The Houston Texans lost predictably in Week 15 and may be in line to do it again when they visit the Indianapolis Colts.
After clinching in Week 14, Houston lost at home to Carolina and this week visit the Colts, who come off a big win that broke their imperfect season. Logic dictates the Colts will have more motivation here, while the Texans nurse injuries.
Houston has never won at Indy, going 0-9 SU in their franchise history - but they are 8-2 ATS in their past 10 games as a favorite and they opened at -6 at most online sportsbooks.
View Houston vs Indianapolis Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
Bettors looking to side with the Colts in this one will find them as 6.5-point underdogs , while the total sat at 40.5 over at Sportsbook earlier in the week. (See the latest Colts vs Texans odds.)
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Colts sit at No. 32 in the current NFL Power Rankings here at OddsShark, while the Texans are at No. 1 on that chart. Math models have concluded that the Texans will win this game 29-8.
How They Match Up:
Offensively, the game matches up Indianapolis's No. 28-ranked offense (15.1 PPG) against a Texans defense that ranks No. 3 at 16.9 PPG. The Colts passing attack has averaged 180.6 yards per game, less than the Texans give up through the air (181.1 YPG on average).
Defensively, the Texans feature the league's No. 7-rated road run defense, allowing 102.1 yards per game. Indianapolis, meanwhile, ranks No. 24 in rushing offense at home.
Houston lost its last outing, a 28-13 result against the Panthers on December 18. The Texans failed to cover in that game as a 5-point favorite, while the 41 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Arian Foster went over the 100-yard mark (109) in his team's latest effort, but Carolina still defeated Houston by a score of 28-13.
Indianapolis won its last outing, a 27-13 result against the Titans on December 18. The Colts covered in that game as a 6.5-point underdog, while the 40 combined points took the game UNDER the total. Tennessee was unable to contain Donald Brown in its last action Sunday and the result was a 27-13 Week 15 loss against the Colts.
Houston Texans Trends:
When playing in December are 5-5
When playing on turf are 4-6
After outgaining opponent are 6-4
When playing within the division are 7-3
Indianapolis Colts Trends:
When playing in December are 6-4
When playing on turf are 1-9
After being outgained are 1-9
When playing within the division are 5-5
A few Texans at Colts trends to consider:
Houston is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Houston's last 13 games when playing Indianapolis
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston's last 8 games when playing on the road against Indianapolis
Indianapolis is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston
Indianapolis is 16-3 SU in its last 19 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 10 of Indianapolis's last 13 games when playing Houston
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Indianapolis's last 8 games when playing at home against Houston
Next up:
Houston home to Tennessee, Sunday, January 1
Indianapolis at Jacksonville, Sunday, January 1
