The Houston Texans (5-6) looked like they might blow out the undefeated Indianapolis Colts (11-0), but they could not keep a lead and they let the Colts come back.  Matt Schaub helped lead the Texans to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and a 20-7 lead at half.  Steve Slaton and Chris Brown ran the ball well as a duo, combining for 113 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries.  Schaub was not smart enough with the ball and threw two interceptions.  He did have 2 touchdown passes and finished the game with 284 yards on 31/42 attempts.

The Texans defense seemed like they had Peyton Manning’s number in the first half, picking him off twice and only giving up 7 points in the first half.  Manning and the Colts made some adjustments at halftime and the Texans were not able to keep up.  They let Manning and the Colts score 28 points in the second half, including 21 in the final quarter.  The Texans lost all their momentum when Matt Stover missed a 32-yard field goal early in the 4th which would have put the Texans up two scores.  He blew the kick though and the Colts took over from there.  Manning finished with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions while throwing for 244 yards on 27/35 passes.  They also gave up 114 rushing yards to a Colts team that usually struggles to run the ball.  Although the Colts are arguably the best team in the league, the Texans cannot blow such big leads.

25-year old WR/KR/PR Jacoby Jones is a difference maker for the Houston Texans because of his speed.  Jones has carried the ball 2 times for 22 yards (11.0 ypc) and he has also caught 13 passes for 238 yards (18.3 avg) with 3 TD grabs this year.  Jones makes his biggest impact for the Texans on special teams.  He has returned 29 punts for 333 yards (11.5 avg) and 20 kickoffs for 550 yards (27.5 avg) with 1 TD return this season.  Jones has touched the ball 64 times in his 9 games this season for the Texans for 1,143 all purpose yards for a average of 17.9 yards every time he touches the football.  That is a average of 127 yards per game and the Texans are damn glad to have them on their side.

The Houston Texans (5-5) are looking for revenge against the Indianapolis Colts (10-0) who barely beat them three weeks ago in Indianapolis.  The Texans should have sent that game into overtime if not for a missed field goal by their kicker Kris Brown with only seconds left.  The Texans will need a big game out of Matt Schaub if they want to win this one, and he needs to make sure he takes care of the ball like last week where he did not throw any interceptions.  It was the first time he did that since week two, and this will probably be another close game so they cannot afford any turnovers.  The running game has not been producing enough this year, and Steve Slaton is battling a neck injury, so that means even more pressure is on Schaub.

The Texans defense is going to have its hands full with Peyton Manning.  Manning has been great all season for the Colts, and this game will probably be no different.  Manning does have an injured glute though, so he may not be as effective as he usually is.  He will still be Peyton Manning though, and even without a good running game (only 85 rushing yards per game), Manning has lead the Colts this far without a loss.  It should be a close game, but I’m going to go with Manning and the Colts in this one.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Houston Texans 17, Indianapolis Colts 24

The Texans have placed 24-year old CB Antwaun Molden on the Injured Reserve List with a quadriceps injury ending his year.  He played in 4 games for the Texans this season and he had 2 tackles.  In two years with the Texans, Molden has played in 18 games in which he has 22 tackles.  That’s not much of a loss for the Texans.

One of the smartest moves the Texans have made this year was the signing of 24-year old safety Bernard Pollard.  He is already third on the team in tackles despite only playing in 7 games.  Pollard has 50 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 forced fumble, 4 passes defensed and 2 interceptions.  It’s amazing to me that the Chiefs gave up on this cat as he really brings a lot of thump to the run defense of the Texans.  He will likely be a starter for a long time for the Texans as long as he can stay healthy.