Texans-Colts Preview

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• Countdown Daily Recap: Texans-Colts

SCOUTING REPORT

Texans-Colts: 10 observations After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's Texans-Colts matchup. 1. Houston needs to manufacture a pass rush: The Colts squeaked by with a win over the visiting 49ers on Sunday in spite of Peyton Manning having a relatively poor game. He was sacked three times, more than the previous six games combined. When defenses manage to get to Manning and either sack him or harass him, he can struggle.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
HOU	5-5	232	208	2-3	3-2	1-3	4-4
IND	10-0	269	157	5-0	5-0	3-0	6-0
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

Houston Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Schaub 67.1 2958 19 9

Indianapolis Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Mannin... 69.8 3171 21 9 Addai 100.0 22 1 0

Houston Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Slaton 121 380 3.1 3 Moats 54 220 4.1 3

Indianapolis Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Addai 145 514 3.5 7 Brown 54 236 4.4 2

Houston Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Johnso... 58 878 15.1 5 Daniel... 40 519 13.0 5

Indianapolis Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Wayne 76 968 12.7 8 Clark 65 771 11.9 4

Full Player Stats: Houston | Indianapolis

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	HOU	371.0
	IND	399.0
Yards Passing	HOU	284.0
	IND	313.5
Yards Rushing	HOU	87.4
	IND	85.0
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	HOU	333.4
	IND	325.8
Pass Yds Allowed	HOU	212.8
	IND	218.2
Rush Yds Allowed	HOU	120.6
	IND	107.6

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
Indianapolis leads 14-1
Nov 16, 2008	HOU 27, IND 33
Oct 5, 2008	HOU 27, @IND 31
Dec 23, 2007	HOU 15, IND 38
Sep 23, 2007	HOU 24, @IND 30
Dec 24, 2006	HOU 27, @IND 24
Sep 17, 2006	HOU 24, IND 43
Nov 13, 2005	HOU 17, IND 31
Oct 23, 2005	HOU 20, @IND 38
Dec 12, 2004	HOU 14, @IND 23
Nov 14, 2004	HOU 14, IND 49
Dec 28, 2003	HOU 17, @IND 20
Oct 26, 2003	HOU 21, IND 30
Dec 1, 2002	HOU 3, IND 19
Sep 22, 2002	HOU 3, @IND 23

Most NFL teams would be ecstatic to be in the Indianapolis Colts' position -- the AFC's lone undefeated team riding a 16-game regular-season winning streak.

Peyton Manning and company are hardly satisfied, though. With their ground game struggling and their schedule about to get much tougher, he knows they still have plenty of work to do.

The Colts will try to get their offense in gear and continue their dominance over Houston on Sunday against a Texans team looking to win its fourth straight.

Indianapolis improved to 7-0 for the fourth time in five seasons with last Sunday's 18-14 home win over San Francisco, but it wasn't an inspiring effort by the normally high-powered offense.

The Colts settled for field goals on four trips into the red zone and Manning failed to throw a TD pass for the first time since Nov. 30, 2008.

Manning finished 31 of 48 for 347 yards, but missed high, wide and even short to finish with a season-low 86.0 quarterback rating. The three-time MVP had a 118.8 passer rating in the previous five games.

"I thought we weren't quite as sharp as we have been at times," Manning said. "There's definitely some areas we can improve on."

Indianapolis hasn't lost since falling 31-21 at Tennessee on Oct. 27, 2008, and needs to get better in a hurry with stiff competition looming.

The Colts only faced one team with a winning record so far -- Arizona (4-3) in Week 3 -- but after this contest they host New England (5-2) on Nov. 15 followed by a trip to Baltimore (4-3) and back to Houston (5-3).

"We are getting into the teeth of our schedule right now," Manning said.

Creating a ground attack would be a big help to Manning and the offense.

The Colts rushed for 61 yards on 21 attempts against the 49ers with just five plays going as long as four yards. Indianapolis ranks 30th in the NFL with an average of 87.3 rushing yards per game.

"We know what we can do. We just have to correct the mistakes we made and move forward," said Joseph Addai, who has not rushed for more than 64 yards.

Correcting these mistakes against a Houston rush defense that has shown vast improvement over the past few weeks could be difficult. After allowing an average of 205.0 yards on the ground in their first three games, the Texans are yielding 58.2 in the last five.

Houston defeated Buffalo 31-10 last Sunday for its third straight victory to get off to the best start in franchise history.

The Texans, who won a franchise-best four in a row last season, are in the thick of the playoff picture but a defeat in this game would give the Colts a four-game lead in the loss column.

"When you get to where your football team is pretty good, they're all big," Houston coach Gary Kubiak said. "It's just nice that we're to the point now where we should play in some big football games here in the second half and none bigger than the first one."

Beating the Colts would be a big step for the Texans. Indianapolis, though, is 13-1 all-time against Houston with the loss coming on a last-second field goal in 2006.

Manning has been sensational in those contests, passing for 3,859 yards with 33 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has 17 TD passes and one pick in the last seven meetings.

Houston's Matt Schaub, who has thrown a career-best 16 touchdown passes, completed 27 of 33 passes for 236 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in his only start against the Colts, a 30-24 loss on Sept. 23, 2007.

Schaub leads an offense that has already matched a franchise record set last season with four 400-yard games, but the unit will have a different look this week.

Tight end Owen Daniels, a favorite target of Schaub with 40 receptions for 519 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season after tearing a knee ligament last week.

Schaub will be joined in the backfield by running backs Steve Slaton, Ryan Moats and Chris Brown, all expected to split time.

Slaton was benched against the Bills after fumbling for a fifth time, and Moats did a stellar job as his replacement, running for a career-high 126 yards and scoring a franchise-best three touchdowns.

"They know they're all going to play and they know they're all going to be a part of what we're doing, so I just think we keep working them," Kubiak said.

Slaton rushed for 249 yards with three touchdowns on 30 carries in two games against Indianapolis last season.

Schaub and the offense won't have to deal with many of the Colts' best defensive players. Linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (biceps), cornerback Marlin Jackson (knee) and strong safety Bob Sanders (elbow) are all out for the season.

Veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden is also expected to be sidelined for the next three to four weeks with a knee sprain.

Manning (glute) among 25 on Colts injury report

Three-time MVP Peyton Manning was a limited participant at Colts practice Wednesday because of a backside injury.

Texans lose Wilson for season with broken toes

Texans safety Eugene Wilson will have season-ending surgery to repair a pair of broken toes on his left foot.

Outsiders: Week 12 previews

Football Outsiders analyzes Week 12 in the NFL. Ideas: Oakland isn't THAT bad; Reggie Bush is poised for a big game vs. New England; Pittsburgh needs to play better in the second half; David Garrard gets knocked around too much and a plan for Houston.

Clayton: Pressure falls on Pats in Monday night showdown

The Saints have the burden of protecting a perfect record, but the Patriots will be feeling the most pressure on Monday night, writes John Clayton.

June brings Texans leadership, big-game experience

Cato June's jewelry sets him apart from other players battling for roster spots with the Texans.

Solomon: Robinson has strange number, inspiring rise

Even after we saw him make plays, impact plays even, last season, something about DelJuan Robinson just doesn't look right on the Texans' defensive line.

Best wide receiver on planet, Andre Johnson, expected to get better

Missed Part 1? Check out the previous post here . ] The best addition to Texans All Access for those of us who have little desire to stand in large lines getting autographs was the "Coaches Corner" which were Q&As that 610's Rich Lord did with the Texans offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coach.

Texans' Smith looks to bring rush opposite Williams

Mario Williams has become a ferocious pass rusher in his three NFL seasons. Too bad the Texans haven't had any pressure coming from the opposite end since he was drafted.

Texans hoping Smith supports Williams

HOUSTON - Mario Williams has become a ferocious pass rusher in his three NFL seasons.

Indianapolis Colts defense won't see wholesale changes

The Indianapolis Colts brought in Larry Coyer to replace Ron Meeks as coordinator, not oversee an extensive renovation of the defense.

Brackett: I'll be ready for Colts camp

Gary Brackett anticipates being ready for the start of training camp as the Indianapolis Colts' veteran linebacker continues to recover from a broken right leg that forced him to miss the end of the 2008 season.

Manning challenges youngsters to emerge as third receiver

The Indianapolis Colts' roster lists nine receivers, so depth isn't a concern, though for the first time since 1995, the collection doesn't include Marvin Harrison. Proven depth is another matter entirely.

Colts' Jackson, Hart recovering quickly

Indianapolis Colts cornerback Marlin Jackson and running back Mike Hart labor on different sides of the ball, but they are recovering from similar injuries and chasing identical timetables.

Brackett energized about Colts coaches

Colts linebacker Gary Brackett honored Canterbury students Thursday for raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.