Colts vs. Texans: What's the Game Plan for Indianapolis?

It hasn’t been long since the Indianapolis Colts were in desperation mode. Falling to 0-2 and not wanting to be bounced from the AFC South race too early in the season, Indianapolis desperately needed a win against the Tennessee Titans in Week 3.

But on the backs of two consecutive late-game wins against division opponents, the pressure has eased immensely. The talks of quarterback Andrew Luck’s struggles have started to fade, head coach Chuck Pagano seems happier and even the cornerbacks are slowly approaching full health, although they aren’t quite there yet.

Things have really improved for the Colts, and the team is no longer hounded by the must-win scenario it has faced in each of the last two weeks when it heads to Houston Thursday.

Although the clash against the Texans isn’t a must-win like the Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars games were, it is still a huge contest for the Colts, who will be hoping to extend their early division lead as the season pushes on.

How will they go about taking down a Texans team that has struggled so far this season? Let’s take a look at the game plan for the Indianapolis Colts.

Offensive Game Plan

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Last week’s game plan, when the Colts adopted a much more run-heavy scheme in the early going against the Jaguars, wasn’t the smartest course of action. Attempting to make up for the loss of Andrew Luck by running Frank Gore like crazy seemed like a good plan beforehand, but in practice, it didn’t work out all that well.

Gore was rendered largely irrelevant by a Jaguars defense that has proved itself capable of stopping the run this year. Gore was saved by a 22-yard run in overtime, which made his stats look mediocre instead of just plain terrible, which they were.

The guards looked absolutely lost in Week 4—what else is new—and the team, once again, had to abandon the rushing game for a pass-heavy attack, this time led by Matt Hasselbeck.

But while it seems silly to try something that didn’t work out well last week, the matchup with the Texans looks like a great place to get the running attack going once again. The Texans rank 22nd in the league in rushing yards allowed per game, and Gore is still more than capable as a running back, regardless of how he performed last week.

Another week of running the ball will also help protect Andrew Luck. Returning from an injury means he will already not be at 100 percent, and the last thing the team needs is J.J. Watt bearing down on Luck play after play as the team tries to throw it 45 times.

Defensive Game Plan

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The Colts' defensive game plan should be simple, concise and not hard to follow this week against the Texans: Blitz until you are blue in the face.

Is it 1st-and-10 from their 20? Blitz. How about 3rd-and-1 the from your own 25? Blitz again. Except in very rare scenarios the Colts should do everything in their power to put pressure on whichever Texan quarterback is in the game.

Houston’s quarterback situation is bad—really bad, arguably the worst in the league right now—and there is one thing that is almost always worse than a bad quarterback: a bad quarterback under pressure. The Texans are already the second-worst team in the league in turnover margin, so the Colts should do whatever they can to increase the chances of a poor throw or a fumble by blitzing like crazy.

Typically, with a cornerback situation as poor as Indianapolis has right now, blitzing would seem a bit ill-informed. You don’t want to expose your young players to being beat by receivers on quick routes, but the Texans don’t really have a lot of those either. 

Slap Vontae Davis—or Greg Toler, should injuries keep the superstar out—on DeAndre Hopkins and dare the Texans to go to Keith Mumphery or Jaelen Strong. Robert Mathis should be on the field a lot more than just third downs, and he'll help spearhead the Colts' blitz-heavy game plan.

Key Players and Matchups

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RB Frank Gore

So, last week didn’t exactly go as planned for Frank Gore. With hopes of limiting the load for Matt Hasselbeck, the veteran running back was supposed to pick up the slack and carry the team to a victory.

Excluding a late run to help set up the game-winning field goal in overtime, Gore did not live up to those expectations. Now set to face off against Houston, who hasn’t been the best at stopping the run this year, with a quarterback at less than 100 percent, Gore’s role could increase again with the game on his shoulders.

QB Andrew Luck

It might sound obvious, but Andrew Luck playing is a big deal for the Colts. While Hasselbeck did a good job as the starter against Jacksonville, Indianapolis is a different team with Luck calling the shots.

Likely set to return from his shoulder injury, it doesn’t sound like Luck is at 100 percent quite yet. The Colts should do whatever they can to protect him so things don’t get worse. However, getting their franchise player back is just the boost Indianapolis needs to take down the Texans.

LB Robert Mathis

If you were to casually glance at the screen when the Colts were playing this season, it would be completely understandable if you weren’t even aware Robert Mathis had returned. Used sparingly and almost entirely on third downs, the former Pro Bowler has been limited in what he has been allowed to do, and it is hurting the team, which has yet to produce a serious pass rush.

Mathis has the ability to fix that, and if the Colts end up wanting to pressure the quarterback more than they have been—it would be hard to get less pressure on the opposing signal-caller—they would be smart to call on their veteran linebacker.

CBs Greg Toler and Vontae Davis

Since it is apparently against the rules for the Colts to have a fully healthy set of cornerbacks, Indianapolis heads to Houston without Jalil Brown—the starter in Greg Toler’s absence—and with a questionable Vontae Davis. The good news is that Toler is back, which means the secondary will be close to full strength, but if Davis misses the game, it could prove a bit of an issue for the Colts.

With DeAndre Hopkins, the Texans only have one real option in the passing game, but that option is one of the best in the league. It would be natural for Davis to match up with the young receiver in a hugely important one-on-one battle, but if he can’t go, it falls to Toler to limit what Houston can do through the air.

Prediction

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The way the Colts have been playing, they certainly don’t look like the playoff team everyone expected to see this season. Andrew Luck has been hurt—and hasn’t been good when he has played—the offensive line is a mess and the cornerbacks are a revolving door of injuries.

In spite of all that, though, Indianapolis once again finds itself on top of the AFC South at 2-2 after wins against the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars in back-to-back weeks. With a chance to complete the trifecta Thursday against Houston, the Colts have a ready-made chance to extend their lead even further.

It has been quite some time since an AFC South opponent has taken down the Colts, and this Thursday isn’t going to be that chance. Indianapolis showed against the Titans that it can take advantage of turnovers and turn results even when not performing well, and that is what it will take against the Texans.

Houston’s turnover woes likely won’t be fixed during the short week of practice, and the Colts are talented enough at the skill positions to score enough for their third straight victory.

Prediction: Colts 21, Texans 13