Deshaun Watson has played really well this season. He has done a good job moving the ball and putting up some big numbers in a few games. Houston has scored a lot of points in some games as well, and they even scored 23 points in Indy a few weeks ago.
The Colts getting Desir back is massive. This will be the first game he’s played in the last four games. He will likely be matched up on Hopkins all day. He probably won’t be able to stop him. But even slowing him down a little bit still helps as much as possible.
Forcing turnovers is something the secondary has done better as of lately. Rock Ya-Sin got a pick in the last game, and Kenny Moore recovered a fumble the week before. The whole defense has done a better job of forcing turnovers. Houston has an issue protecting the quarterback too.
Locking down the outside will force Watson to scan the zone coverages over the middle of the field. That takes time, and that might not be time that he has. Justin Houston will likely be in his face a lot tonight. It will be interesting to see how he handles that.
It will be interesting to see how Houston deals with that. The final matchup is a coaching matchup, which could ultimately end up deciding who wins this game.