(Photo: Bleacher Nation)
Intriguing Game- NFL, Week 18
Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
Texans: They have such a bright future ahead of them. I still remember the days when people gave them the label as the “worst franchise in the NFL”. It started after the 2019 season. Deshaun Watson was their starting Quarterback and put together one of the best seasons of his career and this came after they traded away DeAndre Hopkins. The following season in 2021, they hired David Culley to be their next Head Coach and after a down year (with not much around him), he was 4-13 and fired. A year later in 2022, they hired Lovie Smith which I was happy about because it was an experienced guy and I remember his days very well in Chicago with the Bears. The fans loved him and so did his players. After one year, he was let go. Something wasn’t clicking. I can admit in the beginning, I was nervous when they hired DeMeco Ryans because if he had struggled, he’d be let go. I’m glad to say that hasn’t been the case as this has been one of their best seasons in recent memory. C.J. Stroud has been everything and then some that the Texans hoped for this year and as far as I’m concerned, the Offensive Rookie of the Year is his to lose at this point. He’s thrown 21 touchdown passes and only five interceptions. What I enjoy about him is his leadership and I say that because he’s not vocal, he leads by example and his teammates have followed his lead. It’s safe to say this football team wouldn’t be here without him and this would be a different ball club I feel. On Saturday night, they make a trip to Lucas Oil Stadium for a huge divisional showdown.
Colts: There’s always that one team that surprises you and comes out of left field and they are that group for me. After Anthony Richardson’s unfortunate injury to end his rookie season, I honestly didn’t know what direction they would go in. The saying maybe true: Having a quality backup Quarterback is key, but having an experienced backup is even more important and Gardner Minshew has given this team a spark in more ways than imaginable. When the Colts hired Shane Steichen as their next Head Coach, I knew this defense would be in great shape under his leadership. Look what he did with the Philadelphia Eagles last season and I can guarantee you they’d love to have him now! Unfortunately, that’s been the issue on that side of the ball. They have given up almost 26 points per game, but it’s not all that bad because they’ve been consistent in getting to the Quarterback. They gave Jonathan Taylor a contract extension in-season and he’s everything to this offense. He makes life so much easier for everyone and when teams sit in and load up the box, the Wide Receivers on the outside have one-on-one paths to create separation. After a down performance on Christmas Eve against the Atlanta Falcons, Indy saved their season with a close victory on New Year’s Eve against the Las Vegas Raiders. I wasn’t impressed because they allowed the Raiders to hang around and couldn’t necessarily close the door earlier. I understand a win is a win, but they just didn’t cut it for me. With a win on Saturday night, they will be in the playoffs for the first time since the 2020 season and guess who the starting Quarterback was that year? Philip Rivers. It’s definitely been a while.
Texans X-Factor: Devin Singletary– What a season he’s had for the Texans this year. Devin has been everything I wanted him to be for Buffalo in Houston. In nine starts this year, he has three 100-yard rushing games and his best game of the season came in week 15 against the Tennessee Titans. Devin filled in for Dameon Pierce and even when Pierce was healthy, DeMeco decided to keep Singletary in the lineup. He has become a key cog in this Houston offense.
Colts X-Factor: DeForest Buckner– You acquired him for games of this magnitude. DeForest always makes big plays for his defense and is in the right place at the right time. He’s able to play inside and outside with the same impact. It doesn’t matter where you line him up, he’s getting to where he wants. I’ve seen him swim through blockers and stop the run and he can rush the passer just as consistently. DeForest makes life easier for the Colts secondary because he impacts the pocket and forces the Quarterback to make off-balance throws.
Final Thoughts: Week 18 is here! This is one of the many big games on the slate for the up and coming weekend. When these two first met this year, the Colts beat the Texans in Houston and this was the game that unfortunately ended Anthony Richardson’s season. 16 weeks later, here we are. A prime time game that will send a team to the postseason and the loser will go home. Stroud is such a different Quarterback after the first meeting. He’s more settled now and he never hesitates to make a big throw. For the Colts, can they get home to the young Quarterback? Also, their offense has scored at least 21 points in each home game this year. This offense needs to keep that up if they have any shot of making the postseason. The Houston defense has improved significantly during the season as they are ranked third in success rate since their week seven bye. The secondary has been playing well and meshing with their pass rush and offensively, they’ve found their ground game with Singletary. Houston will punch their ticket to the playoffs. I like the Texans to win this game.
Prediction: Texans 26, Colts 17
