Thursday Night Football Week 5: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Colts vs. Texans

Intrigue enshrouds the Week 5 Thursday Night Football contest as the Indianapolis Colts search for a sixth consecutive win over the Houston Texans.

The visitors have been one of the league's more interesting disappointments at 2-2. Complicating matters was an injury to quarterback Andrew Luck that held him out of last week's overtime escape of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Houston hasn't been much better at 1-3, as the team continues to serve as a case study for what can happen when a team skips on a quarterback with the No. 1 pick.

It all comes to a head Thursday with AFC South positioning on the line. Here's a look at the details to know.

Viewing Info

When: Thursday, October 8, 8:25 p.m. ET

Where: NRG Stadium in Houston

Television: CBS, NFL Network

Live Stream: NFL Game Pass

Tickets: ScoreBig.com

Betting Lines (via Odds Shark):

• Over/Under: 41

• Spread: Houston (-4)

Team Injury Reports

Player	Position	Status
Tyler Varga	RB	Out
Frank Gore	RB	Probable
Dwayne Allen	TE	Probable
Matt Hasselbeck	QB	Questionable
Greg Toler	CB	Probable
Vontae Davis	CB	Questionable
Andrew Luck	QB	Questionable
Jerrell Freeman	LB	Out

Player	Position	Status
Chris Polk	RB	Questionable
Arian Foster	RB	Probable
Jonathan Grimes	RB	Out
Nate Washington	WR	Out

Injury reports via ESPN.com.

Getting Lucky With Luck

The aforementioned escape of the Jaguars says it all for the Colts this season.

Matt Hasselbeck might have been the starter, but Luck's played sluggish all season. In three games, he's thrown for just 753 yards with five scores to seven picks while completing 56 percent of his passes.

Despite a questionable tag, Luck hasn't been shy about his status, per Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star:

Thursday morning, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Hasselbeck will start the game.

Either option seems a risky endeavor. The offensive line in front of Luck has struggled, allowing eight total sacks. Room on the ground hasn't been much better, with Frank Gore featuring just 227 yards and two scores so far.

The inefficiency of the line and Luck's struggles have had a ripple effect. Andre Johnson's first game against his old team should be a bigger story, but he's caught just seven passes for 51 yards.

Just getting Luck on the field is one thing. Protecting him or a backup against a J.J. Watt-led defense is another. Over the team's first two games, the offense couldn't move against the elite defenses of the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, losing by a combined score of 47-21.

The Colts have to hope that whatever ailed Luck is out of the frame if a road divisional win is in the cards.

Solving the Riddle

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The Texans have a riddle: What to do at quarterback? 

Houston went to Atlanta last week and lost 48-21. Down 42-0 with starter Ryan Mallett at 12-of-27 with 150 yards and a pick, coach Bill O'Brien yanked him in favor of Brian Hoyer. The backup went on to throw for 232 yards and two scores.

Despite the struggles, Mallett remains the starter.

"He's our starting quarterback," O'Brien said, per ESPN.com. "Like all of us, he knows that he has to play better. We all have to do better."

It's easy to scoff, but Hoyer did his damage in garbage time, and the Texans have yet to find a ground game. Arian Foster returned last week, only to rush it eight times for 10 yards. 

Throwing 57 times to 17 rushes, as the team did against the Falcons, won't win any games. The ratio was 47-21 in a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and 58-23 in a loss to the Carolina Panthers. The team's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Just 39 passes to 46 rushes.

The quarterback goes as the ground game does for Houston. Until that gets fixed, it doesn't seem to matter who lines up under center.

Prediction

For all of the much-publicized struggles for the Colts, things look worse for the Texans.

The once-proud defense has allowed a minimum of 24 points in every game in which it hasn't faced a rookie quarterback. The offense can't move without a running back shouldering the unit on his own.

The Colts' issue is the offense, but it's one sure to shrink against a familiar opponent. The team touts five consecutive wins against the Texans, even when the Houston defense was more formidable.

Look for Gore to continue his slow return to form and for T.Y. Hilton and others to exploit a shaky secondary against a familiar opponent. Without the firepower to keep up, Houston won't be able to match the pace late in the contest.

Prediction: Colts 20, Texans 14

Statistics courtesy of ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.