Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans: Behind Enemy Lines

The Indianapolis Colts head southwest to face the Houston Texans for a divisional showdown. Despite a slow start to the year, the Colts can still come away with the division lead with a win on Sunday night.

The Colts currently sit at 2-3 and are hoping to start a win streak after defeating the Bears. The Texans are at 3-2 with the top spot in the AFC South, but were pounded by the Vikings in Week 5. We got in touch with Toro Times to get some intel on this week’s foe and editor Josh McSwain was happy to talk about the Texans with us.

Make sure to check out our answers to their questions here.

Here is what McSwain had to say about Houston:

1. Has the investment in Brock Osweiler been worth it so far? The offense seems to sputter at times for the Texans, is this on Osweiler or other factors?

I think the jury is still out on Osweiler. So far he has been uneven to say the least. He has made some plays here and there that give hope but then he throws into double coverage or starts staring down receivers and it makes you say, “why did we get this guy?”.

Let’s remember he is learning a new system and adjusting to new teammates and all and chemistry can’t be forced. So has it been worth it–too early to say and the offensive struggles are due to a variety of factors–Osweiler, the line has been spotty and the play calling at times has been awful.

2. What are the defensive expectations with J.J. Watt out? Did the team rush him back or did he do that himself?

The defense can still be top notch. The secondary is pretty good, but they are getting hung out to dry on a consistent basis with minimal pass rush. The run defense was already the achilles heel and without Watt it just gets that much worse. So I still think the Texans could be a top ten defense, but they won’t be an elite unit like people thought they could be before the season. I think it was a mix of both for Watt. He’s as competitive as they come and wanted to get back in there and I think he did it too soon.

3. None of the team’s three wins have been particularly easy. Do you see any fundamental problems with the Texans or is this what you expected for 2016?

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I thought chemistry would not come as quickly as some people thought. I thought the early games would be challenging but the Texans would stay around .500 and that is what has happened so far. There are plenty of problems though–the run defense is still not good because of the lack of push the defensive line generates and Whitney Mercilus is the only guy who can rush the quarterback. Ironically, I think the offense can be the stronger unit of the team if they get healthy and in sync. The line needs to get healthy and allow Osweiler time to throw and develop chemistry with his receivers and open lanes for Lamar Miller.

4. Who needs to step up for the Texans to come away with a win? Is there an x-factor for Sunday?

I’m putting it on the receivers. Will Fuller has made some plays early in the season but DeAndre Hopkins has been a bit uneven through the first five games. It is good in one sense because the Texans have more playmakers than just Hopkins and don’t have to force the ball to him anymore. But Osweiler tends to pick the worst times to try and force the ball to Hopkins. So for me, Hopkins needs to have a big game against a shabby Colts secondary.

5. If you could take one player off the Colts (aside from Andrew Luck) and add him to the Texans roster, who would it be and why?

That’s a tough one. I think I’m going to give a bit of a surprising answer here and say Dwayne Allen. I would say TY Hilton, but since the Texans have Will Fuller as a deep threat, Hilton is not really necessary. Otherwise, many of the same weaknesses the Texans have are not strengths of the Colts. So I go with Allen, because the tight end position has been an area of weakness for the Texans since Owen Daniels left.

6. What is your prediction for Sunday night? Who wins and why?

I’m actually picking the Colts in a shootout. Andrew Luck has torched the Texans in his career and with the injuries and lack of pass rush he should be able to have another big night. With the Colts secondary also in shambles, this is an opportunity for Osweiler to prove himself. But with his uneven play, I trust Luck more. I’m going with a high scoring game 34-31.

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