The Indianapolis Colts (2-2) head to square off with the Houston Texans (1-3) at NRG Stadium this week. The NFL’s fifth-leading receiver, DeAndre Hopkins (409 yards, 3 TDs), is a player to keep an eye on in this game. It will air Thursday, Oct 8 at 8:25 p.m. ET on CBS and NFLN.
The game marks the first of the season between the two AFC South rivals. The Colts have been victorious in the last four over the Texans, going back to the 2013 season. J.J. Watt led the Texans defensive effort in the last meeting, recording five tackles and two sacks. Vontae Davis led the defensive effort for Indianapolis, recording three tackles and one interception.
The odds between the Texans and the Colts are even this week, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available.
Sitting at 1-3 for both Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS), the Texans will look to improve heading into Week 5. No team throws the ball more than the Texans. They lead the league with 50.2 passing attempts per game. Turning to the Texans defense, there are several areas to keep an eye on. There are few in the league better than the Texans in terms of pass defense. Houston allows a 57.1% completion percentage to its opponents. Houston’s offense moves at a swift pace, ranking first in the league with an average of 79 plays per game.
As for their opponent, the Colts are awful ATS with a winless record of 0-4 to go along with a 2-2 SU record. The passing game is essential for the Colts. They attempt 40.8 throwing plays per game. Moving on to the Indianapolis defense, it has some favorable matchups that it may be able to take advantage of as well. Indianapolis could take advantage of its competitor’s subpar passing game, which sports the worst completion percentage in the league (52.7%).
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou
Notes
Houston is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
Houston is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games at home.
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston’s last 9 games when playing Indianapolis.
Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Indianapolis.
Houston is 0-4-1 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Indianapolis.
The total has gone OVER in 8 of Houston’s last 10 games when playing at home against Indianapolis.
Houston is 4-9 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Indianapolis.
Indianapolis is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games when playing on the road against Houston.
Indianapolis is 1-0 SU when leading at the half this season.
Dating back to last year, Indianapolis is a perfect 8-0 SU against AFC South opponents, while Houston is 4-2 SU against divisional rivals.
Houston is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 21st-ranked rushing attack will face the 25th-ranked run defense of Indianapolis, while its 22nd-ranked run defense will look to contain the 26th-ranked rushing game of the Colts.
