The Indianapolis Colts travel to Houston for a Thursday Night Football showdown with the Texans, looking for a record-breaking 16th straight divisional win. The only other team since 1970 to win 15 straight games against its own division was the 1972-73 Miami Dolphins. Standing in the way of history is a Texans club that has just one win in its first four games.
Colts vs. Texans 2015, ‘Thursday Night Football’ preview: Indianapolis is on the verge of history
With a win over the Texans, the Colts can become the first team in the modern era to win 16 straight games against opponents in its own division.
There is nothing like the AFC South to cure the gloom and doom in Indianapolis. After starting the season with two straight losses, the Colts have rebounded with back-to-back wins over two AFC South rivals, the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars. The latter victory was notable in that came without franchise quarterback Andrew Luck, who is nursing a shoulder injury that caused him to miss a game for the first time in his four-year NFL career.
Luck took reps in practice this week and a report Wednesday indicated that the Colts' plan was for him to start on Thursday night. Both he and backup Matt Hasselbeck were listed as questionable before the game, however, and now Hasselbeck, despite dealing with a virus, is expected to start. If somehow both are unable to play, the next man up is journeyman Josh Johnson.
The 29-year-old hasn’t started an NFL game since 2011, and has twice as many career interceptions (10) as touchdowns (five). Hasselbeck showed that he can be an effective game manager in Luck’s absence (30-of-47 passing for 282 yards and no interceptions vs. Jacksonville), but if the Colts are forced to go with Johnson, it could get real ugly.
Coming off a 9-7 season and near-playoff berth, the Texans were expected to make a leap this year and contend for a division crown. After getting dismantled last week in Atlanta, though, the 1-3 Texans have to be considered one of the most disappointing teams in the league so far. They were dominated in every phase of the game by the Falcons, trailing 42-0 through three quarters before tacking on a few garbage-time scores.
The Texans' quarterback situation is a mess once again after Ryan Mallett was pulled in the third quarter against Atlanta and replaced with Brian Hoyer. Mallet completed 12 of 27 passes for 150 yards with an interception, and the Texans were shut out with him in the game. Hoyer finished 17 of 30 for 232 yards, and the team scored touchdowns on three of his four drives. Despite being outplayed by Hoyer, coach Bill O'Brien told reporters that Mallett is still the team's starting quarterback heading into Thursday night.
Digits
The Colts would be thrilled to have Luck back under center to revive their sputtering offense, despite his struggles in the early part of the season. Indy is averaging just 18 points per game (27th in the NFL) after averaging 28.6 points per game last year. The offense is clearly still trying to find its identity following an offseason roster overhaul.
Hoping to build an offensive juggernaut that would help them challenge the Patriots for AFC supremacy, they signed a couple veteran playmakers -- receiver Andre Johnson and running back Frank Gore -- and also spent a first-round draft pick on receiver Phillip Dorsett. These offseason moves haven't paid off yet, though: Gore is averaging just 57 yards rushing per game, while Johnson and Dorsett have combined for only 14 catches and one touchdown.
Luck is having by far the worst season of his career, ranking last in passer rating (65.1) and interception rate (6.0 percent) among qualified quarterbacks. His completion percentage (56.0) and yards-per-attempt (6.5) would also both be career-low marks for the fourth-year quarterback, who was named to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons.
Regardless of who is under center for the Colts, they'll want to be sure to keep tabs on the league's most feared pass rusher, J.J. Watt, who can single-handedly make life miserable for any quarterback. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year has compiled some eye-popping numbers against his division rival, too. In eight career matchups versus the Colts, Watt has 9.0 sacks, 37 tackles and a forced fumble.
It’s not hard to figure out why the Texans share the basement of the AFC South with the Jaguars: it is really hard to win football games when you have trailed at halftime in every game and are facing an average deficit of two touchdowns when you start the second half. The Texans have scored the fewest points (19), allowed the second-most points (74) and have the worst point differential (-55) in the first half this season.
Houston was hoping that the return of Arian Foster last week would give a much-needed boost to its dormant ground game, but the running back barely made an impact in his season debut. He gained just 10 yards on eight carries and lost a fumble in the second quarter, and is clearly still trying to find his way after undergoing groin surgery earlier this summer.
Who to Watch
Frank Gore - The veteran running back’s fumbling problems are a huge concern going forward for the Colts. Gore has coughed the ball up twice in the past three games, killing drives inside the 5-yard line each time. He needs to do a better job of protecting the football, especially against a Texans defense that has yet to cause a turnover on the ground.
Arian Foster - If past performance is any indication, Foster should be able to get back on track Thursday night. In eight games against the Colts in his career, he's averaging 120 yards per game and 6.0 yards per rush with eight touchdowns. Indianapolis has the league's 25th-ranked run defense this season and last week gave up 105 yards to Jaguars' rookie T.J. Yeldon.
How to watch
When: 8:25 p.m. ET
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston
TV: CBS | NFL Network
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson
Online: NFL Game Pass
Preliminary Judgment
The experts are divided on this game, though it’s been difficult to gauge the matchup because of the injury mess in Indy. The Texans are a slight favorite at CBS Sports, while it’s split down the middle on our panel here at SB Nation, with four picking the Texans and four going with the Colts.
Odds
The Texans are 1-point favorites and the over/under is set at 44.5, per OddsShark.com.
Further Reading
For everything Colts, check out Stampede Blue. To read up on the Texans, head over to Battle Red Blog.
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