Monday, December 21, 05:00am AEDST, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, ESPN NFL Redzone
THE Indianapolis Colts host the Houston Texans in a do-or-die clash that will see one team’s playoff dreams remain alive while dashing the hopes of the vanquished.
The Texans have looked terrific in recent times. Last week’s loss to the Patriots was their first defeat in five weeks.
The Colts are coming off the back of an embarrassing road loss to the Jaguars, conceding 32 second half points against a team that has struggled all season.
It will be a battle of the second string quarterbacks with both Andrew Luck and Brian Hoyer ruled out for Sunday’s pivotal match up.
With both teams locked on six wins, the battle for the AFC South will be the must-watch game of week 15.
If the Texans are to win they will need to overturn a 0-13 record in Indianapolis against the Colts that dates back to when Houston entered the competition back in 2002.
Can the Texans end an abysmal away from home record against the Colts?
If the Texans are to overcome the Colts away from home, they will have to overturn one of the NFL’s most dominant winning streaks.
Houston has never won in the state of Indianapolis as a franchise, with the 0-13 record against the Colts away from home haunting the Texans since their inception.
Despite their poor record in the state of Indianapolis, defensive player of the year JJ Watt believes his Texans have what it takes to snap the streak and take control of the AFC North.
“We’re playing against the 2015 Colts,” Watt said.
“We’re not comparing it to any other season. It has nothing to do with the past or what the record may have been in the past. It’s a completely different year. It’s a completely different team. We’re just looking forward to this game.”
One man that will need to have a big outing for the Texans is DeAndre Hopkins.
Emerging as one of the NFL’s best wide receivers in 2015, Hopkins was dynamic in the teams’ last meeting; catching 11 passes for 169 yards.
With the Colts defence allowing 96 points in their last two games, a monumental turnaround in their defensive output will be required on Sunday.
The pressure is on the home side this weekend, with Colts’ coach Chuck Pagano’s job potentially on the line.
A loss on Sunday would potentially see the end of Pagano’s tenure at the Colts, but if the man himself is feeling the stress, he is not showing it.
“They can’t eat you. They can fire you but they can’t eat you.” Pagano said.
“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.”
At the moment it is all speculation, but if the Texans are able to snap the NFL’s biggest hoodoo on Sunday afternoon, Chuck Pagano may be looking at job vacancies in Boise on Sunday night.
Match Preview:
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Winner:Houston Texans – $2.10
An AFC South matchup is the game of the week with the Indianapolis Colts hosting the Houston Texans in a cutthroat, winner takes all contest.
The winner of the match will go one game clear in the AFC South with two matches left in the regular season.
With an incredible 24-3 record against the Texans – including an imposing 13-0 home run since Houston entered the competition – few teams have bullied their opponents like the Colts have dominated the Houston.
Despite this, the Texans will go into Sunday’s match up with high hopes after star Colt’s quarterback Andrew Luck was again ruled out through injury.
Luck’s presence on the offensive end could have been the catalyst that the Colts needed to make a late bid for the playoffs, but their inability to score without Luck makes their subpar defensive even more of a liability.
Despite the fact that Brian Hoyer will miss for the visiting Houston on Sunday due to concussion, probable replacement TJ Yates has shown in the past he’s more than capable of stepping up to run the offense.
With a wide receivers with the quality of DeAndre Hopkins demanding the ball in the back field, the Texans should feast on the less than average Colts’ defence.
Yates and Hopkins have a great chemistry on the field, with the 28-year-old the quarterback that threw Hopkins his very first NFL touchdown reception in the 2013 preseason opener at Minnesota.
“All his did was throw it up and I came down with a completion,” Hopkins said. “The history that we have, that’s kind of how it’s been with us.”
Yates believes Hopkins will be the key on Sunday afternoon.
“Absolutely, 100 percent trust in [Hopkins],” Yates said.
“You throw it up in the vicinity with that guy and he will go and get it for you, so that is something that we have to go and do. We have to get him the ball.”
The Colts have allowed 45 points to their opposition in back-to-back games, their worst effort since 1953; which will have Yates and Hopkins salivating over what may happen on the offensive end at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Expect the Texans to roll into Indianapolis on Sunday and surge past their division rivals to the stop of the AFC South en route to a playoff berth.
