Colts, Texans Facing Issues In Short Week
A Thursday night showdown at Houston for first place in the AFC South Division means the Indianapolis Colts didn’t have much time to savor a much-needed, 31-13 home win over Jacksonville on Sunday.
The Colts have had to overcome so many injury obstacles, they also can’t dwell on the loss of running back Marlon Mack, who underwent surgery to repair a fractured hand on Monday morning and will be out indefinitely.
Perhaps there’s a glimmer of hope on the injury front. Four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, who has missed the past three games with a calf strain, is pushing to play providing that calf cooperates in a Tuesday practice. Hilton has had some of his best games against the Texans, especially in Houston, where he caught nine passes for 199 yards and one TD in last year’s December visit.
That said, 13 Colts appeared on Monday’s injury report, which was an estimation because both teams participated in walk-throughs. Colts head coach Frank Reich expressed confidence in the players who will be able to suit up.
“It’s that contrast of, ‘Hey you care, really, (a lot), but we’ve gotta get the guys ready who can play,’” Reich said. “And there’s a real strong belief that the guys who can play can win.”
The Colts and Texans, both 6-4, are both looking a bit different since they last met on Oct. 20, when the Colts held serve at home with a 30-23 triumph. While the Colts have already ruled out Mack and rookie safety Khari Willis (concussion), they also might not have rookie wide receiver Parris Campbell (hand fracture), wide receiver Devin Funchess (collarbone) and cornerback Pierre Desir, who has been hampered by a nagging hamstring injury since Week 5.
But the Texans have their own issues, most notable among the missing being three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, who suffered a season-ending torn pectoral muscle on Oct. 27.
The Texans imploded Sunday in a 41-7 loss at Baltimore as their lingering issues were magnified despite the fact they were coming off a bye week. A struggling offensive line allowed seven sacks while the once-fearsome pass rush managed only one against quarterback Lamar Jackson. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson was intercepted once and lost a fumble.
The Colts rushed for 264 yards in their rout of Jacksonville to snap a two-game losing streak. It’s a win they had to have after suffering a humiliating home loss to Miami (2-8). Losing Mack, who was on pace for a career year and had 109 rushing yards before his third-quarter exit, wasn’t part of the equation. But backups Jonathan Williams (career-high 116 yards) and Nyheim Hines (one rushing TD) filled in capably.
The plan for now is for Hines to start against the Texans, but he’ll split duties with Williams. The Colts jumped from 10th to fourth in rushing offense at 141.1 yards per game after posting their highest single-game total since 2004 and having two 100-yard rushers for the just the fourth game in franchise history and first time since 1985. The Texans are 13th in rushing defense at 102 yards allowed per game.
The Colts defense has allowed an average of just 16 points in the last four games. Defensive end Justin Houston has had a sack in six consecutive games, the second-longest streak of his nine-year career.
The importance of Thursday’s showdown is magnified for the Texans, who would likely relinquish the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Colts if the visitors sweep this season’s series. The Colts are 3-0 in division play while the Texans are 2-1. If the Texans win, aside from being one game ahead, should the teams end up tied for the title at season’s end, the Colts would be 5-5 in conference play while the Texans would improve to 6-2.
Nobody in the NFL ever likes the quick turnaround in playing two games in five days, but it’s fair to say the Texans are eager to play and remove the stench of their Baltimore nightmare.
“I think any time you have a quick week after a day like yesterday is probably a good thing,” Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said on a Monday conference call. “I think that you can turn the page quickly here today and get really focused obviously on the Colts. We did that right after the game really. It’s time to move on because you have to have a sense of urgency because you have a division opponent coming in here that’s coming off a win, so our guys will be really focused.”
