The Indianapolis Colts will play the Houston Texans in Week 1 of the NFL regular season at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas on Sunday afternoon.
The Indianapolis Colts were 1-2 this preseason after defeating Tampa Bay and losing to Detroit and Buffalo. The Colts will be starting Matt Ryan at quarterback in this game after he left Atlanta. The wide receiving group had some turnover this off-season, but Jonathan Taylor will be back as one of the best running backs in the league. Will Matt Ryan be the change the Colts need to push them over the hump? The Indianapolis defense was right in the middle of the league last year, but should have a good game here against a below average Houston team.
The Houston Texans were 3-0 during the preseason after they defeated New Orleans, San Francisco, and the Rams. Davis Mills will be the starting quarterback for the Texans in this game. Dameon Pierce will be the starting running back, while Brandin Cooks will lead the receiving attack. Houston had a really bad offense last season and their defense was also at the bottom of the league. Houston brought in Lovie Smith as their head coach, but he will have his hands full trying to turn this team around.
Indianapolis is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 road games and 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games against the AFC South. The under is 5-0 in Indianapolis’ last 5 games. Houston is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 September games and 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games against the AFC South. The over is 8-3 in Houston’s last 11 home games. The under is 18-6 in these two teams last 24 head to head meetings.
The Colts dominated both games against the Texans last season and will look to start this season on the right foot. Houston was one of the worst teams last season and do not look to be much better this season. I expect Indianapolis to have a big game on the offensive side of the ball and they will pull away in the second half for the double-digit win.
AUTHOR: David Racey
