Colts at Texans: Is Houston for Real?

To get you ready for week 3, FanHouse is previewing all 16 NFL games. Here is your Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans preview. And to prepare you for this epic battle, I strongly suggest watching the mashedup YouTube of two of the greatest battles in recent cinema.


2007 Record:
Indianapolis Colts: 2-0 (T-1st in AFC South, 1-0 in division)
Houston Texans: 2-0 (T-1st in AFC South)

Last Week:
Colts 22 , Titans 20
Texans 34 , Panthers 21

Last Meeting:
December 24, 2006: Texans 27, Colts 24. With the absence of Colts safety Bob Sanders, Texans running back Ron Dayne rushed for a career high 153 yards. David Carr did not fumble, throw an interception or get sacked--mostly because by that time of the season, the Texans had pretty much shut down the passing game.

This was the first time in 10 matchups that the Texans beat the Colts, and the last time any team has beaten the Colts in the regular season. Colts fans would love for the Texans to remain two automatic Ws each year, and some Texans fans want Peyton Manning speared by a trident for his stat padding ways of continuing to throw the ball during blowouts.

Keys to an Indy Win:

Being the Super Bowl Champ: The Colts just need to be the Colts. Peyton Manning moves the ball with ruthless efficiency, the game gets out of hand, and the opponent needs to play catchup and fails.

Get the Crowd Out of the Game: Reliant Stadium tends to be a loud place to play, and well, given that this is a chance to beat the Colts for the #1 spot in the AFC South, I am guessing the place will be rocking. The Colts offensive line isn't as experienced as it was last year and this might present some problems facing an improved Texans pass rush.

Getting the Texans off the Field: Having Bob Sanders back certainly helps the Colts in controlling the run as illustrated by last year's playoffs. Quarterback Matt Schaub makes a difference in this matchup too. The Colts believe that the Texans are just going to run the ball to control clock like they did last year. However, I believe, even with the absence of Andre Johnson due to injury, the Texans are going to blend the run and pass to keep the Colts on their heels. The blended play calling has lead to a number of long, clock killing drives for the Texans in the regular season (and by the first and second teams in the preseason).

Keys to a Houston Win:

How They Respond to Losing Andre Johnson: In the preseason, some fans complained that the Matt Schaub version of the Texans didn't get the ball to Andre Johnson enough. That he spread the ball around so much (receivers, tight ends, fullbacks, running backs) that the most talented guy on the field wasn't getting the ball. Those concerns went away after Johnson grabbed 3 touchdowns and became 4th in the league in receiving yards before his injury. With Sanders back, the Texans are not going to be successful if they try being one-dimensional and just running the ball. The 2007 Texans offense depends on not getting into long yardage situations so the receivers are going to stay efficient and not having bad drops.

Playing like a team: Check out the Football Outsider efficiency stats and notice how balanced and highly rated the Texans offense (#7), defense (#5) and special teams (#4) are for the first two games. Overall, they are ranked 4th in the efficiency stats, right above the Colts. The Texans are playing above their preseason expectations, because a lot of people wondered before the season whether Schaub behind the Texans offensive line was going to get killed. What the Texans have working so far in the preseason and regular season is a system offense, a defense with high draft picks, and their traditional emphasis on special teams. (young teams need special teams to be solid because often they give the best chance for a flukey win).

In talking beyond the stats, the Texans have done three things well that they haven't done in the past: 1. Good decision making by the quarterback that doesn't result in long yardage situations or turnovers creating short fields; 2. Punter Matt Turk has been much more consistent than last year's punter, Chad Stanley, in pinning back opponents; 3. Keeping their composure even when things go poorly.

Secondary play: The Texans haven't faced a team with multiple receiver threats this season. Even knowing that Steve Smith was the best receiver for the Panthers, they allowed him to get 3 touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns were against cornerback DeMarcus Faggins. Manning targeted Faggins last game, and I am not sure how that is going to be any different this week. The Texans hope to put pressure on Manning with just four linemen to help the secondary out.

Interesting Stat:

The Texans are +4 in the turnover stats, and the Colts are +3.

So, what what's your preview?