Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts Prediction: Can Texans' Defense Stifle Gardner Minshew, Colts?
The Houston Texans are ready to square off with Gardner Minshew and the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday night. Can Will Anderson and the defense shut down the Colts offense and clinch the final AFC playoff spot? Joey Ruiz analyzes this showdown and provides his best bet in Texans vs. Colts.
Joey Ruiz - January 6, 2024, 1:00 PM EST
5 minHouston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts Prediction: Can Texans' Defense Stifle Gardner Minshew, Colts?
Early in the season during Week 2, the Colts took down the Texans by a score of 31-20. C.J. Stroud had a solid game, but it was not enough. Can he and the Texans offense go into Indianapolis to get revenge and punch their ticket into the playoffs? Let's break it down.
Texans vs. Colts Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: January 6, 2024
- Game Time: 8:15 pm ET
- Where to Watch: ABC & ESPN
Texans vs. Colts Odds
- Spread: Texans -1 (-110), Colts +1 (-110)
- Total Odds: O/U 47 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Texans (-115), Colts (-102)
Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts Prediction
C.J. Stroud has been one of the more impressive rookies of this NFL season, and is likely on his way to winning Offensive Rookie of the Year, as he is currently the betting favorite to win the award. Stroud has been recovering from a head injury and played his first game last weekend since December 10th. He did not miss a beat, completing 24 of 32 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown en route to a 26-3 victory over division rival Tennessee. While this was not Stroud's best game of the season, he was incredibly efficient and led an offense that did not turn the ball over a single time. One can only imagine Stroud will have an even better game against a Colts defense that has been middle of the pack at best.
Another encouraging sign for the Texans was their strong defensive performance against the Titans last week, where they only allowed three points and 187 total yards. Houston was able to get a ton of pressure on the quarterback, sacking Tannehill/Levis six total times. If the Texans can get that same type of pressure on Gardner Minshew, they will have an excellent chance to win as Minshew's main flaw this season has been his carelessness with the ball when it comes to turnovers. Minshew already has 14 total turnovers on the season after taking over the starting job. He has been more of a game manager for a Colts team that has been very lucky and is outperforming their overall expectations.
After all, there is a reason why they are home underdogs in the last week of the season to a rookie quarterback in a winner take all game to make the playoffs. Funny enough, Stroud has only played in one road divisional game this entire season, which came all the way back in Week 3 when he torched the Jaguars as a 7-point underdog. Houston won that game 37-17 and dominated on both sides of the ball, and I expect a similar performance today with all the chips on the line.
The Texans have the better defense, the better quarterback, and the betting line is showing a lot of strength towards the Texans in this matchup. With that being said, I am rolling with Texans ML at -114 odds for 1.5 units as my most confident NFL play of the day for today's action, as I believe Stroud and the Texans will punch their ticket into the playoffs.
Houston Texans vs. Indianapolis Colts Pick
Pick: HOU ML (-114) Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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