Indianapolis Colts Vs. Houston Texans: What To Look For

What a game this past Sunday! The Houston Texans took on the Dallas Cowboys, their long-time interstate rival this past Sunday in one of the best nail-biters I’ve seen in a long time.

Can you think of a game during the 2013 season that was a nail-biter?

It’s tough, isn’t it?

Still thinking?

I would give Week 1’s match up against the San Diego Chargers as one that would qualify because of the comeback that the team made to eventually defeat them. After that game, it was all downhill from there.

Anyway, the Texans played their hearts out Sunday and when we thought that they would be down-and-out, the found a way to keep themselves in the game.

I honestly think that it was presence of the 12th man — the crowd — that helped them.

In my opinion, it was the largest attendance of fans for a Texans’ road game in franchise history.

I had an opportunity to attend that game and it easily appeared as if Texans comprised of nearly half of more than the 90,000 fans in attendance.

I’m just happy the team gave it their all and without those miscues that occurred, the conversation would be a lot different in terms of the final score.

The Texans ended up falling to the Cowboys 20-17 in overtime.

Oh well — we now have until 2018 to gear up for the next match up at NRG Stadium.

I certainly hope that the NFL can look at allowing interstate rivals to face each other once a year.

I believe I need to get a petition going — that was just too awesome of a game to see!

Anyway, Week 5 is in the books and it’s now time for the team to quickly transition to the match up against the Indianapolis Colts at their home field tonight.

From interstate rival to division rival in just four days between games…

I hope the Texans are ready because this will be another bloodbath!

Here are things to look for position-wise as both teams take the field:

Oct 5, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Houston Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) avoids the tackle of Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Justin Durant (52) in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

QUARTERBACK: Ryan Fitzpatrick was rather lukewarm this past Sunday, he went 16-for-25 for 154 yards and one pick for 64.4 quarterback rating. I honestly think that Fitz did the best he could but he is limited in terms of what it takes to be an elite QB. He seems to be limited to just throwing short passes and handing the ball off to Arian Foster to move the chains for the team. He can throw the ball deep but if he does it too much, he will throw a pick. What I like about him is that he a bruiser, can take a hit and will use his legs to get the first down if needed. Just a few weeks ago, he was the team’s leading rusher. We will get to see the antics of Andrew Luck, the man that continues to be the major ingredient to the Colts’ success. They’re riding off a high of an impressive 20-13 win over the Baltimore Ravens where he went 32-for-49 for 312 with two touchdowns — one passing, one rushing and two picks. He had 22 yards rushing himself. Luck will be dangerous once again as the team faces them tonight and they must be careful not to let him get hot — they’re facing the No. 2 offense in the league with them averaging about 442 yards per game on the ground and in the air. This will be quite a test for Fitz but he is certainly capable of passing it. The Colts are 16th in pass defense giving up about 240 yards a game. This is where the Texans must strike and I think they’ll do most of their damage with.

Oct 5, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Houston Texans running back Arian Foster (23) runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

RUNNING BACK: Arian Foster can I say more? He was the reason why they were able to stay in Sunday’s match up against the Cowboys. When it seemed impossible to move the chains, Foster was able to get it done by bulldozing through the Cowboys Front 7 to get the yards that were needed. The Cowboys simply could not stop him. The team is going to need another performance like that from him tonight but it remains to be seen his readiness for this game after having about four days of rest. He is probable for tonight so we will see. The Colts are a lot better at defending the run –ranked 11th — giving up a stingy 102 yards a game. They will be missing their defensive tackle in Arthur Jones so we must take advantage of him being out. I don’t expect total dominance by Foster but I still think he is good for at least 75 yards or so rushing. The Colts have a plethora of weapons on the ground starting with top target Ahmad Bradshaw, Trent Richardson and Luck himself. The Texans are 25th in defending the run — 132 yards per game — so it’s up to the Front 7 to step up in tonight’s game. It can be done!

Oct 5, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (10) runs after a reception against Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain (55) at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

WIDE RECEIVER: It will likely be a busy night for our top three wide outs — I see Fitz spreading the ball around to Andre Johnson, DeAndre Hopkins and Damaris Johnson. I don’t think one player will stand out in terms of total yardage but each will make a valuable contribution to the team. Andre Johnson has not practiced all week nursing his right ankle but I think he will be good to go for tonight even though is injury status is questionable. I wouldn’t look to much into him missing practice — this is just an opportunity for the veteran wide receiver to rest. Fitz will be throwing mostly short passes to guys with a few deep balls, it’s just a matter if any of those passes will make a difference in advancing the ball, getting into the red zone and scoring the eventual touchdown. This is, of course, is the ultimate goal. Longtime vet Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton will be the top targets for Luck. The Texans’ secondary is a lot better this year than in the past so I’m hoping that they can shut those guys down. Hilton has been our Achilles’ Heel in the past few match ups — we simply could not find a way to stop him. That has to change or it will be a long night.

Oct 5, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray (29) fumbles the ball after being tackled by Houston Texans free safety Kendrick Lewis (21) in the first quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

DEFENSE (FRONT 7 & SECONDARY): I think J.J. Watt is ready to redeem himself from last week. Take away the missed sack on Tony Romo last week and he still had a decent game. The Colts will be without two key offensive linemen in Hugh Thornton and Jack Mewhort who are recovering from injuries to their back and ankle respectively. With those guys missing, it may be even easier to get to the quarterback and you know Watt is looking for the opportunity to take Luck down. I really see an incredible game out of him tonight. The rest of the Front 7 must be relentless to not let Bradshaw, Richardson or even Luck to start falling in love with the run. If they can hold the line, we can make it quite difficult for them and force them to throw the ball to which they’re slightly better at defending as a whole. They’re currently ranked 20th giving up 253 yards per game. A.J. Bouye has participated in practice this week after being out a few weeks with a groin injury. He will be of big help this season. Brian Cushing will give it his all and I’d expect nothing less out of him. We need to see better performances out of Brooks Reed and Whitney Mercilus who have been roughly absentee in these games. Reed had an incredible game in Week 1 against the Washington Redskins — six tackles and one sack — but he’s certainly had milk carton status since then. The key to the Texans’ success will be our defense to see the team through. I think they can and they will.