Game: Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans
Date & Time: Thursday November 21st, 2019, 8:20 (EST)
Location: NRG Stadium, Houston
The Line: Houston Texans -3.5, O/U 45..5
TV Channel: FOX
NFL SEASON ATS RECORD: 38-28-2
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans Preview
The Indianapolis Colts travel to Houston to take on the Texans in a battle for 1st-place in the AFC South.
The Texans came into their game against the Ravens looking to prove to the world they were contenders. They were 6-3 going into the game, and were up against the 7-2 Ravens in a matchup between two of the most exciting young Quarterbacks in the league. The Texans left that game licking their wounds after a 41-7 beating at the hands of Lamar Jackson.
The Colts welcomed QB Jacoby Brissett back to the starting lineup with open arms last week. In his return, Brissett led the Colts to a 33-13 victory over the Jaguars to halt the teams 2-game losing streak, and put them in a tie back for 1st place with the Texans with 6 weeks remaining.
In their previous meeting in Week 7, the Colts came out on top with a 30-23 victory. Brissett was phenomenal, throwing for 326 yards and 4 TDs. Texans QB Deshaun Watson also threw for over 300 yards, but had 2 costly interceptions that cost his team.
This is a huge swing game in the AFC South. Both teams are sitting at 6-4 with some tough games remaining. For the Colts, if you told them when Andrew Luck abruptly retired that they’d be in this situation, they would have taken it. Now that it’s a reality, they want more. For the Texans, they feel like they should be better than they are after making their fair share of “win-now” moves this season.
The winner takes a stranglehold of the division, but it may be more important for Houston to come out on top. If the Colts win, not only will they have the lead in the division, they will also own the tiebreaker by virtue of winning both H2H matchups.
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans Key Stats
- The Colts are one win away from surpassing their 2019 Vegas win total (6.5)
- The Colts won in Week 7 30-23
- The Texans have followed up each of their 4 losses with a win
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans Betting Lines
- The O/U for the game is 45.5
- The Texans are 3.5 point favorites on Draftkings
- The Texans are -200 on the ML, Colts +163
Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans Spread Prediction
After coming off their 41-7 loss in a game where the Texans were trying to make a statement, the Texans will come out motivated. However, that doesn’t mean the Colts will just lie down.
The Colts are hoping to have WR T.Y Hilton return to the starting lineup, but will be without RB Marlon Mack, who broke his land in last week’s win. The Texans are looking forward to welcoming back WR Will Fuller to the lineup.
With the Colts winning their previous meeting, I find it hard to believe that they’d beat the more talented Texans roster twice in one season. With Watson motivated to turn the naysayers away after last week’s performance, look for the Texans to come out strong and cover, but I’m going to buy to -2.5 in this Thursday Night Football matchup.
