Texans at Colts
THE STORY: Since the Houston Texans entered the league in 2002, the road to the AFC South title has typically gone through Indianapolis. That script has finally changed this season for Houston, which has already wrapped up the division title and would like to use Thursday night's visit to the Colts as a steppingstone to even loftier goals. The Texans are still in the hunt for one of the top two seeds and a first-round bye in the playoffs, but they'll need to end a major hex by winning in Indianapolis for the first time. The Colts finally got in the win column last week with a 27-13 victory over Tennessee.
TV: NFL Network, 8:20 p.m. ET. LINE: Texans -5.5, O/U 40
ABOUT THE TEXANS (10-4): Houston had its seven-game winning streak snapped at home by Carolina, a loss that cost the Texans a chance to move ahead of Baltimore. WR Andre Johnson (hamstring) will sit out his third straight game, so expect rookie QB T.J. Yates to hand off liberally to RBs Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Foster has rushed for 333 yards and two TDs in two games vs. the Colts, and Tate went for 116 yards and a TD in a season-opening 34-7 win over the Colts. Yates was intercepted twice last week.
ABOUT THE COLTS (1-13): Indianapolis has yielded an AFC-worst 395 points, but its defense came through with the decisive play to snap its 13-game skid when Jacob Lacey returned an interception for a touchdown against the Titans. It marked only the second time that the Colts have held an opponent under 20 points. QB Dan Orlovsky threw for only 87 yards and the Colts managed just 10 first downs, but Donald Brown rambled for a career-high 161 yards, including a clinching 80-yard touchdown run. Brown has a TD in three of his last four games.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Foster rushed for a franchise-record 231 yards against the Colts in Week 1 of the 2010 season.
2. Colts DEs Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis have 15.5 and 12.2 sacks, respectively, against the Texans – their most vs. any opponent.
3. Houston is 0-9 all time in Indy, but is 4-0 against the AFC South this season.