Read our Texans vs Colts pick and preview for this NFL pre-season week 1 game in Indianapolis. Check out who we like to win and cover the spread in this regular season NFL matchup.
The Texans are favored on the road in their week one matchup against the Colts. The game, set for 1:00 ET on Sunday, September 8th at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, will be broadcast on CBS. The Texans' money line is -140, while the Colts are at +118. Houston is -2.5 point favorites, and the over/under line is set at 49 points.
Texans vs. Colts Matchup At A Glance
- Sport: NFL
- Teams: Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts
- Where: Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium
- Date: Sunday, September 8th
- Betting Odds HOU -2.5, HOU -140 | IND +118 O/U 49
Texans Preview:
The Texans are coming off a season in which they made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs before falling to the Ravens by a final of 34-10. Houston finished the regular season with a 10-7 record, and they were the top team in the AFC South with a 4-2 division record. They were also tough against above .500 teams, going 7-5 and 4-3 against below .500 teams.
Their playoff run was impressive, considering they made it as the 4th place team in the AFC. At home, the Texans went 7-3, and on the road, they were 4-5. Against the spread, the Texans were 10-9, with a 7-4 mark as the underdog and 3-5 as the favorite. The average over/under line in their games was 42.9, and their games averaged 43.8 combined points, with an over/under record of 7-11-1.Texans Offense Breakdown
On the road, the Texans struggled a bit, averaging 18.4 points per game, which ranked 21st. However, at home, they were the 8th best-scoring offense, putting up 26.6 points per game. Overall, Houston averaged 22.7 points per game, placing them 13th in the league. They were 13th in offensive power rankings.
The Texans were 12th in passing yards per game, averaging 243.6 yards per contest. They were also 12th in yards per play, with 5.5, and 15th in yards per game, averaging 336.3 yards per game. Houston struggled to run the ball, ranking 28th in rushing yards and 29th in rushing yards per attempt.
Texans Team Defense
The Texans' defense was 19th in our power rankings last season, but they excelled in creating turnovers, ranking 7th in takeaways with 24. Houston's defense also finished 9th in sacks and 7th in quarterback hits. They were tough against the run, ranking 2nd in tackles for loss and 2nd in rushing yards allowed.
Overall, the Texans allowed 21.1 points per game, placing them 11th in the league. They also finished with the best mark in the league in passing touchdowns allowed. Opposing quarterbacks had a completion percentage of 67.6% against them, which ranked 27th in the league.
Colts Preview:
The Texans are coming off a season in which they made it to the Divisional Round of the playoffs before falling to the Ravens by a final of 34-10. Houston finished the regular season with a 10-7 record, and they were the top team in the AFC South with a 4-2 division record. They were also tough against above .500 teams, going 7-5 and 4-3 against below .500 teams.
Their playoff run was impressive, considering they made it as the 4th place team in the AFC. At home, the Texans went 7-3, and on the road, they were 4-5. Against the spread, the Texans were 10-9, with a 7-4 mark as the underdog and 3-5 as the favorite. The average over/under line in their games was 42.9, and their games averaged 43.8 combined points, with an over/under record of 7-11-1.Colts Offense Breakdown
Indianapolis finished the 2023 season with a 9-8 record, placing them 3rd in the AFC South and 10th in the AFC overall. The Colts went 7-5 against AFC opponents and were 5-1 against below .500 teams, but just 4-7 against teams with winning records. They were below .500 at home, going 4-5 compared to 5-3 on the road. When favored, the Colts were 6-0, but as underdogs, they were 3-8.
The Colts' games had an average combined scoring of 47.7 points last season, resulting in an 11-6 over/under record. Against the spread, the Colts were 9-8, with a 5-3 record on the road and a 4-5 record at home. When favored, they went 5-1 ATS, and when they were the underdog, they went 4-7 ATS.
Colts Team Defense
Indianapolis' defense was one of the better units at creating pressure last season, finishing 5th in sacks and 9th in quarterback hits. They also forced 24 turnovers, giving them the 7th best turnover differential in the league. Despite this, they struggled to keep points off the board, giving up 24.4 points per game, which ranked 28th in the NFL.
Opposing offenses were able to move the ball effectively against the Colts, as they allowed 349.8 yards per game, ranking 24th in the league. However, they did defend the run well, giving up just 4.1 yards per attempt, which was the 6th best mark in the NFL.
Texans vs Colts Betting Odds, Trends & Analysis
- Across their ten previous road games, Houston has an ATS mark of 6-4. Their straight up record in these matchups was 5-5 while averaging 19 points per game.
- In their last ten games at home, the Colts have a straight up record of 5-5 while going 6-4 vs the spread. The team's offense averaged 21 points per game in these contests.
- Spanning across their last three games as the betting underdog, the Colts have gone 0-3 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 0-3.
- As the betting favorite, the Texans have an ATS record of 2-1 in their last three games. In these matchups, their straight up record was 2-1.
Texans vs Colts Free Pick
- KnupSports.com Free Betting Pick: Colts +2.5 Be sure to check out our other NFL Football betting previews for this week. KnupSports.com also updates their sports betting picks page daily with plays across all sports.
