Somebody in the AFC South is leaving Lucas Oil Stadium at 0-3 on Sunday, and the Indianapolis Colts have a real shot at making sure it isn’t them. The oddsmakers have Indianapolis as a slight home underdog against the Houston Texans, but the matchup looks a lot friendlier now that Houston will be without star receiver Nico Collins for the second straight week.
Daniel Jones and the Colts know what’s at stake. “It’s definitely mandatory to win this weekend,” wide receiver Josh Downs told Colts.com this week. Here’s why they can pull it off, and the one thing that could sink them.
Reasons the Colts will beat the Texans in Week 3
1. Houston’s offense has stalled without Nico Collins
Collins is ruled out again with a hamstring injury, and last week showed what that does to the Texans. Houston scored six points in a 20-6 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and C.J. Stroud went 8 of 20 for 102 yards against man coverage. The Texans actually outgained Cincinnati by 107 yards, but they couldn’t finish drives, and the run game didn’t bail Stroud out. David Montgomery and Woody Marks combined for 18 rushing yards on 14 carries.
2. The Colts can put up points in a hurry
Indianapolis is 0-2, but not because the offense has been the problem. The Colts have scored more than 50 points through two games and took the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime at Arrowhead Stadium before losing 33-30. Jonathan Taylor ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns in that game. Houston’s defense is allowing 6.1 yards per play, which ranks 27th in the league, so there should be room for Taylor and Jones to work.
3. The Texans are banged up well beyond Collins
Houston’s final injury report ruled out five players, including defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, guard Ed Ingram and safety M.J. Stewart. Offensive tackle Trent Brown is questionable with knee and wrist injuries. That’s a thinner pass rush, a patched-up offensive line and a shorthanded secondary on the road. The Colts’ final report was much lighter. Receivers Alec Pierce and Ashton Dulin are out, and cornerback Charvarius Ward is questionable with a groin injury, but that’s the extent of it.
Reason the Colts won’t beat the Texans in Week 3
Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
1. Indianapolis still can’t stop anybody
This is the big one. The Colts rank last in the NFL in yards allowed per game, yards per play and points allowed per game. They’ve missed 28 tackles through two weeks, the second-most in the league, and own an NFL-worst minus-16 explosive-play differential. Head coach Shane Steichen didn’t sugarcoat it. “We’ve got to tackle better,” Steichen said. “I think we had a ton of missed tackles last week, last couple weeks, and those are leading to explosive plays, especially in the run game.”
That’s how a struggling offense gets right in a hurry. Even without Collins, Stroud threw for 353 yards last week, and Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter can make life miserable for Jones if the Colts fall behind. It’s one of several Colts concerns heading into Sunday, and it’s the one most likely to extend the franchise’s nine-game losing streak dating back to last season.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on CBS. If the Colts finally start tackling, they should be the ones leaving Indianapolis with a win.
