Houston Texans banking on these vital factors in showdown against Colts
Oct 24, 2024, 4:02 pm
Will the Texans' pass protection improve this week? Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
Indianapolis (4-3) at Houston (5-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
BetMGM NFL Odds: Texans by 6.
Against the spread: Indianapolis 6-1; Houston 3-3-1.
Series record: Colts lead 33-12-1.
Last meeting: Texans beat Colts 29-27 on Sept. 8, in Indianapolis.
Last week: Colts beat Dolphins 16-10; Texans lost to Packers 24-22.
Colts offense: overall (16), rush (14), pass (17), scoring (18).
Colts defense: overall (29), rush (31), pass (23), scoring (T12).
Texans offense: overall (11), rush (15), pass (10), scoring (14).
Texans defense: overall (2), rush (8), pass (4), scoring (17).
Turnover differential: Colts plus-2, Texans plus-3.
Colts player to watch
RB Jonathan Taylor. Despite the Colts optimism each of the past three weeks, Taylor has continued to sit out. Now, he appears to be close to fully recovered from the sprained ankle that knocked him out late in the victory over Pittsburgh on Sept. 29. It’s unclear how much Taylor will play — or how effective he’ll be — but having Taylor in the backfield will only make QB Anthony Richardson's ability to run more of an option.
Texans player to watch
QB C.J. Stroud. The second-year pro looks to bounce back after throwing for a career-low 86 yards without a TD pass last week. The Texans are focused on improving his protection after he was sacked four times and hit another seven in the loss to Green Bay. He’s been great at home this season, going 3-0 with 936 yards passing.
Key matchup
Houston RB Joe Mixon vs. the Indianapolis run defense. Mixon has had at least 100 yards rushing in each of the three full games he’s played this season. The former Bengal, who is in his first year in Houston, had 115 yards rushing and ran for two touchdowns last week for his 10th career game with at least two rushing scores. Now Mixon, who ran for a season-high 159 yards and a TD in Week 1 against the Colts, will face a run defense which ranks 31st in the NFL by allowing 159.9 yards a game. Indianapolis has allowed at least 185 yards rushing three times this season, capped by 188 yards last week against Miami.
Key injuries
Indy’s injury list finally appears to be shrinking. Richardson (right hip) and Pro Bowl center Ryan Kelly (calf) returned last week against Miami. Taylor is scheduled to return Sunday at Houston and All-Pro DT DeForest Buckner (sprained ankle) returned to practice Wednesday. WRs Michael Pittman Jr. (back), Josh Downs (toe) and Alec Pierce (shoulder) have continued to play through their injuries, leaving one big question mark this weekend — LB E.J. Speed (knee), who missed last week’s game. … Houston LB Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) and S Jimmie Ward (groin) missed Sunday’s game and could be out again this week after missing practice. ... LB Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) and CB Kamari Lassiter (shoulder) returned to practice after missing time but coach DeMeco Ryans wouldn't say if they'll play Sunday.
Series notes
Houston has won three of the past four matchups, the past two by a total of six points — both in Indy. ... This will be the third meeting between these franchises in an eight-game stretch. ... Stroud and Richardson were selected two picks apart in the 2023 NFL draft and they developed a friendship while preparing for the draft. But they’ve only played against one another twice. Richardson won the first meeting in Week 2 of 2023, rushing for two scores in Houston before leaving with a concussion. Stroud won the rematch in September.
Stats and stuff
Sunday will mark the second matchup this season between Colts DBs coach Ron Milus and his son, Texas defensive assistant Ryan Milus. ... The Colts have won four of their past five since starting the season 0-2. ... Indy is 4-9-1 in division games since the start of the 2022 season. But the Colts can even the season series with Houston and pull into a tie for the AFC South lead with a victory. ... Indy’s 31 plays of 20 or more yards this season are the fourth most in the NFL this season. ... Pittman needs 2 yards receiving to reach 4,000 in his five-year career. ... Taylor needs 78 total yards to pass Hall of Famer Lenny Moore (6,040 yards) for No. 4 in franchise history. ... Richardson and 39-year-old Joe Flacco have thrown a total of 10 TD passes this season. ... Pierce leads the NFL with an average of 25.5 yards per catch and has a league-high five receptions of 40 or more yards. ... Colts DE Laiatu Latu’s two sacks are tied with Jonah Elliss of Denver for the most among NFL rookies. ... LB Zaire Franklin leads the NFL in tackles with 78. ... CB Jaylon Jones is one of seven players to pick off two passes in a game this season. His eight passes defensed are also tied for No. 5 in the league. … The Texans have forced seven turnovers combined in their past two games. … Houston WR Stefon Diggs has had at least 65 yards receiving in four of his past five games. He has two TD receptions in each of his past two games against the Colts. … WR Tank Dell, who didn’t have a catch last week, had seven receptions for 72 yards a touchdown in the previous game against the Colts in Houston. … DE Danielle Hunter has had a sack in two straight games. … DE Will Anderson has had at least one tackle for loss in three straight games and at least one sack in his past two. He is tied for sixth in the NFL with 6½ sacks this season. … DT Tim Settle had two tackles for losses and a sack last week. … LB Neville Hewitt led the team with a season-high nine tackles last week and had an interception. … S Calen Bullock is tied for first among rookie in the league with three interceptions. He had an interception in the first meeting with Indianapolis. … CB Derek Stingley had six tackles, including one for a loss and defended a pass last week. ... LB Devin White, a Pro Bowler in 2021 with Tampa Bay, signed with Houston on Wednesday.
Fantasy tip
Mixon should be a good pickup this week against Indy’s struggling run defense after he’s combined for 217 yards rushing with three rushing TDs and one touchdown reception in the two games since returning from injury.
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X-factor matchups for Houston Texans to make statement rebound versus Colts
Oct 24, 2024, 6:10 pm
The AFC South title isn’t on the line Sunday at NRG Stadium, but should the Texans beat the Indianapolis Colts the only way they don’t successfully defend their division crown is by blowing it. Having edged Indy 29-27 in the season opener, the Texans can sweep the season series and tiebreaker that goes with that. A victory boosts the Texans to 6-2 and drops the Colts to 4-4. That would mean that if the Texans went a disappointing 4-5 over their remaining games, they’d still win the South unless the Colts went 7-2 or better. Consider that after leaving Houston three of Indy’s next four opponents are the Vikings, Bills, and Lions. The chances of the Colts winning seven of their final nine games seem closer to none than slim. On the flip side, should the Texans drop their second straight game, the division race is even as we all go to sleep Sunday night.
Stroud vs. Richardson
While C.J. Stroud is coming off the most feeble passing performance of his young career (a pitiful 86 yards at Green Bay), at least everyone knows he is very good. The Colts’ starting quarterback is not good. Not good yet at least. They are committed to scatter-armed second year man Anthony Richardson. Having spent the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft on him (two selections after the Texans lucked into Stroud), the Colts understandably will give Richardson ample time to grow (they hope). But 39-year-old backup Joe Flacco throws the ball much better. Missing all but four games of his rookie season due to injury, and already having missed two full games and most of a third to injury this season, no doubt has retarded Richardson’s development. But an inaccurate thrower has a ceiling well below the clouds, and questions about Richardson’s accuracy were real when he was in college at Florida. So far this season Richardson is completing a wretched 49 percent of his passes with three touchdown passes and six interceptions. Flacco has thrown seven TDs vs. one pick.Richardson’s six INTshave come in just 101 pass attempts. As a rookie Stroud racked up 499 attempts with just five INTs.Richardson has also fumbled four times already this season. Nevertheless, he has big play potential because the arm is huge (remember the 60-yard bomb he landed against the Texans) and Richardson is a superior athlete. He ran the ball 14 times this past Sunday as the Colts uglied out a 16-10 win over offensively helpless Miami. To help their cause this Sunday the Colts may get back running back Jonathan Taylor after three games missed due to a high-ankle sprain. That would make the Texans’ defensive task much tougher, though in the openerthe Texans limited Taylor to just 48 yards on 16 carries with a longest run of a mere seven yards.
The Texans meanwhile continue to endure offensive life without Nico Collins. Without Joe Mixon the Texans basically have no running game, without Collins the passing game is hamstrung (cruel irony). No other Texans’ receiver gives Stroud a target who wins 50/50 balls by out-sizing and/or out-talenting defensive backs. Neither Stefon Diggs nor Tank Dell is averaging 10 yards per reception. Diggs is at 9.9, Dell, last season before injury such a deep threat, is at 9.7. The “throw it up for Nico to make a play” option is missed that much more with the Texans' too often sorry pass-blocking. The Packers’ non-elite pass rush regularly baffled and beat the Texans' pass protection. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik and offensive line coach Chris Strausser need to be better. On the player side left guard Kenyon Green remains the clear weakest link. Green and company may have to deal with Colts’ d-line beast DeForest Buckner who is set to return from his own high-ankle sprain after being out five games. Buckner registered a sack and a half in the season’s first meeting with the Texans.
Texans sign notable free agent
Interesting signing this week with the Texans adding linebacker Devin White. There is no sign that Christian Harris is nearing return. After missing the Green Bay game Azeez Al-Shaair is iffy this week, ditto Henry To’o To’o. White’s pedigree is better than all of them, but it obviously says something that he was available off the street. A stud at LSU, White was the fifth pick in the 2019 Draft. In the 2020 season he helped Tampa Bay win a Super Bowl. His 2021 season earned a Pro Bowl selection. After losing his starting job with the Buccaneers late last season all White found as a free agent was a one-year deal with Philadelphia. He never made the Eagles’ gameday 53-man roster, inactive for four games before missing one for “personal reasons,” then getting cut. What gives? White best realize that if he shows little with the Texans his career could be toast at just 26 years old.
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!
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Fans of Houston sports and Houston food can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm November 11 at 8th Wonder. Find out more about it here.