Week 11: Colts Roll into Second Matchup against Texans

When the Colts meet the struggling Texans this Sunday, both teams will be looking to improve from their last meeting in Houston. The Texans were very sloppy and blew a huge lead and what seemed like a sure win. The Colts were inconsistent all game until the final 10 minutes of the game where they really put pressure on the Texans and staged a huge comeback. More than the teams, as an individual, Sage Rosenfels will be looking for personal redemption after turning over the ball twice in the last four minutes to let the Colts get back into the game with Houston.

            On offense, the Colts passing game seems to be back on track and Manning has looked sharp the past 3 weeks with 7 touchdown passes. The Colts traditionally have had great success through the air against the Texans and expect to see Manning use Dallas Clark frequently as he has the past few weeks. By attacking the middle of the field with Clark, the wide receivers are finally starting to get open for Manning. Although the Colts passing attack seems to be working again, the same cannot be said for the running game. Whether it is injury or just a lack of execution, the Colts running game has been horrible and has landed in the dead last position amongst running games in the NFL. With Addai apparently being the healthiest he has been all year, the Colts will need to establish the running game soon if they hope to carry success into the post-season.

            Defensively the Colts have been sparked by the return of Bob Sanders. Sanders appears to be healthy and his presence is felt in every game he plays. He seems to be around the ball at the end of almost every single play. The Colts continue to rely on their front four for pressure against the quarterback and don’t expect anything to change this week against the Texans. Freeney had two sacks last week and the Colts were able to put some pressure on Roethlisberger. The success in the pass rush has to be attributed to the Colts being able to stop the run last week and forcing Roethlisberger into passing situations where Freeney and  Mathis could really come at the quarterback at full speed. Putting pressure on Rosenfels will hopefully knock off his timing with monster receiver Andre Johnson.

            This is a huge game for the Colts who are looking to be among the top six teams heading into the playoffs. Expect Rosenfels and company to play a much tighter game and the Colts will be much harder pressed to force turnovers.

 

Enjoy the game,

 

Michael Crupi

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