Colts vs. Texans: TV Schedule, Odds, Ticket Info, Game Time and More

AFC South rivals and first-round foes the Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts met twice during the 2018 NFL season.

Each contest was decided by three points. One needed an overtime period to decide the outcome and both saw a different team come out on top.

It's no surprise, then, to see oddsmakers calling for yet another nail-biter when these familiar franchises lock horns again in Saturday's playoff opener. Let's examine this potential thriller from all angles.

Date: Saturday, January 5

Time: 4:35 p.m. ET

TV: ABC/ESPN

Odds: Houston (-1.5); Over/Under: 48.5 (according to OddsShark)

Ticket Info: All available tickets for Saturday's Texans vs. Colts game can be found on StubHub.

Can Either Ground Game Get Going?

James Kenney/Associated Press

Look, we get it. If this game is on your weekend viewing schedule, you're tuning in to see Deshaun Watson vs. Andrew Luck.

As you should. These are two of the more dynamic passers in the game, and it showed when they shared the field this season. Watson threw for 642 yards and three scores in those contests. Luck upped the ante with 863 passing yards and six touchdowns.

Maybe the matchup is as simple as one outplaying the other (probably by a slim margin). But both would gladly move away from the one-dimensional offenses they were forced to run against one another.

The top rushing performance in the two regular-season meetings was a forgettable 14-carry, 49-yard performance by Houston's Lamar Miller in Week 4. When they met again in Week 14, no back even reached 40 yards.

These aren't slouches in the backfield either. Miller tied for 11th overall with 973 yards. Indy's Marlon Mack ranked 16th with 908. Together, they had 14 rushing scores and 13 carries of 20-plus yards between them.

But these run defenses are relentless. Houston yielded an NFL-best 3.4 yards per carry and only surrendered eight rushing scores all season. Indianapolis ranked sixth overall with 3.9 yards per attempt allowed.

"You have to able to stop the run," Texans defensive end J.J. Watt told reporters. "As defensive linemen, that's our first job, stopping the run and trying to get the ball, then, to get after the passer."

While both rush defenses could cancel each other out, if either ground game gets rolling that could prove a critical advantage.

Which Star Receiver Shows Out?

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Like most teams, both the Texans and Colts had trouble impacting the others' top receivers.

DeAndre Hopkins scored in each matchup, totaling 14 catches for 205 yards and two touchdowns. T.Y. Hilton caught almost everything that came his way, turning 18 targets into 13 receptions for 314 yards.

Texans fans, of course, are all too familiar with monster outings from Hilton. He historically owns Houston to an almost unfathomable degree.

"In 14 games against Houston, Hilton has caught 76 passes for 1,445 yards and nine touchdowns," Hunter Atkins wrote for the Houston Chronicle. "He has notched a 100-plus-yard day half of the time. ... He averages 122.3 receiving yards per game at NRG Stadium, more than Andre Johnson (88.4), Drew Bennett (81.6) and DeAndre Hopkins (72.7)."

So...advantage Indy, right? Not so fast.

Hopkins essentially terrorizes everyone. He finished among the top five in receptions (115, third), receiving yards (1,572, second) and receiving touchdowns (11, fifth).

"We all would vote that he is probably in the top conversation as the top receiver or one of the top receivers," Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said in December. "... His catch-radius and his ability to get open and his ability to stay open and his ability to always be open I think that creates a lot of problems for any defense throughout the league."

While Hilton and Hopkins aren't the only proven pass-catchers on either side, they're atop the defensive game plan when it comes to limiting the passing attacks.

Whichever stud receiver won the yardage battle in the regular season, his team came out on top. Because these run defenses force opponents to put such a priority on the passing game, that feels like a trend that could continue this weekend.