Texans Vs Colts Sunday 12/16 at 12:00 on CBS
By Maxwell Morgan
Even after the loss on Monday Night to the Patriots, the Texans are still first place in the AFC with an 11-2 record. That loss hurt, but the burn can’t linger too long as the Colts come to Reliant Stadium on Sunday. If the Texans win, they clinch the division for the second year in a row and likely a first round bye to boot. If the Colts win they clinch a playoff berth, and essentially put the pressure on the Texans to take care of business versus Minnesota next week, and position themselves for a week 17 showdown for the division. If Monday was a big game for the Texans, Sunday will be an enormous one.
For whatever reason, the Texans have played their worst when the lights were the brightest. They have played 5 primetime games posting a 3-2 record. So sure, they won three games, but those three were the wins over the New York Jets, Chicago Bears, and Detroit Lions. All of those games were narrow victories with sloppy play riddled throughout. Thankfully, the bout versus the Colts will be at the comfortable noon kickoff when the Texans have played their best. Plus, it never hurts to have your rowdy home fans filling the building.
Colts rookie quarterback Andrew Luck (Houston native and Stratford High graduate) will be playing his first pro game in Houston. Family and friends of the Luck family will likely all be there, and throw in some of momma’s home cooking, he should be ready to go. I wonder if he’s even sleeping in the same bed he had in high school? I can see Luck now, gazing at his 311 poster hanging above his bed, remembering those glory days of DMB lawn seats on back to back nights at Cynthia Woods.
I expect to see the Texans to bounce back this weekend. The defense should be pissed off, and the offense should be ready to make a statement after such a flat performance last week. The Colts will be without two of their starting offensive linemen, so that does not bode well for young Luck or his white uniform. He should be under duress all afternoon. The issue I’m concerned with is our defense versus offenses that spread the ball around with quick passes and yards after the catch. If the Colts are able to do that then the Texans could be in hot water. The Texans secondary HAS to be ready to play.
The last time the Texans lost they rattled off 6 straight wins, so I think they’d take that…(that sixth win would be the Superbowl.) More likely, I believe the Texans can beat Indy and then Minnesota for a meaningless final game of the season at Indy. At that point, they would probably be better served resting players. And, unfortunately, that would likely mean a loss to close the season at 13-3. Not. Too. Shabby.
First step is taking care of business Sunday. First the division, then first round bye, then playoffs. Once the playoffs start the season resets. Every team is good, and every play matters. The Texans can’t cower under the bright lights then, and as a fan it’s hard to feel completely confident after the Monday Night debacle versus the Pats. So the first way they can restore confidence for everyone is to clinch this division with a resounding victory over the Colts.
Here’s a sendoff to get ya pumped up for tomorrow. (explicit lyrics y’all.):
