The Houston Texans are the hottest team in the NFL right now with a nine-game win streak. While they have pulled away from their competition at the top of the AFC South, the Texans have bigger goals now as they chase the top seed in the conference. Houston could move one step closer to achieving its goals with a win over the Indianapolis Colts this week. While the Texans have been on fire over the past couple of months, Indianapolis was right behind them before its five-game win streak came to a shocking end in last week’s 6-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Colts are still right there in the thick of the AFC Wild Card race but they have a tough schedule to close out the year beginning in Houston this weekend. Can Indianapolis bounce back from last week’s disappointing loss? Or will the Texans make it 10 in a row to keep the pressure on the Kansas City Chiefs at the top of the AFC?

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

The Colts have the slight edge in the recent head-to-head series with Houston, posting a 5-4 record over their last nine meetings. However, Andrew Luck has struggled against the Texans with a personal four-game losing streak against them. In those four losses, Indianapolis has gone 0-3-1 against the spread.

Meanwhile, Houston is 6-3 against the spread over the course of its nine-game win streak. The Texans have played their best football at home this season with a 5-1 record at NRG Stadium. While a lot has changed since then, Houston was fortunate to come out on top of a 37-34 win over the Colts in the first meeting between these teams after Indianapolis decided to go for it on a fourth down in the extra frame. The Colts didn’t convert and the Texans marched the field for the game-winning score that sparked their current win streak.

Indianapolis Colts

That overtime loss to Houston was part of a four-game slide for Indianapolis earlier in the season. The Colts have been one of the streakier teams in the NFL this season, following up that four-game losing streak with a five-game win streak. Luck and company will be hoping that their latest loss doesn’t spark another slide as they fight for a playoff spot down the final stretch of the regular season. Indianapolis couldn’t get anything going on offence in last week’s shutout loss at the hands of the Jaguars. It won’t get any easier for them this week on the road against a tough Houston defence.

Luck put up 34 points against the Texans in the first meeting but it still wasn’t enough in an overtime loss. If the Colts are going to have any shot at all in the rematch, they will need the defence to step up and make some plays in order to take all of the pressure off of the offence in this one.

Houston Texans

Houston’s defence has absolutely smothered its recent opponents, holding the Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns to an average of 15.0 points in back-to-back wins. The Texans gave up 34 points in the first meeting with Indianapolis, so they will be expected to put together a better performance in the rematch.

Meanwhile, Deshaun Watson and company have found their rhythm on offence since that win over the Colts. After being held to 22 points or less in each of their first three losses, Houston has scored 29 points or more in four of its nine wins. Watson’s ability to move the football both through the air and on the ground has been a big part of the Texans success and will be a key again this week. Watson threw for 375 yards and ran for another 41 yards with three total touchdowns in the first meeting between these teams. If he produces a similar performance this week and gets more help from his defence, Houston should be able to extend its win streak with a much more comfortable win at home than what they were able to muster in Indianapolis the first time around.

Colts vs. Texans Prediction