It’s an AFC South battle between the top two teams in the division as the Houston Texans head to the house that Peyton Manning built to face the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts lead the all-time series 27-8, but the past three matchups have been intense. Houston won the first game last season 37-34 in overtime on the road, and the Colts returned the favor with a 24-21 victory in Houston. Indianapolis won the decisive AFC Wild Card Game 21-7 on the road.
The Texans offense has been rolling along the last two weeks. After putting up 53 points on Atlanta, Houston edged the Chiefs 31-24 with a strong offensive performance this past weekend. Deshaun Watson completed 30 of 42 passes for 280 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The Colts will have to account for his running game as well. Watson picked up 42 yards and two scores on the ground. The offensive line did a good job, allowing zero sacks. Running back Carlos Hyde carried the ball 26 times for 116 yards and one score for the league’s fifth best rushing team. All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins reeled in nine catches for 55 yards and has yet to go over 100 yards receiving since his week one performance against the Saints.
The Texans are one of the better rush defenses in the NFL with opponents averaging just 88 yards per game, but after letting Patrick Mahomes tossed three touchdowns, two of which went to the speedy Tyreek Hill, last weekend, they will have to do better in the secondary, where they rank 24th in pass yards allowed (268) and among the bottom ten in passing TDs allowed (11). Tashaun Gipson picked up five tackles and his second interception in as many games while Zach Cunningham also had five tackles. Charles Omenihu added the only sack of the game.
The Colts were off this past weekend so they should be well prepared for another high powered offense when the Texans come to town. Indy played the Chiefs two weeks ago and are the only other team to hand Kansas City a loss. Jacoby Brissett was 18 of 29 for 151 yards, one interception, as well as one rushing touchdown. Brissett didn’t have to be on his “A” game because Marlon Mack rushed for 132 yards, a rushing attack that is ranked fourth in the NFL. Ageless kicker Adam Vinatieri had four field goals in the game. Indy will need to get more production out of its wide receiver group as none of them tallied over 50 yards, including T.Y. Hilton, who has been relatively quiet this season. Through six games, he has only 232 yards and four scores.
Defensively, the Colts put pressure on Mahomes, sacking him four times and limiting him to just one touchdown. Indy also cracked down on their run game. The Chiefs posted 36 yards on the ground. George Odum and rookie Rock Ya-Sin each had six tackles. If they can limit Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson and their run game like they did Mahomes and the Chiefs, they have an excellent chance at their fourth victory of the season.
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