Tough Texans should test unbeaten Colts
Saturday, November 7, 2009 10:49 PM PST
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Once.
That’s how many times the Houston Texans have beaten the Colts. When the Texans visit Indianapolis on Sunday, they will carry a 1-13 mark against the Colts since Houston joined the NFL as its most recent expansion team in 2002.
Oddly, Houston’s 27-24 home victory came in 2006, the season the Colts took the Super Bowl.
Overall in the series, the Colts have outscored the Texans 432-253. Indy (7-0) is also the only unbeaten team remaining in the AFC — New Orleans, which hosts Carolina on Sunday, is the NFC’s lone perfect team. The Colts rank fourth in offense (first in passing, thanks to the superb work of Peyton Manning) and ninth in defense.
So why should Houston even show up at Lucas Oil Stadium?
Try this: The Texans have never been this good. They are 5-3, including 3-1 on the road. They have the third-best passing game and Matt Schaub is tied for the league lead with 16 touchdown passes — one more than Manning.
Their defense is more physical than ever, too.
Of course, the Texans have little experience at such lofty heights. They’ve never finished better than .500 and have not been to the playoffs.
Indy, on the other hand, is a regular visitor to the postseason and knows quite well how to deal with long winning streaks. This is the fourth time in five years the Colts have been .
Two more teams with strong credentials to be playing in January, Pittsburgh and Denver, will meet in an intriguing Monday night game in the Mile High City.
Carolina (3-4) at New Orleans (7-0)
The Saints have a three-game lead in the NFC South and are finding the end zone with such regularity they should challenge New England’s record for points, 589, set two years ago. And New Orleans’ performance on defense has been just as impressive, including a league-high 21 takeaways and 16 interceptions.
Carolina has won three of four, with a strong showing at Arizona last weekend indicating the Panthers might be back on course. Still, they have an NFC-leading 21 giveaways.
Pittsburgh (5-2) at Denver (6-1)
Yet another scintillating Monday night matchup and yet another opportunity for the Broncos to prove they are an elite team. They came off a bye and were flat at Baltimore, and now play the defending champions and cream of the strong NFC North.
The Broncos will want to run the ball against the league’s top rushing defense, and the Steelers, who have not been productive on the ground, can’t be one-dimensional against the NFL’s second-most stingy defense.
Dallas (5-2) at Philadelphia (5-2)
The winner will take charge of the NFC East. Philly is 2-0 in the conference with wins the last two weeks against the Redskins and Giants, and its potent offense was particularly dynamic versus New York. Young receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin and breakout tight end Brent Celek will be difficult matchups for the Cowboys.
Dallas has won three straight with a revved-up offense and a revitalized pass rush. Miles Austin has done everything T.O. might have — and a lot more quietly.
San Diego (4-3) at N.Y. Giants (5-3)
Back in 2004, these franchises made big news off the field with a draft-day trade after the Chargers grabbed Eli Manning at the top of the proceedings and the Giants took Philip Rivers fourth. They have yet to face each other.
Right now, Rivers is outplaying Manning, whose Giants have lost three in a row. Rivers gets to face a porous New York secondary, but he also has a suspect offensive line that must neutralize DEs Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.
Baltimore (4-3) at Cincinnati (5-2)
A chance for the Bengals to legitimize their status as contenders comes this week and next, when they are at Pittsburgh. Cincinnati had a bye on the same weekend Baltimore was re-establishing itself by handing Denver its first defeat.
In their last meeting, the Ravens blew a late lead at home to the Bengals, keying Cincy’s winning drive with some awful penalties. Carson Palmer, Cedric Benson and Chad Ochocinco have been making opponents pay for such things all year.
Miami (3-4) at New England (5-2)
Well-rested coming off successive blowout wins, the Patriots could be primed for one of those lengthy runs that catapults them to the top of the AFC. They certainly will be tested in the next few weeks, with trips to Indianapolis and New Orleans this month.
And they could be pushed by the inconsistent Dolphins, who rank third in rushing, thanks in great part to the wildcat and to a physical offensive line. But Miami’s secondary is inexperienced on the corners, which is probably making Tom Brady, Randy Moss and Wes Welker salivate.
Arizona (4-3) at Chicago (4-3)
After dominating the Giants at the Meadowlands with a physical defense and timely offense, the Cardinals went home and fell flat against Carolina. They are 3-1 on the road, however, and Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald will test Chicago’s weak secondary.
The Bears have played a difficult schedule that gets even tougher, with Philadelphia, Green Bay, Baltimore and two meetings with Minnesota ahead. They can’t afford to fall back even more in the standings.
Washington (2-5) at Atlanta (4-3)
It was back to political intrigue for the folks in D.C. as the Redskins had their bye. Now, it will be back to blasting anyone and everyone associated with the team if Washington loses its fourth straight.
Atlanta also is sliding, with two consecutive losses for the first time since Mike Smith became coach and Matt Ryan took over at quarterback last year. The way the Falcons came back in New Orleans to have a shot at tying on Monday night could have given them a boost.
Green Bay (4-3) at Tampa Bay (0-7)
Fortunately for the Packers, their emotionally draining loss to Brett Favre and the Vikings is followed by a meeting with the only remaining winless team. Green Bay can’t seem to protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers, yet he leads the league in passer rating. Then again, the Bucs can’t seem to get to any QBs.
Tennessee (1-6) at San Francisco (3-4)
Fresh from their first win, the Titans head west, where they tend to struggle. They get a banged-up 49ers squad missing two key starters: cornerback Nate Clements and offensive tackle Joe Staley. Two highly drafted quarterbacks who have their starting jobs back, Tennessee’s Vince Young and San Francisco’s Alex Smith, provide an interesting story line.
Kansas City (1-6) at Jacksonville (3-4)
Not even halfway through the schedule, both teams are looking to the long-term future. Kansas City suspended RB Larry Johnson for this game — not that he’d done much this season — and its passing game ranks 30th overall.
Jacksonville is another of those crazily inconsistent clubs, but Maurice Jones-Drew remains a major weapon as a runner and receiver. Jags can’t pressure QBs.
Detroit (1-6) at Seattle (2-5)
Two more teams who need to think beyond this year. At least the Lions have some of their building blocks in place. Most of Seattle’s key players have gotten injured — for the second straight season.
