Houston Texans: Next 3 weeks of season is a gauntlet
Week 12: vs. Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
Just four days after facing the Baltimore Ravens, the Houston Texans will be hosting the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football in a game the Texans need to win just to get over the hump of losing to the Colts.
Houston has lost their past three games against the team that resides in Indianapolis, including a 30-23 loss in Week 7 at Lucas Oil Stadium. On Sunday in Week 10, the Colts lost to the now two-win Miami Dolphins by a 16-12 score, dropping to 5-4 overall and putting the Texans ahead by a full game in the AFC South standings at 6-3.
For this game, the Texans have to find a way to keep the Colts from scoring points, and if Jacoby Brissett is still on the mend as he missed Week 10 after being injured in Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a knee injury, that will be a big difference in this upcoming meeting as Brian Hoyer is the current Colts starting quarterback.
Grant Gordon of NFL.com wrote this of Brissett over the weekend:
"“Since taking over as the Colts starter upon Andrew Luck’s stunning retirement, Brissett has been terrific. He hits the bench with 14 touchdowns to just three interceptions and 1,649 yards passing.”"
Houston has seemed to struggle against the Colts no matter who the starting quarterback is for their team. The Texans need to prove they can not only beat Indianapolis, but dominate them because the last time Houston defeated the Colts was Week 4 of the 2018 season by a 37-34 score in overtime, with the Colts leading the all-time series at 28-8.
According to The Football Database, since 2017, the Texans are 1-5 against the Colts, and in each of those games the Colts have scored at least 20 points, while the Texans have been held to under 20 points in three of those meetings. This game is very important to win, not just for the standings, but for the overall attitude and confidence the Texans need moving into Week 13.