Texans get rematch with Colts
HOUSTON: With four victories in their previous five games and coming out of a bye week, the Houston Texans appeared primed for their Nov 17 showdown in Baltimore against the Ravens.
The result was an embarrassing 41-7 defeat that proved sobering for the Texans, who will host the Indianapolis Colts (6-4) tomorrow morning, Thai time, with first place in the AFC South on the line. The Texans (6-4), who have been trying to mute chatter of whether they are legitimate play-off contenders, now must rebuild with haste in a short week.
“I actually think that’s probably a good thing,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “I think that these guys, we have a resilient locker room. These guys will be ready. They’ll be very focused. They’re a great group to coach. They realise that in the NFL, it’s a week-to-week business and we’ve got to do a much better job this week, obviously.”
As expected, the Colts received a boost from the return of quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who passed for
148 yards and a touchdown in Indianapolis’ 33-13 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. A knee injury sidelined Brissett for the bulk of two games, both Colts losses, and with Indianapolis needing positive momentum, Brissett gave an effort that left his teammates applauding.
But as integral as Brissett was in the victory over the Jaguars and in his team’s first meeting with the Texans, a 30-23 Colts’ win in Indianapolis on Oct 20, his team’s effectiveness running the ball remains paramount.
Houston entered their match-up with the Ravens ranked among the best defences in the league at stopping the run. The Ravens responded to that challenge by amassing 263 yards, on a whopping 7.3 yards per rush and including a 63-yard touchdown run by Gus Edwards touchdown.
That result should signal opportunity for Indianapolis, even without running back Marlon Mack (hand), whose 862 rushing yards rank fifth in the NFL. Jonathan Williams filled in for Mack against the Jaguars with 116 yards on 13 carries, confirming the Colts’ runblocking prowess.
“This is a great offensive line,” Williams said. “All five of them are dominant. Every day they come in here day in and day out and they work hard so it’s great running behind them.”