Five Observations: Indianapolis Colts Vs. Houston Texans

The Indianapolis Colts took on the Houston Texans in Lucas Oil Stadium this past Sunday and the Colts continued their dominance over the other AFC South teams. They have now swept two of the other AFC South teams and with a win to close out the season against the Titans they could go 6-0 in the division. This one was closer than it should have been but the Colts still managed to win this game 17-10.

Offense Gets Stalled

It was a rough day for the Indianapolis Colts offense. Most of that came because of the pressure that the Texans but mostly J.J Watt were able to apply. There were multiple times when Luck had a WR open downfield but was unable to hit his man. Most of the time this was because he was about to be hit or had to move off his spot and readjust which allowed the CBs to catch up to the WRs. Another reason for the offensive struggles was the commitment to running on early downs. The Colts struggled to get any ground game going outside of the final drive and it really hurt the offense. Almost every time Pep called a run on first and second the Colts barely got anything and basically donated a down to the defense. The Colts did manage to put together two TD drives in the second quarter and then managed to get a FG in the fourth to help secure the win but the offense will need to improve going into the playoffs.

Defense Continues To Dominate

Another week against a subpar NFL QB and another game in which the Colts defense dominated. With the offense struggling to put up points most of this game fell on the defenses shoulders and they responded really well. The only points the defense gave up came in the fourth quarter on a 50+-yard FG. The Colts defense also didn’t have to rely on turnovers to shut down the opposing offense but instead managed to stall out almost all of their drives. It was a great game from the defense but these performances really won’t mean much until they are able to do this to a real NFL QB.

The Streak Lives

If you are a Colts or Texans fan you know that the Texans have never won in Indianapolis. Not one win in their entire existence. Not even during the awful 2011 season (which lets all just pretend didn’t happen) when the Texans somehow managed to lose in Indianapolis. Although this streak doesn’t mean much it was nice for the Colts to keep it alive and I hope that the Texans never get that win in Indianapolis.

Andrew Luck Doesn’t Have An Interception Problem

Many people think that Andrew Luck has an interception issue. Those people became very vocal when Luck had a miscommunication with Fleener this week and threw a pick-6. The thing that most people don’t realize is that Luck throws the ball more than almost anyone. In fact he currently leads the NFL this season in passes attempted with 578. This season he has thrown 14 interceptions, which may seem like a high number but his interception percentage is only 2.4. He also is currently tied in sixth place overall in career interception percentage. Luck may have some moments when he makes poor throws/decision but the reason that it seems so frequent is only because of how often he is asked to throw the ball.

AFC South Champions

For the second straight season the Indianapolis Colts have won the AFC South and for the third straight year will be playing in the playoffs. Every year the first step towards winning a Super bowl is just making the playoffs and the best way to do that is by winning your division. However, the Colts need to aim higher than just making the playoffs but striving towards being one of the truly elite teams.