Stadium
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: FuboTV, NFL Sunday Ticket

This game is nearly a pick ’em according to the oddsmakers as the Colts are favored by only a point at home. That’s surprising considering that we’ve seen Indianapolis have some success this season while Houston almost hasn’t been close to that. If you’re going to wager, that makes this one something that requires a little extra thought.

Betting Odds (via Odds Shark)

Point Spread: Indianapolis -1
Moneyline: Indianapolis -110, Houston -110
Over/Under: 47

Prediction

While I still don’t believe that this is a good Colts team, I firmly believe that the Texans are one of the worst teams in the league. The issues that they have on the offensive line effectively cripple their playmakers that they have on that side of the ball. Even if the Houston defense makes a little bit of noise, they will drop to 0-4 as Luck and Indianapolis get the win at home.

Final Score: Houston 13, Indianapolis 21