Colts vs. Texans has the greatest implications in the NFL standings for Week 6

The AFC South race is as wide open as it’s been in a while this season. The Houston Texans currently stand in first place at 3-2, with the Tennessee Titans and Indianapolis Colts tied for second place at 2-3 and the Jacksonville Jaguars in last at 1-3.

Since 2009, either the Colts or Texans have won the division. The Colts have four AFC South titles, and the Texans have three. Last season, it was Houston that came out on top — the Colts, however, were without Andrew Luck for nine games.

On Sunday night, the two rivals face off for the first time this season and both of these teams really need a win. Neither has looked particularly great this season. The Texans are coming off of a 31-13 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. The only other contender they’ve played was the New England Patriots, and that was an embarrassing 27-0 loss.

The Colts are fresh off a win, but it came against the lowly Chicago Bears and the Colts had to hang on by the skin of their teeth. The week before, they gave the Jaguars their lone win so far this season.

A Colts victory in Houston would not only put them in the division lead, it could also open things up for the other two teams in the division as well, depending on the outcomes of their games earlier in the day. The Tennessee Titans are playing the Browns, and the Jacksonville Jaguars go up against the Bears, which are both winnable games for the AFC South teams.

The Texans don’t just need a win. They also need to see better play from their quarterback. Brock Osweiler came into this season as the team’s big signing and presumed solution to their quarterbacking issues. His performance against the Vikings — 19 completions on 42 attempts for 184 yards — showed that the team may have paid $72 million for a downgrade at the position. He’s currently third in the NFL in interceptions with seven, and 29th in the NFL in passer rating at 70.6.

As usual, the strong suit for the Texans this year has been their defense. J.J. Watt was lost for the year due to back surgery, but the Texans have managed to keep the defense strong, allowing just 300.4 yards per game. That’s sixth-best in the league. Benardrick McKinney has been the anchor for the defense with 48 tackles, tied for fourth-most in the NFL. The Texans will have to ride that defense if they hope to beat out the Colts not just Sunday night, but through the season.

The Colts, on the other hand, have had a weaker schedule than the Texans. Games against the likes of the Lions, Chargers, Jaguars, and Bears has been helpful in keeping this team afloat. It may have even masked some issues early. But their offensive line troubles and 30th ranked defense has made for a complicated year. The team cut Antonio Cromartie and Sio Moore after just four weeks in an effort to send a message to the rest of the team.

The offensive line has had no consistency and the play has been downright awful. Part of it has been injuries, and part of it has been youth. Injuries forced the team to start rookies Austin Blythe and Joe Haeg at tackle, which resulted in Luck getting sacked six times when the Colts fell to the Jags in London. A back injury to Joe Reitz, the oldest offensive lineman at age 31, has hurt them as well. Because of all of this, Luck has been sacked 20 times this season, the most in the NFL.

If the Colts want to win games and preserve Andrew Luck’s future as an NFL quarterback, they need to keep him upright. That has to start with a healthy offensive line and some type of continuity.

With the faults both teams have, it’s imperative to get these wins early in the season. There’s no guarantee of teams getting healthier over the course of the season, and the safer bet would be that there will be more injuries. It’s the nature of the grueling NFL season.

This game could be the greatest threat or help to the division crown for each team. A win here could be the difference in making the playoffs and watching everybody else play in January.