Thursday Night NFL wil see the Houston Texans travel to take on the Indianapolis Colts. The game is scheduled for an 8:30 pm kickoff and will be televised nationally on the NFL Network. Currently the odds have the Texans favored by a touchdown at -7 with the total being set at 40 points. The Colts finally won a football game last week while the Texans' defense continues to propel them toward their first playoff run.
Free Analysis: Houston lost last weekend to the Panthers, turning the ball over way too much to be able to stay in any game. Arian Foster continues to be a dominant back for the Texans so far and that will be big for his club tonight. The Texans aren't in a position to play sloppy down the stretch or give away games of this magnitude, which are very winnable. Oh how the tides have turned in this series, which was dominated by Indy for a long time. The Colts had been 15-1 in this series before losing two of the last three meetings, including a season-opening 34-7 defeat at Houston way back on Sept. 11. The Texans have never won in Indy and have given up an average of 33 points in their nine meetings there. Prior to last week's loss to Carolina, Houston had been tied with New England for the best record in the AFC. Indy is counting their blessings after starting the season at 0-13. The Colts rallied in the second half to defeat the Titans last week, posting its first victory without Peyton Manning under center in more than 14 years. Dan Orlovsky will make his third consecutive start for the Colts, facing one of the best defenses in football. Rookie T.J. Yates will also be starting for the Texans tonight in a bit of an odd matchup at QB between these two clubs. If we are looking at spread numbers, the Colts have covered their last three contests. They're a touchdown dog tonight but have already lost at home this season to the Browns by eight, Kansas City by four, Jacksonville by two scores and Carolina by eight points. Houston enters tonight's game having to lay a touchdown with a third string QB in Yates. Andre Johnson also isn't going to play for Houston tonight.This game is a sticky one for bettors.
Free Pick: I'm going to take the under in this game based on Indy rebounding from a win in a negative way. I really don't think they can put together two straight good performances, and Houston really needs to continue winning as to not take the proverbial "back way" into the playoffs. Teams that rest good players and struggle down the stretch might as well not even play in the post season as they become rusty. Tonight is an extremely winnable game for the Texans and the defense will take care of business to keep this thing under 40 points.
Thursday at Pregame.com
Join host Johnny Detroit to hear about the biggest sports betting picks and best bets from the famous handicappers available for sale at Pregame.com for Thursday, Dec 22nd, 2011 as he breaks down the NFL and College Football Bowl card with Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Maaco Bowl between Arizona State and Boise State.