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Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
Maximize Your Odds of Winning with SportsLine Model and Our Top-Rated Picks!
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Colts All-Pro center Ryan Kelly is out Sunday after being placed on the COVID list. That's a huge loss for a team laying double dlgits. As bad as they've been, the Texans might be at their all-time market low. Losing at home to the Jets will do that. But remember, Tyrod Taylor is an excellent ATS quarterback (8-3 ATS as a dog of six or more points) and Brandin Cooks is expected to play. Houston also gets a key defender, Christian Kirksey, back from IR, which could help limit the damage Jonathan Taylor inflicts. Take the points.
The Colts entered their last matchup with the Texans as a 1-4 team coming off a disappointing overtime loss to Baltimore and rolled to a 31-3 victory. They've played much better since, establishing themselves as a playoff-caliber team, but they need to take care of business here with tough matchups ahead following the bye. The Texans offense is better with Tyrod Taylor in theory but has been utterly unimpressive since his return, and a widespread illness has upended Houston's preparation and left several key players questionable. The Colts should have no problem jumping out to an early lead and then riding Jonathan Taylor to a big point total, while Houston hasn't shown any reason to believe it can keep up.
Four of the last five Colts games have generated a bushelful of points — 65, 75, 56, 69 — and the presence of RB Jonathan Taylor, the league pacesetter for rushing yards and TDs, alone assures plenty more. Houston has given up more ground yards than all except one team. In five starts this season, Texans QB Tyrod Taylor has delivered 20-plus points three times. His 9-2 ATS record dating to 2017 suggests offenses he oversees can score.
It's not often in the NFL we get the right team, at the right time and with the right motivation. We have that here with the Colts. First, Indianapolis is just much better than Houston in every facet of the game, but let's dig deeper. The Texans have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, Jonathan Taylor is going to have a field day (and limit mistakes from Carson Wentz). Next, the Colts are coming off a loss in which they gave up a lead and allowed the Bucs to come back and win, so we're going to get Indy with it's foot on the gas pedal all day. Lastly, Indianapolis' path to the playoffs is through winning the AFC South. Tennessee is banged up and what would be better than pounding an AFC South foe for good measure? Take the Colts here.