Colts vs. Texans Total Prediction
There will be playoff implications for Sunday’s matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans. Despite Andrew Luck and Co. being shut out a week ago in Jacksonville, is the over still a great play for Sunday’s matchup?
Game Snapshot
107 Indianapolis Colts at 108 Houston Texans
1:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, December 9, 2018
NRG Stadium, Houston, Texas
Public Betting Trends
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetNow.eu, the Texans are 4.5-point favorites to beat the Colts. The total, meanwhile, sits at 50 points. As of this writing, 67% of the public betting tickets are on the Texans to cover the point spread.
Indianapolis Colts
T.Y. Hilton (shoulder) appeared to not be practicing for the second-straight day Thursday. We are going with “appeared” because that was beat writer George Bremer’s best guess. Sometimes reporters believe a player is not practicing before they are later slapped with a cursory “limited” tag. Back-to-back DNPs is obviously not ideal, but there is still a strong chance the Colts are just managing Hilton’s reps ahead of a massive divisional tilt with the Texans.
Houston Texans
Deshaun Watson completed 22-of-31 passes for 224 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s Week 13 win over the Browns. Watson added 30 yards rushing on seven attempts. He started the day off on fire, connecting on his first 11 passes of the game. He then went on to complete 17-of-22 passes in the first half for 191 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown to Jordan Thomas. With the Texans up 23-0 at the half, they took their foot off the gas and cruised the remainder of the game. Watson has now thrown for 239 yards or fewer in seven straight games, but has still offered upside with his legs and efficiency at times, making him an up and down fantasy option despite his strong play overall. The Texans will host a soft Colts defense in Week 14.
NFL Betting Trends
Indianapolis
The under is 7-2 in the Colts’ last nine divisional games and is 14-6 in their last 20 games overall.
Houston
The under is 11-4 in the Texans’ last 15 games versus AFC opponents and is 7-3 in their last 10 games coming off a win.
Prediction
Despite the Colts’ strong defensive performance and abysmal offensive day last Sunday in Jacksonville, I like the over in this matchup. In the last five meetings between these two teams in Houston, the over is 4-1. The over is also 7-3 in the Colts’ last 10 games after allowing less than 250 total yards in their previous game and 4-1 in the Texans’ last five games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous contest.
NFL Week 14 Prediction: Colts/Texans over 50