Indianapolis vs. Houston (HOU -5, 45.5)
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Indianapolis vs. Houston | Sunday, October 27, 2024
The Indianapolis Colts squeaked a win over the struggling Miami Dolphins at the weekend, but it wasn’t exactly a glowing performance on either side of the ball. The Colts look more likely to win football games when Joe Flacco is playing quarterback right now. Simply put, Anthony Richardson is struggling. The highlight plays are certainly there, but he’s not got the accuracy or knowledge to make the right reads and lead consistent drives against NFL opposition. At least, not yet.
Richardson has thrown three touchdown passes this season to six interceptions. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown since Week 2, and his receivers are far more productive when he’s ruled out. Josh Downs went from the WR16 with Flacco to the WR101 with Richardson, and with Jonathon Taylor also battling injuries and missing playing time, the Colts offense has fallen flat.
The Colts are rock bottom in the NFL in completion percentage at just 57.62%, while ranking in the top five in sack percentage. Their run game is mediocre, and their wide receivers are falling short of their potential while the offense figures it out. Alec Pierce has been a phenomenal deep threat, Michael Pittman Jr knows how to get open and Josh Downs has the potential to be one of the league's greatest slot receivers, but right now, something is missing.
Of course, it doesn’t all fall on the quarterback. Indy’s defense is 29th in total yards allowed, averaging 382 yards a game, and a 44.55% third down conversion percentage (25th). They’re allowing 63.64% red zone scoring (also 25th), and 159.9 rushing yards per game (31st).
The showdown between Richardson’s Colts and the division rival Texans should be a spectacle, but as it stands, the Colts have a lot to work out in the second half of the season.
Houston on the other hand will be disappointed to have come away with a loss against the Green Bay Packers, especially with the struggles in the pass game. C.J. Stroud threw for just 86 passing yards in the game, a stunning career low for him, and the absence of Nico Collins appears to be really hurting the offense.
Tank Dell has struggled at times this year, contributing zero yards to the offense in the game, while Stefon Diggs had five catches but only totalled 23 yards.
Joe Mixon was great, and largely kept the team in the game with his 115 yards and two touchdowns. He’s now cleared 100 rushing yards in three of his four starts for Houston since arriving in free agency, production the offense greatly appreciates, the Bengals offense certainly misses.
While C.J. Stroud had a quiet game, the Texans defense has been great for much of the year. Only one team allows fewer total yards per game, and they’re also only giving up 4.8 yards per play (3rd). They’re the number one team in completion percentage allowed (56.34%), number four in passing yards per game (167.7), and teams tend to be steering away from the pass game against them as a result.
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