The Houston Texans are coming off their Week 14 bye and will host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Houston (8-5) is slightly favored to win against Miami (6-7) but they can't take this team lightly.
DeMeco Ryans knows this as well as anyone since he's longtime friends with their head coach, Mike McDaniel. The two worked together in San Francisco and Ryans said he has "the mindset of a winner, the mindset of a competitor."
With how well these two coaches know one another, this should be a close contest. Houston, who could lock up the AFC South with a win and an Indianapolis loss, should be able to come out on top if these four bold predictions come true.
4. Joe Mixon surpasses 1,000 yards on the season
After missing several weeks with a high ankle sprain, Joe Mixon came back with a vengeance in Week 6. He ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on just 13 carries against the New England Patriots. That was the first of four consecutive 100-yard outings for the veteran back.
Since then, it's been a seesaw for him with 46 yards in Week 10 followed by 109 in Week 11. He then had just 22 in Week 12 and 101 in Week 13. In this first prediction, the up-and-down stretch goes straight up as he runs for over 100 yards and surpasses the 1,000-yard mark as well. He currently needs 113 to get there, which he's more than capable of handling.
3. Texans hold Dolphins to fewer than 75 yards on the ground
Mike McDaniel has always boasted a strong ground game but they've hit a wall in recent weeks. Miami enters Week 15 ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing yardage and hasn't hit triple digits in a game since Week 9. Last weekend, they managed just 44 yards which was an improvement over the 39 they had in Week 13.
This first bold prediction has the Texans continuing this negative trend for Miami by holding them to fewer than 75 yards rushing. Houston might not boast a massive run-stuffing nose tackle but they're 10th in the NFL in rushing yardage, so this isn't an ideal matchup for the Dolphins.
2. Nico Collins tops 100 yards, scores 2 TDs
Nico Collins was fined roughly $5,000 by the NFL for throwing a football in the stands. He didn't understand since he'd done this before without punishment but also didn't care since he made a kid's day.
This second bold prediction has him responding by putting up his best day since returning from injury. Miami has a respectable pass defense but Collins is still too much for them as he goes for 100-plus yards with two touchdowns.
1. Derek Stingley Jr. records pick-six
Derek Stingley Jr. has two interceptions over the past three weeks and was impossible to complete a pass against during their win over the Jaguars.
As good as he has been in his career, Stingley has yet to score a defensive touchdown. That changes with our final bold prediction as he takes a pass from Tua Tagovaiola back for a touchdown.