2019 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 7

Houston Texans (4-2) at Indianapolis Colts (3-2)

Sunday, October 20, 1PM ET

Trust me — it was hard to pick against the Houston Texans. They’ve picked up two huge wins in the last two weeks, including a 53-point effort against the Falcons and an impressive upset of the Chiefs. It almost just makes sense to pick them, right?

Well not so fast. In case you forgot, the Indianapolis Colts are also coming off a win against the Chiefs. On top of that, they also enjoyed a bye last week, meaning they’ve had extra time to rest, recuperate and get healthy. In that regard, I give a slight edge to the Colts.

So how do they defeat the Texans on Sunday? By running the ball down Houston’s throat. Relying heavily on Marlon Mack to carry the load, Indianapolis pounds the rock all day long as their impressive front five dominates the Texans defense. That’ll keep the ball out of Deshaun Watson’s hands, and keep it from becoming a shootout.

As long as the Colts secondary can keep Watson in check like they did Mahomes two weeks ago, the home team can absolutely win this one. It should come down to the final possession or two, but Indianapolis stiffens up and sends their divisional foe home with a big, fat loss.

Prediction: Colts win 32-27