Colts at Texans Picks, Prediction for Week 8

xbet App
Download App

When: Sunday, October 27, 2024, 1:00 pm ET

Where: NRG Stadium, Houston

TV: CBS

Radio: 107.5 FM The Fan Indianapolis / KILT 100.3 FM Houston

Live Stream: Amazon Prime Video

Opening NFL Game Odds Subject to Change: Houston -5 / O/U 45.5

Flacco is likely the quarterback to play if the Colts want to win in 2024, but the team also has visions of the cannon arm that Richardson displayed at the combine before they drafted him and on a huge bomb in Week 1.

Since 2000, only seven quarterbacks have had completion percentages below 50% with at least 200 passing attempts. Mark Brunell reached a conference championship game, but the others like Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith, J.P. Losman, Mike McMahon, JaMarcus Russell, and Tim Tebow had little success.

And in 2012, only Drew Stanton in 2017 attempted over 150 passes with a completion rate below 50% among quarterbacks listed.

In 2024, the only other quarterback with at least 100 attempts and a completion percentage below 61% is Jacoby Brissett, who is now on the bench in New England. How long does Richardson have? We will see.

This week, he leads the Colts down to Houston for an AFC South showdown that will attract a lot of sports betting interest. Don’t miss our preview!

^

Indianapolis Colts Line +186

Sunday’s win over Miami marked Richardson’s return to the field after missing almost three full games with a right hip injury. He led his team to a pair of field goals in the fourth quarter to get the win. Tyler Goodson scored his first NFL touchdown on a seven-yard scamper to knot the score at 10 shortly after halftime. The Colts won their fourth game in five weeks and, at 4-3, are just a game back of Houston.

Week 1 Result

The Texans won the first meeting between the two teams up in Indianapolis in Week 1. It certainly helped the Colts’ cause that the Dolphins had a pair of backup quarterbacks running their offense. Tyler Huntley started the game in relief of Tua Tagovailoa (concussion), but he had to leave in the third quarter, and Tim Boyle finished the game. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, the Dolphins’ high-octane receivers, each had a catch, and the duo combined for just 19 receiving yards.

Colts falls 29-27 to the Texans in week 1

— Stampede Blue (@StampedeBlue) September 8, 2024

Indianapoli are 4-1 straight up in their last five games as underdogs in Houston. The Texans also have a four-game home losing streak against divisional opponents who come in on a winning streak. They have also gone 0-9 against the spread in their last nine games when they were favored to win after losing the previous week on the road. If you like the Colts this time, you see Richardson and Taylor doing damage on the ground – and you also see Richardson doing a better job with accuracy and ball security.

^

Houston Texans Line -234

The team had a great shot at reaching 6-1 last week, but the Green Bay Packers got a last-second field goal from Brandon McManus to win at Lambeau Field, 24-22. Houston forced three turnovers on the day (two picks and a fumble recovery), and they also got 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns out of tailback Joe Mixon. However, C.J. Stroud got sacked four times and went just 10 of 21 for 86 yards, a career low. The game actually had seven lead changes, but the Texans were not able to turn their positive turnover margin into a victory because of the struggles in pass protection.

How does the team arrive?

Also, five defensive starters were out – Mario Edwards Jr was serving a suspension, and safety Jimmie Ward, cornerback Kamari Lassiter, and linebackers Henty To’o’To’o and Azeez Al-Shaair were all on the shelf. On offense, wide receivers Nico Collins and Robert Woods were out, along with kick returner Steven Sims. This would have been the Texans’ first four-game winning streak in six seasons if Houston had been able to make their 19-14 halftime lead stand.

The Texans has an eight-game winning streak in games following a loss. When the Colts have been underdogs between 3 ½ and 7 points, they have an eight-game losing streak going straight up. Houston has covered in six of their last seven October games. Given the fact that Indianapolis could only manage 16 points against a Miami team that didn’t have its starting quarterback, I expect to see Houston dominate time of possession and control the pace of the game from start to finish, particularly after that disappointing loss.

.@snoopdogg has C.J. Stroud as a top three NFL QB 👀

“If C.J. [Stroud] beats Mahomes, he’s going to win the ‘ship.” pic.twitter.com/E0MQ3R0cVF

— First Take (@FirstTake) October 18, 2024

^

NFL Game Odds: Colts at Texans Final Score and Prediction in Week 8

Indianapolis Injuries

For the Colts, both defensive tackle DeForest Buckner and tailback Jonathan Taylor are coming back from high ankle sprains and were limited in practice on Wednesday. Players that did not practice at all included defensive end Genard Avery (foot), wide receivers Josh Downs (toe, groin) and Michael Pittman Jr (back), offensive tackle Braden Smith (knee), cornerback Chris Lammons (ankle), linebacker Jaylon Carlies (shoulder, fibula) and center Ryan Kelly (calf).

Houston Injuries

The Texans, safety Jimmie Ward, wide receiver Robert Woods (foot) and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) all were held out of practice. Offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (ankle), defensive linemen Will Anderson Jr (chest) and Foley Fatukasi (shoulder), cornerback Kamari Lassiter (shoulder), and linebacker Henry To’oTo’o (concussion) were all limited.

Indianapolis are at an odd juncture in terms of the rebuild cycle. They have a stout defense, and they have an elite tailback in Jonathan Taylor. You could argue that Taylor might actually be on the downward side of his career arc, given his length of time in the league and the injuries he has already suffered. However, they are at the beginning of what seems like a potentially long learning curve for Richardson.

They’re going to stay with the second-year signal-caller this week, and the Texans will make his life miserable. On the offensive side of the ball, Mixon showed that he’s healthy and ready to dominate on the ground, which should set Stroud up for a bigger day.

I predict a final score of Houston 34, Indianapolis 16.

^

Super Bowl 59 Betting Odds For Today

Bet NFL Football Lines in Xbet Sportsbook

NFL Game Odds: Colts at Texans Week 8

Love betting NFL football? | Xbet Sportsbook offers up to date NFL lines for Regular Season