NFL Picks: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts

Written by Jack Jones on November 13, 2008

The Indianapolis Colts have seemingly resurrected their season with a pair of wins over division leaders the last two weeks, and they will try to keep their run going when they host the Houston Texans on Sunday. The Colts come into this game second in the AFC South behind the Tennessee Titans at 5-4 while the Texans are at the bottom of the standings at 3-6. The NFL lines makers have taken that into account as the Colts are listed as 8-point favorites at BetUS, where you can get up to 145% in signup bonuses when making an initial deposit.

Even though Indianapolis is probably out of the running for a sixth straight AFC South title, they are right back in the thick of things for a Wildcard spot after wins against the Patriots and the Steelers. However, this Colts team is going to have to keep winning in order to make the post-season and they can’t overlook the Texans this weekend. Indy has now won two straight at their brand-new Lucas Oil Stadium after dropping their first two games there.

Houston has lost two straight now, including a 41-13 blowout given by the Baltimore Ravens last week. The Texans are trying to make a playoff push of their own, but they will have to go on the road and win a game, something they haven’t been able to do all season long in compiling an 0-4 record. It might be tough to turn things around with Sage Rosenfels starting once again at quarterback for the injured Matt Schaub.

Rosenfels was the starter last week against Baltimore and tossed four picks, two of which went the other way for six points. He now has 764 yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions on the year. However, Rosenfels has held his own going against division foes, passing for 1,359 yards and 13 touchdowns to 10 interceptions against the AFC South. He does have a couple of capable targets to throw to in Andre Johnson, who has 67 catches for 900 yards and three touchdowns, and Kevin Walter, who has 37 receptions for six scores. The ground game is going to have to get going though if Houston has any chance of picking up a win here. Last week Steve Slaton had seven yards on four carries while Ryan Moats managed 34 yards on seven attempts. Ahman Green also toted the ball four times for 19 yards in an all-around dismal effort for the rushing attack.

The Texans haven’t been able to do a very good job of getting to the opposing quarterbacks this year and that is one reason Houston ranks 14th against the pass in allowing 198.7 yards per game. The team will need Mario Williams to keep producing, he has eight sacks, but someone else on the line needs to step up and get into the backfield. It won’t help that the linebacking corps is beat up either with Zac Diles last for the season with a broken leg and Morlon Greenwood suffering an ankle injury against the Ravens. The Texans have given up more than 150 rushing yards in two straight weeks and they rank 23rd overall against the run. You can bet Houston +8 at Sportsbook.com using your debit or credit card.

Peyton Manning is starting to heat up after a slow start and now has 2,248 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He threw for three touchdowns last week at Pittsburgh and leads this eighth-ranked pass offense. The offensive line has done a good job of giving him time to hit his receivers, and Reggie Wayne has produced in a big way with 49 catches for 700 yards and five scores. Marvin Harrison is also still a threat with his 30 receptions for three touchdowns and tight end Dallas Clark has three touchdown receptions the last three weeks to go with his 34 catches on the year. Joseph Addai was hurt early on, but he seems to be recovered which is a big plus for a Colts team ranked last in rushing yardage.

Defensively the Colts have been strong against the pass, ranking 7th in the league and they are coming off a three interception performance against the Steelers. The secondary could receive a big boost if cornerback Kelvin Hayden can return from injury. The run defense needs some work, but they showed some promise last week in holding the Steelers to only 55 yards on the ground, but a big reason for that could have been Willie Parker missing the game. You can bet the Colts -8 at Bookmaker and get a 20% signup bonus!

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