Colts: 3 reasons Indy will own the Texans for the foreseeable future

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 22: Head coach Frank Reich of the Indianapolis Colts on the sidelines in the game against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - DECEMBER 22: Head coach Frank Reich of the Indianapolis Colts on the sidelines in the game against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
2 of 3
Colts
Colts Offensive Line (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

2. Offensive Line

This one honestly doesn’t need much of an analysis as the Colts have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL. What’s so important for the team is that unit will be returning all five of its starters — Anthony Castonzo (LT) , Quenton Nelson (LG), Ryan Kelly (C), Mark Glowinski (RG) and Braden Smith (RT) — for the second consecutive year.

All five of those studs started all 16 games for Indianapolis in 2019. We know the chances of that happening again are slim, but this group has so much talent that it would be able to overcome the loss of one (or possibly two) starters. Expect the Colts offensive line to spearhead an elite running game and give Philip Rivers all the time in the world to find and target open receivers.

Then, however, there’s the Texans OL. To their credit, they made Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil the highest-paid lineman in the NFL this offseason. Ensuring that Watson’s blindside is protected at all times was a commendable decision from Houston, but it still doesn’t fix the ineffectiveness of the rest of the group, which has had the generational QB running for his life several times per week for the last few seasons.

Schedule