Texans vs. Colts: Full Indianapolis Game Preview
It might sound like a bit of hyperbole, but the Colts' entire season has been building to this point. A win, and they are essentially in; a loss, and the run of playoff appearances might very well be over.
That is the pressure Indianapolis faces Sunday at home against the Houston Texans, who are in the same scenario as the Colts and will be desperate to get a win, and take control of the AFC South.
Coming off a pair of 35-point defeats, the Colts are struggling mightily right now, and Matt Hasselbeck’s undefeated start to the season seems a thing of the past. With Andrew Luck out at least another week and the veteran back under center, the team needs to find a way to turn things around and pull off a victory against a Houston defense that looked to be putting things together a few weeks back.
Can the Colts pull off the win or will it be another defeat in what has been a largely disappointing season for the AFC South powerhouse? Let’s take a look at Sunday’s matchup for the division lead.
Viewing Info
Location: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis
Date: Sunday, Dec. 20
Time: 1 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Week 14 Results and Recap
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When one goes back to create the highlight reel for the Indianapolis Colts' 2015 season—if anyone on the Internet even does after how disappointing the year has been—odds are week 14 isn’t going to be anywhere near that video.
Despite carrying a record-breaking winning streak against division opponents into the bout against the Jacksonville Jaguars, things started off well for the Colts but quickly fell apart after halftime.
Most will forget that the Colts led 13-3 at one point and were up 13-9 heading into the break because in the second half, Jacksonville outscored Indianapolis 32-3 and handed the team one of its most embarrassing losses in memory.
Whether on the ground or through the air, Indianapolis could not stop the Jaguars offense, while the Colts offense itself managed to get nothing going despite a strong performance from the wide receivers. Coupled with the loss to Pittsburgh a week before, Indianapolis hit a new low against Jacksonville and had to be pleased when the clock hit zero.
Fortunately for Indianapolis, the Texans also lost, falling to the Patriots 27-6, so the Colt’s maintained a division lead via tiebreaker heading into Sunday’s clash in Indianapolis.
AFC South Standings
Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
Houston Texans (6-7)
Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8)
Tennessee Titans (3-10)
News and Notes
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Chuck Pagano responds to job speculation
For what has felt like the entire season, Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano’s seat has been particularly toasty. Although the team has held onto him so far, many speculate his job isn’t the safest in the league.
But despite all the talk from the outside, Pagano has taken a relatively positive outlook on a possible dismissal, according to Dan Hanzus of NFL.com:
"They can’t eat you. They can fire you but they can’t eat you. So if the worst thing, a year from now, let’s say I’m in Boise this time next year playing with my granddaughters, I’m going to be fine. That ain’t going to happen, but I’m going to be fine if I have to go down that road.
"
It is all just speculation right now, but Sunday could go a long way toward determining whether or not Pagano gets the chance to play with his granddaughter in Boise.
Quarterback news galore
Deep breath—this is going to take a little bit. The Indianapolis Colts are dealing with a number of quarterback news tidbits this week, with Andrew Luck practicing for the first time in weeks but being ruled out of Sunday’s game, while Matt Hasselbeck missed practice but is expected to start ahead of Charlie Whitehurst.
On the Houston Texans side of things, Brian Hoyer has been ruled out with a concussion and will instead turn to T.J. Yates in this must-win contest. Long story short, both teams are relying on backup quarterbacks heading into their biggest game of the season. Probably not the way either coach drew it up.
Latest Injury News
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QB Andrew Luck Limited
Hey, Andrew Luck is back at practice for the first time in a long time, and he is back to save...Wait a minute, what? Luck practiced but isn’t playing? Well, that’s a bit of a letdown.
The long-injured quarterback made his return to practice in the week leading up to the team’s most important game of the season, but he was quickly ruled out of the game Sunday to give the team time to prepare without him. He will be back soon, but not soon enough for the game against the Texans.
QB Matt Hasselbeck Did Not Practice
In other quarterback news, Charlie Whitehurst isn’t starting for the Colts this weekend, which is great news as it pertains to their chances against the Texans.
Although Matt Hasselbeck didn’t practice Wednesday, he is expected to start regardless and will likely practice for the rest of the week after suffering multiple injuries against the Jaguars. He had a big game against Houston earlier in the year, and the Colts will be hoping for more of the same from their veteran quarterback.
CBs Vontae Davis/Greg Toler Did Not Practice
This season has been a huge disappointment for Vontae Davis after his fantastic 2014. He has not been nearly the player he was last year and has been a big part in the Colts struggles in the secondary.
A bigger problem, though, has been the play of his opposite starter Greg Toler. Although he doesn’t deserve the amount of scorn he has received this year, Toler has been brutal at times and is the primary target for opposing quarterbacks when he plays.
Unfortunately for the Colts, though, these are the team’s best two options at corner—if not, something would have been changed weeks ago—and both missed practice on Wednesday with injuries. If either is forced to miss, it will be a blow against Houston and T.J. Yates.
WR Donte Moncrief Did Not Practice
In an up-and-down year for the Colts, Donte Moncrief has found a way to be more inconsistent than the team itself. After a huge game against Tampa Bay, the second-year receiver put in a one-catch stinker against Pittsburgh and a decent performance against Jacksonville in the loss. With these sorts of performances, no one quite knows what to expect from Moncrief on a given week.
Other than missing practice, there hasn’t been any news on Moncrief, who Kevin Bowen of Colts.com observed without a boot on during practice, which is a good sign that the young receiver will play against Houston.
All injury reports via Colts.com
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Key Matchups
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Colts Offensive Line vs. Texans Defensive Line
Odds are this isn’t going to be a very pretty matchup. J.J. Watt is second in the league in sacks and is a once-in-a-generation talent who can completely change the entire outlook of games on his own. The Colts offensive line, on the other hand, is one of the worst in the NFL and makes even the weakest of pass rushes look elite.
The best the Colts can hope for if they continue to play as poorly as they have all year against Watt and company is slowing them down slightly and hoping Matt Hasselbeck doesn’t get hurt. It should be a huge day for the Houston pass rush, which could make things hard on the Indianapolis aerial attack.
Colts Pass Rush vs. Texans Offensive Line
With T.J. Yates taking over for an injured Brian Hoyer this Sunday, the Colts have to have a bit of added confidence in their chances at overcoming the odds and winning the game, and likely the division. But when one remembers how bad the Indianapolis pass rush has been this season, things quickly turn sour.
No matter how much of a step down it is from Yates to Hoyer—likely nothing too extreme—the Colts pass defense hasn’t put up much resistance against anyone this year, and it won’t matter who is in at quarterback if there is no pass rush. Indianapolis ranks No. 28 in the NFL in sacks, and the secondary has looked worse as a result.
There is no guarantee Yates will be fine without pressure, but it is always easier for a quarterback to find success against a nonexistent pass rush, and unless something changes, that is exactly what he will face against the Colts.
Matchup X-Factor
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RB Frank Gore
It isn’t an entirely fair comparison given the offensive line he has had to run behind this year, but Frank Gore is a pretty accurate depiction of the Colts season as a whole when looking at the big picture.
Brought in over the summer, Gore headed into the year with a lot of hype. Despite his age, the veteran was expected to solve the issues that had plagued the Indianapolis running attack for years while the team was hoping to compete for a Super Bowl. There were even talks at the beginning of the season of keeping Gore on a pitch count to keep him fresh for a playoff run.
Now, with the season winding down, Gore has been a huge disappointment, much like the rest of the Colts season. Against the Texans, the whole year lies in the balance, so it is fitting that the offseason addition could end up deciding the whole thing.
Gore’s best game since joining the Colts came against the Texans in the early part of the season, where he finished the game with 22 carries for 98 yards and a touchdown.
As long as the Colts don’t abandon the run early on to try to cope with a deficit, Gore should see a lot of carries and could be the difference between the two teams on Sunday.
Prediction: Texans 27, Colts 20
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Forget everything else that has happened up to this point in the season. With the exception of getting these teams to where they are now, none of that matters compared to this game. Although this game doesn’t completely decide the winner of the AFC South and a playoff spot, it comes pretty close.
Both teams are going to come out with their hair on fire, ready to play the best game they have this season to try to earn that chance at a postseason run, which—despite having a slight edge in overall talent for the Colts—gives the Texans a better chance at victory.
The Colts' weakness plays right into the hands of the Texans. The pass protection falling apart in recent weeks—nearly forcing the team to roll with Charlie Whitehurst at quarterback this week—and the team facing J.J. Watt is not the ideal way to go about solving that problem.
Missing Andrew Luck and having to go with Matt Hasselbeck, who is likely going to be less than 100 percent, could make points hard to come by for Indianapolis, and as long as the Texans have DeAndre Hopkins on the roster, they are capable of scoring big.
The Colts will give everything they have for the win—don’t expect another performance like last week against Jacksonville—but it won’t be enough, as a disappointing season turns into a lost one with a home loss to the Texans.
Prediction: Texans 27, Colts 20
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