Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans Odds & Game Pick
Thursday Night Football features a matchup between two teams tied atop the AFC South. The winner will be in sole possession of first place of the division heading into Week 13. If the Colts win, they will have completed a season sweep of the Texans and will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Details
- Opening Lines: FanDuel had the odds open as Texans -4.5; O/U 46.5. The spread and the total have dropped one point each.
- Current Line: Texans -3.5
- O/U: 45.5
- Location: NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Start Time: 8:20 pm ET
- Television: FOX
- Last Meeting: October 20, 2019 – The Colts defeated the Texans 30-23 in Indianapolis
View consensus picks from 100+ experts for the Colts at Texans >>
Overview
The Indianapolis Colts received another blow to their offensive attack when it was announced that Marlon Mack needed surgery on a fractured hand, an injury that will keep him out indefinitely. It’s not expected that Mack will miss the rest of the season, but he will definitely be out for a few weeks, including this Thursday night against Houston. Mack will be added to an injury report that already includes T.Y. Hilton.
Luckily for the Colts, their offensive line is healthy and will be able to pave the way for Jonathan Williams and Nyheim Hines who will be filling in for the injured Mack. Jacoby Brissett came back last week after an MCL sprain kept him out for a week. The Colts played inspired behind him, beating the Jaguars 33-13, and putting up 23 points in the second half of the game. When the Colts and Texans met earlier this year, Brissett threw for 326 yards and four touchdowns.
The Texans are also littered with injuries with Bradley Roby and Will Fuller V showing up on the injury report as questionable for Thursday. Neither played last week against Baltimore, and their absences were noticed as the Texans were shelled by the Ravens 41-7. If Fuller plays, it gives Deshaun Watson a much-needed secondary target after DeAndre Hopkins. Roby would give the defense, which is already missing J.J. Watt, a huge boost.
The offensive line for the Texans will have to be much better this week after giving up seven sacks last week against Baltimore. In their Week 7 matchup, the Texans gave up three sacks to the Colts. The pressure that was allowed by the offensive line lead to Deshaun Watson throwing two interceptions in their seven-point road loss.
Trends
- The Colts are 5-4-1 ATS this season.
- The Texans are 5-5 ATS this season.
- The total has gone over in six of the Colts’ ten games this season.
- The total has gone under in six of the Texans’ ten games this season.
- The Colts are 5-1 ATS and SU in their last six games vs Houston.
- The total has gone under in seven of the Texans’ last eight home games.
- The total has gone over in six of Dallas’ nine games this season.
Prop Bet
Jonathan Williams Touchdown +250
Williams didn’t have a touchdown last week against the Jaguars, but he did run the ball 13 times for 116 yards. The Colts will look to ride him again, as they try to control the time of possession and wear down the Texans’ defense. Houston looked terrible on Sunday against the Ravens’ rushing attack giving up 263 yards and a touchdown. Williams should get a majority of the carries over Hines. I like him to bust a big one at some point and with odds as high as +250 for a starting running back against a week rush defense, this is too good to pass up.
Bottom Line
This is a very tough game to pick for a few reasons. One is because it’s a Thursday night game, but another bigger reason is because both teams are loaded with injuries to key players. Marlon Mack only rushed for 44 yards in the Colts’ Week 7 victory over the Texans, but he has become more of a focal point of the offense since then. With his absence and the absence of Hilton, the Colts are missing two of their biggest weapons. But on the other side, the Texans could be without Fuller and Roby. With how bad their offensive line has been this season, it’s hard to imagine Watson having the time necessary to be able to score enough against a solid Colts’ defense to leave the Colts’ offense in the dust. I don’t have a great feel on this game either way, but if forced to pick I’d go with the Texans and the points, primarily because they’re the home team and their injuries are less detrimental than those of the Colts.
FanDuel Sportsbook: View our review and access special sports betting offers >>
Philip Wood is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Philip, check out his archive and follow him @Phil_Wood_Jr.