The Indianapolis Colts Will Beat the Houston Texans If…

If the Indianapolis Colts check these three items off, they'll leave NRG Stadium with a win over the Houston Texans.

The Indianapolis Colts go on the road for the first time this season to take on the Houston Texans.

The visitors look to rebound from last week's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars against a Texans team that didn’t show a lot of signs of life on offense last week against the Baltimore Ravens. Houston's defense played pretty solid overall, however, holding Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson in check for the most part of the game. Regardless, there are still a few areas where this Indy offense can attack the Texans' defense.

If the Colts execute these three things correctly then they will have a really good chance of walking out of Houston 1-1.

Get Anthony Richardson in Rhythm Early

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The Colts did a fantastic job of scripting the game for rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson in Week 1. They simplified his reads, focusing more on just half the field and allowing him to play fast. Richardson was comfortable and decisive in the pocket. Yes, he missed a couple of throws but at one point of the game, he was 15-of-19 passing, which is a much higher clip than any of us were expecting from a guy who struggled with his completion percentage at the college level.

This week's game flow should be much of the same. Hopefully, the run game can at least be complimentary to the passing game, which is something I never thought I would be saying even a week ago.

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Pressure C.J. Stroud

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Texans' offensive line is decimated with injuries right now while the Colts' defensive line is coming off of one of their better performances in recent memory. DeForest Buckner, Grover Stewart, and Kwity Paye were all plus players last week, and Samson Ebukam was solid as well in his first start with the Colts.

If the line can replicate a performance like they had in Week 1, then I think they can truly dominate this game. Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud was sacked 5 times and pressured a ton against the Ravens. Stroud struggles to handle pressure and any chance you get to speed up his processing, he becomes very erratic as a passer. Much of his and the Texans' passing game as a whole is timing-based and when he gets a chance to use his anticipation is when he’s at his best. The way to limit that is a bonafide pass rush that doesn't allow Stroud to sit in the pocket and get comfortable.

Make the Texans One-Dimensional

Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The best way for the game to unfold is for the Colts to get an early lead and force the Texans to play from behind. Houston wants to be a run-first team that pounds the rock with Dameon Pierce. That happens to play to the strength of the Colts, who have Buckner and Stewart in the middle of the defense to prevent that from happening.

If you can make the Texans one-dimensional and force them to throw the ball 40-plus times like they did last week, they are bound to make a mistake. The Colts need to force a couple of turnovers and jump out on the Texans early. The defense is who I’m looking at to set the tone early and make a statement. That same defense is why I have the Colts ultimately pulling out the victory and winning this game, 27-17.

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