Houston Texans: 5 most important games in 2015

Week 5: vs. the Indianapolis Colts

Houston’s first division matchup in 2015 is against quarterback Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. For a number of reasons, this is going to be a crucial game for the team.

For starters, it will set the tone for their divisional games all year. Starting out at the top of the division is always better than starting out at the bottom. The Texans can only benefit from fighting to stay atop the standings instead of fighting to work their way up.

The Colts are probably the Texans biggest divisional competition, as I think Houston should play fairly well overall against Jacksonville and Tennessee. The Colts, however, will pose quite a problem. They had the league’s top passing offense last year, while Houston ranked in the bottom half of the league in terms of passing defense. With another year under his belt, Andrew Luck should be even better than before, and looking to prove himself.

He’s also got a new receiving weapon in former Houston receiver Andre Johnson. Week 5 will be Johnson’s first time back in Houston since he left the team this offseason, and the Texans will be ready to show him that they have moved on without him. Johnson continues to vent to the press about how glad he is to be free of Houston, so the team will be excited to get a shot to beat him.

In the first half of the season, this crucial divisional rivalry will set the tone for the season, and it’s very important that Houston gets off on the right foot, or 2015 could be a long year.

Next: Week 10