Who would have thought the Indianapolis Colts would be in a situation this weekend where we can control our own destiny? Most sportsbooks had the Colts pegged at an over/under of 6.5 wins entering the season but they now sit at 9-7 with a win-and-in scenario. Indianapolis will look to get a season sweep of the Houston Texans on Saturday after winning the Week 2 tilt in Houston 31-20.
However, these are two very different teams now and they have set themselves up for a great battle. Let’s look at what the Colts did well in Week 2 and what, if anything, they need to continue to do or improve on to secure a spot in the NFL Postseason.
The return of Jonathan Taylor
In Week 2: Colts didn’t have Jonathan Taylor
One of the biggest changes that Houston will have to account for is slowing down Jonathan Taylor. At this early point in the season, Taylor was on the PUP List with an ankle injury and his status for the season at that point was unknown. The Colts were led by Zack Moss, who was coming off a broken arm he suffered in training camp. Moss ran for 88 yards on 18 carries in this game and no other running back was even given a carry. Only Anthony Richardson and Gardner Minshew supplied rushing yards and Richardson left early with a concussion.
For Week 18: Colts will likely have Zack Moss and Jonathan Taylor
Without question, Jonathan Taylor will be the starting running back this week. Zack Moss has missed the last two weeks with a shoulder injury, but he is trending towards playing this weekend as he has returned to practice this week. This will mean the Texans will need a completely different game plan than they had in Week 2. The Texans were ready and held Moss to 88 yards as they knew Moss would be the focal point of the run game.
As we have seen this year, having both Taylor and Moss brings a different dynamic to this football team. Taylor brings that big-play dynamic and he has been very effective as usual. Taylor has 553 yards on 139 carries in his limited action this season. Having to account for two different running backs this time around will make the job more difficult for this Houston coaching staff. Feed the rock to both these running backs and keep them guessing all game long.