The Texans had their 7-game winning streak stopped last weekend by the Panthers.  They are still in the hunt for one of the top two seeds in the AFC, so look for them to be more than ready to rumble tonight with the Colts, who they thumped 34-7 in the season opener in Houston.  The Colts finally broke the seal last weekend in beating the Titans 27-13 in Indianapolis.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are going to be very run heavy tonight as they are going to be all business.  Look for Arian Foster and Ben Tate are going to both have heavy workloads in this game against a Colts’ D that is allowing 138.7 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry.  T.J. Yates was off last weekend against the Bengals, but he should have an easier time tonight as long as his O-Line is giving him time to throw the ball.  Yates will be spreading the ball around, using a lot of receivers with Andre Johnson missing another game.

When the Colts have the ball:  The Colts ran the ball a lot last weekend and they will likely try it again tonight against the Texans.  Donald Brown will be the main man in the running game for the Colts tonight, but, Joseph Addai and Delone Carter will also get some work in.  The Texans are giving up 96.8 yards rushing per game so far this year, but 4.2 yards per carry.  The front seven will have to step up and make the Colts a 1 dimensional team offensively.  Dan Orlovsky will make mistakes when pressured and theh Texans are going to bring the heat.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 23, COLTS 13

The Panthers jumped on the Texans early in this game, as they were down 21-0 at the half.  The Texans looked flat for the most part and the Panthers took it to them.  T.J. Yates looked like a rookie today as he completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards with 0 TD passes and 2 INTs.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 15 yards (7.5 ypc).  Arian Foster led the way on the ground for the Texans in this game with 109 yards rushing on 16 carries (6.8 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 5 passes for 58 yards (11.6 avg) in this game.  Ben Tate pitched in with 26 yards rushing on 7 carries (3.6 ypc) in this game.  Fullback Lawrence Vickers didn’t carry the ball in this game but he did catch 4 passes for 29 yards (7.3 avg).  The Texans finished up with 150 yards rushing on 25 carries (6.0 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 30 passes (63.3%) for 208 yards as they had possession of the ball for 27:26.

The Texans’ D did not play too well today.  LB Brian Cushing (12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), LB Demeco Ryans (8 tackles and 1 pass defensed) and DE J.J. Watt (7 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Texans defensively today.  The Panthers finished up with 166 yards rushing on 34 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 24 passes (58.3%) for 150 yards in this game.  The Texans are now 10-4 on the year.

The Texans have won 7 games in a row and they are 5-1 at home this year.  They are in the hunt for the #1 seed in the AFC Playoffs, so they need to take this game very seriously.  The Panthers lost last weekend, but they have won 2 of their last three games.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are going to run the ball a lot this weekend.  The Panthers are giving up 128.9 yards rushing per game and 4.5 yards per carry so far this year, so Arian Foster and Ben Tate are likely to have big games against the Panthers.  The Texans will likely let T.J. Yates pass the ball a bit more as he proved he could handle it last weekend against the Bengals.  The Panthers are giving up 236.5 yards passing per game so far this year, so there will be plays to be made in the passing game.  Owen Daniels, Kevin Walter and Jacoby Jones will have to make some plays this weekend for the Texans.

When the Panthers have the ball:  This is going to be a big test for the defense.  The Texans are going to have to get after Cam Newton, while also containing him in the pocket.  The Texans are likely going to double cover WR Steve Smith and dare Newton to beat them by throwing to someone else.  He likes throwing to his TEs (Greg Olsen and Jeremy Shockey) and he also has decent receivers opposite of Smith in Legedu Naanee and Brandon LaFell.  The Panthers also have two very solid RBs in DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.  All of that being said, the Texans have a dominating defense!

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 20, PANTHERS 17

The Texans took the shackles off 24-year old rookie QB T.J. Yates last weekend and he played well against the Bengals, leading his team to a 20-19 win.  Yates completed 26 of 44 passes (59.1%) for 300 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 interception.  He has now played in 3 games for the Texans so far this year and he has completed 46 of 84 passes (54.8%) for 558 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (82.3 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 11 times for 43 yards (3.9 ypc) so far this year.  The Texans seem to be gaining more trust in Yates and that is a good thing moving forward.

The Texans have waived 37-year old WR Derrick Mason.  Mason played in 7 games for the Texans and he caught 6 passes for 55 yards (9.2 avg).  He played in 12 games overall this year with the Jets and Texans in which he caught 19 passes for 170 yards (8.9 avg).  Mason has played in 230 games in his NFL career and he has caught 943 passes for 12,061 yards (12.8 avg) with 66 TD grabs.  Mason had a really good career in the NFL, but the needle on his gas tank is really close to empty.

The Texans have lost 28-year old RG Mike Brisiel indfefinitely due to a fractured fibula.  He has played in 13 games (all starts) for the Texans this year.  He has now played in 50 games (47 starts) in his first six years with the Texans.  The Texans aren’t going to put Brisiel on the Injured Reserve List as they think he could return to the team in the playoffs at some point.

This was an amazing game.  The Texans didn’t play too well in the first half as they were down 16-3.  They made adjustments at halftime and they outscored the Bengals 17-3 in the second half, including 10 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to prevail.  T.J. Yates hit Kevin Walter with a 6-yard TD pass with 2 seconds left in the game to give the Texans a huge win.  T.J. Yates completed 26 of 44 passes for 300 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 5 times for 36 yards (7.2 ypc) in this game as he was outstanding.  Ben Tate led the way on the ground for the Texans yesterday with 67 yards rushing on 8 carries (8.4 ypc) and he also caught 3 passes for 30 yards (10.0 avg).  Arian Foster pitched in with 41 yards rushing on 15 carries (2.7 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 33 yards (8.3 avg).  WR Owen Daniels led the way in the passing game for the Texans yesterday with 100 yards receiving on 7 grabs (14.3 avg).  WR Kevin Walter (6 rec, 76 yards, TD) and TE Joel Dreessen (3 rec, 22 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Texans in the passing game.  The Texans finished up with 144 yards rushing on 28 carries (5.1 ypc) and they also completed 26 of 44 passes (59.1%) for 268 yards as they had possession of the ball for 31:44.

The Texans played solid again defensively yesterday, as usual.  Safety Danieal Manning (11 tackles) and LB Demeco Ryans (6 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 pass defensed) led the way for the Texans in this game.  DE Connor Barwin (5 tackles, 1 sack and 1 QB hit) and OLB Brooks Reed (3 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 fumble recovery) also pitched in for the Texans yesterday.  The Bengals finished up with 101 yards rushing on 29 carries (3.5 ypc) and they also completed 16 of 28 passes (57.1%) for 184 yards.  The Texans are now 10-3 on the season as they clinched the AFC South Title yesterday.

The Houston Texans have won six games in a row as they are trying to win the AFC South this year.  The Bengals have lost three of their last four games coming into this weekend.  The Bengals are only 1-5 vs. teams with a .500 record so far this year.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans are in for a rough battle in the “Jungle” this weekend.  They are going to run the ball to protect rookie QB T.J. Yates, but it isn’t going to be easy.  The Bengals are only giving up 96.3 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry and they are going to key on stopping Arian Foster and Ben Tate.  The Bengals have a good pass rush, but if T.J. Yates has time to throw the ball, he could be effective against their secondary.  Jacoby Jones will be starting in place of Andre Johnson (hamstring) and the Texans are going to need him to stretch the field to set up shorter passes to Kevin Walter, Arian Foster, Owen Daniels and Joel Dreessen.

When the Bengals have the ball:  The Bengals are likely going to want to challenge the Texans’ run defense in this game.  Cedric Benson, Bernard Scott and Brian Leonard will likely all get a lot of work in this game against a Texans’ offense that is giving up 90.7 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry.  The Texans will look to pressure rookie QB Andy Dalton and force him into making mistakes, which he has done lately.  The Texans will likely double team A.J. Green and force Dalton to beat him throwing the ball to someone else.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 17, BENGALS 10

The Houston Texans have signed 40-year old QB Jeff Garcia.  Garcia last played in the NFL back in 2009 with the Philadelphia Eagles.  Garcia has played in 125 games (116 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 2,264 of 3,676 passes (61.6%) for 25,537 yards with 161 TD passes and 83 INTs (87.5 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 468 times for 2,140 yards (4.6 ypc) with 26 TD runs in his NFL career.  Garcia is 58-58 (50%) as a starting QB in the NFL and he has made it to the Pro Bowl four times in his career.  The Texans have released Kellen Clemens to make room on the roster for Garcia.

The Texans have signed 42-year old punter Matt Turk.  Turk played for the Texans from 2007-2010, so he should be very comfortable in returning to the team in a time of need.  He played in 5 games earlier this year and he punted the ball 27 times for 1,072 yards (39.7 avg).  Turk pinned the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line 7 times (25.9%) this year and he had 5 touchbacks (18.5%).  Turk has now played in 240 games in his NFL career and he has punted the ball 1,127 times for 47,731 yards (42.4 avg).  He also has 128 touchbacks (11.4%) and he has pinned the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line 369 times (32.7%).  The Texans were lucky that Turk wasn’t punting for someone else at this point in the season.