NFL Thursday Night Football Schedule & Predictions: Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans; Who Will Win? [Poll]
The 2014 NFL season kicks off with a Week 6 matchup Thursday between two AFC South teams.
The Houston Texans travel to Indianapolis to face their division rivals, the Indianapolis Colts at 8:25 p.m. EST on the NFL Network on Thursday, Oct. 9.
Latin Post.com breaks down the teams, previews the game and predicts a winner:
Indianapolis Colts (3-2)
The Indianapolis Colts got off to a rough start with losses to the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles in Weeks 1 and 2. At a disappointing 0-2, fans were still patient. Since then, the Colts have won three consecutive games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens.
Quarterback Andrew Luck has been on the mark with his league-leading 1,617 passing yards and 14 passing touchdowns. On the other hand, Luck does lead the NFL in interceptions this year, as well. His most costly one came against the Eagles at the end of the game. The Colts rushing game has been better than most people expected, with Ahmad Bradshaw leading the way. Bradshaw has 250 yards, and a 5.1 yard per carry average.
Without defensive end Robert Mathis, the Colts must find a way to get pressure on the quarterback. D'Qwell Jackson, Bjoern Werner and Erik Walden have stepped up big for the Colts defense, and all have two sacks each. Incredibly, the Colts rank No. 6 overall in sacks this season so far with 12, even without Mathis.
Houston Texans (3-2)
The Houston Texans got off to a good start with victories over the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders. They also defeated the Buffalo Bills in Week 4. The Bills' losses this season came against the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants, both NFC East teams.
As usual, quarterback play continues to hold this team back. Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has five touchdowns, six interceptions and three fumbles this year so far. Many Texans fans are upset this team didn't invest in a high-profile quarterback during the offseason. Still, the Texans have great receivers in Andre Johnson and DeAndre Hopkins, and Arian Foster is a good running back.
There's no doubt who the best player is on this team, defensive end J.J Watt. The former No. 11 overall draft pick has proven to be one of the best players in the entire league, and, paired with linebacker Brian Cushing, this defense can't be overlooked.
This will be the Texans first division game of the season.
Schedule, Where to Watch
The Texans and Colts are scheduled to kickoff at 8:25 p.m. EST at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The game will be shown on the NFL Network and CBS. Live stream coverage of the game can be seen onthe NFL's official site.
Predictions
The Texans and Colts are division rivals, but every Thursday Night Football game has been a blowout so far. The biggest difference in this game is quarterback play, with the Colts having a huge advantage. Texans fans will be loud, but the Colts will be victorious.
Colts win 30-20.
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