Strong matchup
A heavyweight battle is looming Sunday between Texans nose tackle D.J. Reader and Colts guard Quenton Nelson.
Colts offensive guard Quenton Nelson manhandled defenders with brute strength, a pronounced mean streak and nimble feet to create quite the highlight reel at the expense of the Texans during a January playoff game.
The Colts’ wild-card victory at NRG Stadium included the former Notre Dame star body-slamming former Texans pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney on his back.
In another sequence, Nelson deftly pivoted his feet to stonewall both Clowney and J.J. Watt in pass protection on the same play.
Nelson shoved around normally stout defensive linemen D.J. Reader and Brandon Dunn during a 21-7 win.
Now, the Texans are grappling with Nelson again Sunday during a pivotal AFC South road game at Lucas Oil Stadium.
A heavyweight battle looms between Reader, a 6-3, 347-pounder enjoying his best season in a contract year, and Nelson, a 6-5, 330pound New Jersey native drafted sixth overall last season.
“He’s a good player,” Reader said of Nelson. “He’s kind of what you want at the guard spot, I would say, your prototypical guard. He’s big, athletic, can move around.”
Nelson has maintained his gold standard in his second NFL season, throwing around his body and tossing around defensive players like rag dolls.
One of the strongest players in the league, Nelson made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and started every game. Signed to a four-year, $23.88 million contract that included a $15.45 million signing bonus, Nelson was named the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month last October.
The Colts (3-2) run frequently behind Nelson’s bone-rattling blocks. Running back Marlon Mack has rushed for 470 yards and is coming off a career-high 29 carries for 132 yards in the Colts’ win over the Chiefs before being off last week.
The Colts rank fourth in the NFL in rushing offense, averaging 142 yards per game.
The Colts have become a runfirst offense since Houston native Andrew Luck retired and Jacoby Brissett took over as the starting quarterback. They’re 27th in passing offense.
“It’s the only offensive line I’ve ever heard they have highlight tapes and they’re actually pretty cool, too,” Texans safety Tashaun Gipson said. “To have highlight tapes, that tells you everything you need to know about their offensive line. Great guys, tough, hardnosed. They spent a lot of firstrounders on the line. You’re going to get what you put in.
“It’s easy to run the ball behind that. Mack is running downhill, tough, physical. Obviously, you don’t need to throw the ball 45 times, especially when you don’t have Andrew Luck. If Andrew Luck was there, I would want the ball in his hands as much as possible, not to take anything away from Brissett. But when you have a line like that, it’s kind of similar to what Dallas built.”
Colts general manager Chris Ballard has invested heavily in the offensive line. That includes firstround picks in Nelson and center Ryan Kelly, second-round right tackle Braden Smith and former first-round left tackle Anthony Castonzo.
“It’s across the board,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “Quenton is a great player. I’ve known Quenton for a long time. He was a great player in high school, college and in the pros. They’re an excellent football team, very well-coached, so it’s a huge challenge for us.”
The Texans’ front-seven is talented, including Watt, who has four sacks, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble, and outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus, who has five sacks, four forced fumbles and one interception.
Behind Nelson and a strong offensive line, Brissett has only been sacked six times and has passed for 10 touchdowns with three interceptions.
“Pretty good group of players, guys who have grown in their careers,” Watt said of the Colts’ blockers. “They do a good job of what they do. They’re pretty confident in what they do.”
Reader is having an excellent season with 22 tackles, five for losses, a career-high 2½ sacks and four quarterback hits.
“Just helping the guys on the outside and just knowledge of the game a little bit more,” Reader said. “Studying with the guys who I’m in the room with has helped me a lot, just recognizing pass and learning to convert and then just offseason work with those guys, working together on what we can do to pressure the quarterback more.”