Houston Texans and Indianapolis Colts Prepare For Week 1 Divisional Battle

They are two very different franchises.

One has won at least 12 games in each of the last seven seasons and has reached the playoffs the last eight years. The other comes off their first winning season in franchise history (9-7), and hopes 2010 will bring them their first ever playoff berth.

The defending AFC Champion Colts travel to Houston Sunday to face the Texans, who look to start their campaign for their first AFC South title in team history by dethroning the team that has won the division six of the last seven years.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak is just ready to play a game that counts.

“I am ready to get going,” said Kubiak. “Camp is a long, hard deal for everybody. It’s been a good one.”

The Texans finished the preseason 1-3, their lone win coming against the Cowboys, 23-7, in Week 3. The Texans were outscored by their opponents 88-76 in their four preseason games, the last of which was a 24-17 loss to the Buccaneers, a game the Bucs led 17-0 at halftime.

“I was proud of the resolve of the young guys,” said Kubiak. “You’re sitting there down 17-0 at halftime and you’ve given up two touchdowns—but we really came out and played with some fire. I thought the kids were excited and gave themselves a chance at the end. But now it’s time to buckle up, get our 53 (players), and go to work.”

Coming off a 31-17 Super Bowl loss to the Saints, the Colts are equally excited about the 2010 campaign.

“The approach is the same for us in terms of finding ways to make certain we improve,” second-year head coach Jim Caldwell said. “But obviously, these games, they count. The other (preseason) games are games where you certainly are aware of the scoreboard, but you’re also evaluating quite extensively.

“This is where we make our money, so we’re excited about it.”

Indianapolis has a 15-1 series edge against the Texans, including six consecutive victories. The Colts took two close decisions over the Texans in 2009, 20-17 in Indianapolis and 35-27 in Houston. Each of the past four outings has been decided by eight points or less. Indianapolis is 7-1 all-time at Reliant Stadium in Houston.

The Texans will look to break the Colts’ six-game win streak against them Sunday at 12 p.m. CDT in Houston.

This article can also be found at www.footballnewsnow.com.