Thursday, October 9th
8:25 pm ET @ NRG Stadium (CBS/NFLN)
The Colts come into this game winning 3 straight games. Their closest match in that span came this past Sunday when they beat the Baltimore Ravens, 20-13. They’ve outscored their opponent 105-47, which is an incredible number. Andrew Luck has been playing at an elite level, already throwing for 1,617 yards and a 68.1% completion percentage. Their rushing game has also been up to par with the passing game. Ahmad Bradshaw and Trent Richardson have combined for 490 rushing yards, making that a huge factor. All around a great performance by this team since dropping their first two games.
The Texans are still a bit of a mystery. Exact same record as their division rival but the wins aren’t as convincing. Wins are wins but what happens when you start playing teams like the Colts, who just happen to be on a hot streak? Can the offense respond? If the defense is getting beaten up, can the offense make up for it and strike back? But, there’s a lot of credit due here. Arian Foster has played a colossal role as he has already rushed for 404 yards and Ryan Fitzpatrick is doing a better job than most people (like myself) think. The one big thing is his 5 TDs to 6 INTs. If it weren’t for that, they may have one more win on the board. It would also make his 65% completion percentage that much nicer. But, work out some of those bad throws and he could become a stable QB for this team.
Xandro’s Fearless Prediction: It will come down to the Colts defense. I think we can agree that Andrew Luck can torch just about any defense in the league and this J.J. Watt led defense will probably have the same fate. Now, can Fitzpatrick return the favor? Probably not but it’s a team effort. His receivers and runners will need to help him a bit if they want to have a shot against a red hot Colts squad. Indy will take sole possession of the AFC South.
Final Score: Colts 31-Texans 17
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Photo Credit: Joe Robbins/Getty Images