The Houston Texans (1-3) will host their division rival the Indianapolis Colts (2-2) Thursday night in a campaign for the top spot in the AFC South.

The 2015 regular season has been full of surprises and penalties.  The Colts’ start to the season has been one of the biggest disappointments in the NFL with their franchise quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick, Andrew Luck leading the NFL in interceptions.  The only thing more shocking might be New York Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning only throwing one interception so far this season.

The Colts have been the division favorite for the past three seasons with Luck as their starting quarterback.  Luck and the Colts have been consistent the previous three years, but the team has had a shaky start to the 2015 season losing their first two games and barely pulling out wins in week three and four.

Indianapolis needed overtime to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars, a perennial bottom feeder of the AFC South. Luck did not play in the game due to a shoulder injury.

The quarterback carousel in Houston has been the biggest obstacle in the road to the postseason for the Texans.  Ryan Mallet recently won the starting position over Brian Hoyer, but until the position is secured, the Texans could be treading water to stay afloat in an already weak division.

In a phone interview with former New York Jets’ quarterback and Super Bowl III MVP, Joe Namath shared his thoughts on the quarterback battle in Houston.

“I like Mallet.  I want to see more of Mallet.  I have seen enough of Hoyer throughout the years.  Hoyer hasn’t been able to really stand out when he’s had the job,” Namath said.  “They need to give Mallet the opportunity in Houston because he needs to play for everyone to figure out how good he is.”

Both the Colts and the Texans have had less than stellar performances so far this season.  Based on the statistics and data complied by the NFL experts on ESPN.com, neither team clearly stands out from the other.

“Neither one of these teams have played well so far, but with the game being in Houston, I have a tendency to lean toward the home team a better percentage of the time,” Namath said. “Because of their [Texans] defensive pass rush and because of what I have seen of Indianapolis so far this season, I think the Texans’ defense can slow down the Colts’ offense.  Also having the home field advantage and with that crowd in Texas, I like Houston in this game.”

Luck has already thrown seven interceptions in just three games, and the Colts turnover ratio is the worst in the league, according to indystar.com.  The Colts’ weak offensive line could be somewhat responsible for their high turnover rate as Luck as been hit 59 times in just three weeks of the regular season.

Houston has a monstrous front seven on defense, including one of the best players in the league, defensive end J.J. Watt.  The Texans are considered a dark horse candidate for the postseason, and with Luck and the Colts struggling early, expect Watt and the Texans to prove they are contenders for the playoffs.  Texans’ star running back, Arian Foster will be back on the field as well after suffering a groin injury in the preseason.

“I definitely like Houston in week five against Indy.  Foster will be back.  De’Andre Hopkins continues to prove he’s an elite receiver.  And their defense should force turnovers,” video editor for Fox Sports One, Becky Schroeder said.  “The Colts aren’t looking too great early this season.  Their running game isn’t looking good, their receivers are struggling and Luck isn’t performing well either.  The Colts aren’t playing the way they have in previous seasons.”
During the offseason the Colts’ signed veteran running back Frank Gore out of San Francisco and former Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson to help Luck on offense, but the two recent signees have yet to make an impact for Indianapolis.

“On paper the Colts do look really good.  They added Gore and Johnson to their roster this season, but neither have been too impressive so far,” California Lutheran University senior linebacker E.J. Edinburgh said.  “The Colts’ offense has yet to establish any real chemistry, but if all those weapons begin to click, it’s going to be hard for any team to shut them down.”
In fantasy football, Luck’s numbers have been average at best, and Luck was one of the top quarterbacks ranked by fantasy football experts.  He is owned in 99.9 percent of fantasy football leagues according to ESPN, and fantasy football owners are beginning to resent themselves for picking up the Colts’ quarterback early in their draft pick.

“The Colts will turn it around.  Luck is too good of a quarterback, and he’s a smart quarterback,” Schroeder said.  “Indianapolis has great weapons in receivers Johnson and T.Y. Hilton.  If I had Luck on my fantasy team, I would be hopeful that he’s going to get it together and produce better fantasy points.”

The Texans might be slightly favored to win in week five at home against the Colts, but Houston faces an even bigger challenge this season – determining the quarterback position.
“The big difference between Houston and Indianapolis is the Colts have a quarterback for today and for the future.  They know who their quarterback is for the next several years,” Namath said.  “The Texans don’t know who their quarterback is going to be.  And that is a bad, bad situation to be in.”

The AFC South matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans kicks off in Houston on Oct. 8 at 5:25 p.m. on CBS.

Tate Rutland
Staff Writer
Published October 7th, 2015