Houston (5-3) at Indianapolis (7-0)

Light Rain Currently: Indianapolis, IN
Temp: 50° F
  • Game info: 1:00 pm EST Sun Nov 8, 2009
  • TV: CBS

By MATT BECKER, STATS Senior Writer Nov 6, 5:58 pm EST

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Most NFL teams would be ecstatic to be in the Indianapolis Colts’ position - the AFC’s lone undefeated team riding a 16-game regular-season winning streak.

Peyton Manning(notes) and company are hardly satisfied, though. With their ground game struggling and their schedule about to get much tougher, he knows they still have plenty of work to do.

The Colts will try to get their offense in gear and continue their dominance over Houston on Sunday against a Texans team looking to win its fourth straight.

Indianapolis improved to 7-0 for the fourth time in five seasons with last Sunday’s 18-14 home win over San Francisco, but it wasn’t an inspiring effort by the normally high-powered offense.

The Colts settled for field goals on four trips into the red zone and Manning failed to throw a TD pass for the first time since Nov. 30, 2008.

Manning finished 31 of 48 for 347 yards, but missed high, wide and even short to finish with a season-low 86.0 quarterback rating. The three-time MVP had a 118.8 passer rating in the previous five games.

“I thought we weren’t quite as sharp as we have been at times,” Manning said. “There’s definitely some areas we can improve on.”

Indianapolis hasn’t lost since falling 31-21 at Tennessee on Oct. 27, 2008, and needs to get better in a hurry with stiff competition looming.

The Colts only faced one team with a winning record so far - Arizona (4-3) in Week 3 - but after this contest they host New England (5-2) on Nov. 15 followed by a trip to Baltimore (4-3) and back to Houston (5-3).

“We are getting into the teeth of our schedule right now,” Manning said.

Creating a ground attack would be a big help to Manning and the offense.

The Colts rushed for 61 yards on 21 attempts against the 49ers with just five plays going as long as four yards. Indianapolis ranks 30th in the NFL with an average of 87.3 rushing yards per game.

“We know what we can do. We just have to correct the mistakes we made and move forward,” said Joseph Addai(notes), who has not rushed for more than 64 yards.

Correcting these mistakes against a Houston rush defense that has shown vast improvement over the past few weeks could be difficult. After allowing an average of 205.0 yards on the ground in their first three games, the Texans are yielding 58.2 in the last five.

Houston defeated Buffalo 31-10 last Sunday for its third straight victory to get off to the best start in franchise history.

The Texans, who won a franchise-best four in a row last season, are in the thick of the playoff picture but a defeat in this game would give the Colts a four-game lead in the loss column.

“When you get to where your football team is pretty good, they’re all big,” Houston coach Gary Kubiak said. “It’s just nice that we’re to the point now where we should play in some big football games here in the second half and none bigger than the first one.”

Beating the Colts would be a big step for the Texans. Indianapolis, though, is 13-1 all-time against Houston with the loss coming on a last-second field goal in 2006.

Manning has been sensational in those contests, passing for 3,859 yards with 33 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has 17 TD passes and one pick in the last seven meetings.

Houston’s Matt Schaub(notes), who has thrown a career-best 16 touchdown passes, completed 27 of 33 passes for 236 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in his only start against the Colts, a 30-24 loss on Sept. 23, 2007.

Schaub leads an offense that has already matched a franchise record set last season with four 400-yard games, but the unit will have a different look this week.

Tight end Owen Daniels(notes), a favorite target of Schaub with 40 receptions for 519 yards and a team-leading five touchdowns, will miss the rest of the season after tearing a knee ligament last week.

Schaub will be joined in the backfield by running backs Steve Slaton(notes), Ryan Moats(notes) and Chris Brown, all expected to split time.

Slaton was benched against the Bills after fumbling for a fifth time, and Moats did a stellar job as his replacement, running for a career-high 126 yards and scoring a franchise-best three touchdowns.

“They know they’re all going to play and they know they’re all going to be a part of what we’re doing, so I just think we keep working them,” Kubiak said.

Slaton rushed for 249 yards with three touchdowns on 30 carries in two games against Indianapolis last season.

Schaub and the offense won’t have to deal with many of the Colts’ best defensive players. Linebacker Tyjuan Hagler(notes) (biceps), cornerback Marlin Jackson(notes) (knee) and strong safety Bob Sanders(notes) (elbow) are all out for the season.

Veteran cornerback Kelvin Hayden(notes) is also expected to be sidelined for the next three to four weeks with a knee sprain.

Updated Nov 6, 5:58 pm EST
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Team Comparison

Team Records Standings PF PA Road/Home AFC NFC DIV Streak
Houston 5-6-0 3rd AFC South 259 243 3-2-0 Road 4-5-0 1-1-0 1-4-0 Lost 3
Indianapolis 11-0-0 1st AFC South 304 184 5-0-0 Home 7-0-0 4-0-0 4-0-0 Won 11
NFL

252 Comments

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  1. mastarunna24
    252. Posted by mastarunna24 Thu Nov 12 4:54am EST

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    Colts n cowboys!!!!
  2. april
    251. Posted by april Tue Nov 10 5:43pm EST

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    Colt Post 250 I bet u like having a girl to pick on,it seems to turn u on. After I share my knowledge I am gonna stop commenting to you because it is ridiculos. I am not a Brady hater I am just not a big fan of the Pats. As far as Jim do mean "captian comeback"? The guy who played for the bears then the colts then got traded to Baltimore so they could bring Peton in,then played for the chargers and finally the Panthers. I am an avid FOOTBALL fan and Sports Center Lover. I know it is unusuall but it is true. Are YOU seriously dissin someone for insults? Every comment u post includes an insult. I would love to meet you in person and go toe to toe with you,it would be fun to show you up. I am not dissin the Pats just for the "cheater crap" I just generally don"t like them,hell I am a Yankee fan and we all know their history. I am also not just a Colts fan although they are my fave. I understand why u are so hostile because like you I love my team and will defend them to the end even if they cheat are classless and run up the score or Peyton begs for a flag when he gets hit or ppl hate them because they beat everyone and win back to back SB's and everyone thinks they don't deserve anymore rings, because we as fans could never have enough rings. Your a good fan and you know your football I can appreciate that.Keep lovin those Pats and I will kepp lovin my Colts. How ironic! Is Colt ur real name? I am not jealous or envious of anyone I am not making their money and I have never won a Superbowl and never will.
  3. colt
    250. Posted by colt Tue Nov 10 10:30am EST

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    @ aprilsalazar27 post 249...

    Again you are just proving my point that you really have no idea what you are talking about. Then to toss out insults, immature and showing the true colors of a fairweather fan. You probably have no idea who Jim Harbaugh is do you? If you can tell me who he is without looking it up or asking omeone then I might consider you somewhat a real "fan". However, I'll hve no proof you dodn't look him up so your attempt is almost futile. Anyways, you want to call the Patriots classless for scrong 59 points against the Titans? Well Tom Brady only played 1 series in the 2nd half and then sat out the rest of the game. So the Titans just didn't have a defense that could stop back ups. Brandon Hoyer, Brady's backup scored a TD...so that shows you. As I recall the Colts beat the Titans 31-9 and the Rams 42-6...and that's not running up the score. Not to mention that Peyton Manning played the entire Rams game and threw a TD in the final minutes. Yeah, that's classy. Please shut up. Also get over the "cheating" thing as it was well over 2 years ago, the fines were paid etc. Also the Pats went on to go undefeated in the regular season that season...you know when the allegations came forth in Week 1, 2 minutes in the first quarter. Even then Bill Cowher, Bill Parcells, Dennis Green and a host of others said that it was common practice from coaches and that they themselves did it. Eric Mangini just couldnt handle playing his old mentor and had to do anything and everything to sully his reputation. So get over it, as it's 2009 already. Also those new rules were put in place by the NFL, not Tom Brady. So he's not a p*ssy. In fact he has publicly stated he doesn't like the new rules as they take from the game because, and I quote, "I'm a QB. I'm supposse to take a hit or two. It's unfortunate that injuries happens but it's part of the game". So again shut up.

    Peyton "Everyone thinks I am God" Manning: 1 ring
    Tom "I am better than everyone" Brady: 3 rings

    That's where this hatred comes from, sheer jealousy and envy.
  4. april
    249. Posted by april Mon Nov 9 10:32pm EST

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    @ colt post 230 I am not just some girl who thinks she knows football,so yes I know what your talkin about. Seems to me you just like to get on here and try to run ppl into the ground. If the Colts were to run up the score 59-0 like the Patriots did I would call the colts classless but guess what that will not happen because they do have class. You on the otherhand do not. The Colts have had some luck but they also have alot of skill,look at the stats over the last decade. These guys figure out how to win wether it is luck,prayer or skill they do it, We can't say as much for most of the other 31 teams including the Pats. They are cheaters and Brady is a pu$$y. I was not predicting a win it was merely a what if. But since you brought it up i am thinking another close one last minute come back by the best in the game, 24-27. Get back to ya next week buddy.
  5. shwagg
    248. Posted by shwagg Mon Nov 9 5:30pm EST

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    Respect for the Texans fans who took it on the chin and is moving on. Now for the Texans fan that are still crying. The fact is that YOU lost the game get over it, and worry about your next game. There is nothing you can do or say to change the out come. STOP CRYING.
  6. colt
    247. Posted by colt Mon Nov 9 5:26pm EST

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    So if the Colts throw up 130 points...can I be like you guys and call them classless for running up the score. You know the same Bullsh*t you guys pull if the Pats score more than 27 points a game. Hypocrites...

    GO PATS!!!

    31-24 Pats victory
  7. Anthony H
    246. Posted by Anthony H Mon Nov 9 4:48pm EST

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    the texans need to win close games like the one yesterday. That's the third close game they've blown. They had a chance against the jags and they fumbled near the goal line. They had 1st and goal at the 1 against arizona with a chance to tie with a td and an extra point and they couldn't get it with four tries.Now Kris Brown misses a fg at the end to tie against the colts. Getting close isn't good enough anymore. If the texans want to be a playoff team, they got to make plays in crunch time. That might sound a bit harsh, but that's a fact.
  8. Brian J.
    245. Posted by Brian J. Mon Nov 9 3:46pm EST

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    no, i think the colts can put up 130
  9. niceygc
    244. Posted by niceygc Mon Nov 9 3:37pm EST

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    Hey # 224...don't hate Brady 'cause he is beautiful. Hater !!!!
  10. colt
    243. Posted by colt Mon Nov 9 3:34pm EST

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    Rushmore,
    First off the Jets are the Jets and any AFC East game is going to be hard fought, especially against the Patriots because the Patriots have dominated that division for the past 10 years. So of course and AFC East rival will play their A-Game no matter. Also the Patriots are a new team, their defense totally changing their identity is one season (Bruschi, Vrabel, Harrison, Hobbs etc). Jerod Mayo, a great player but relatively unknown is the top player on the team now. Patrick Chung is a rookie and Brandon Meriweather is just starting to get good. So that's one reason why the Pats aren't out there scoring 40 points a game. Brady hasn't played in a year. Any QB out for a year will come back rusty and it will take time to get their rythym back. They'll end up 12-4 or 13-3 this season, but come back next season and be comparable to the 2007 undefeated team. As for the Broncos, they were undefeated until 2 weeks ago, so I really fail to see your reasoning of bringing them up. Yeah the Colts won every game, 3 of those games being won by luck and less than 5 point differences.
    Yea the 3 superbowl wins were by field goals, big deal. It takes a big game QB to set up those field goals. If Brady didnt' go 6 for 6 on that final drive of the 2001 superbowl against "the greatest show on turf" to set up the 47 yard field goal what would have happened? Yeah the defense held the game but Brady and Vinatieri won it. So please stop even bringing that up. It's like a Yankees fan bringing up 1918, irrelevant and complete nonsense.
  11. Ben
    242. Posted by Ben Mon Nov 9 3:13pm EST

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    To post 227 Jared Allen is the best pass rusher in the NFL

    GO VIKES!
  12. MichaelP
    241. Posted by MichaelP Mon Nov 9 2:40pm EST

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    Mopbrothers, you suck earthworms- you don't know who's better, anyway. Score for Sunday night:

    Colts 31
    Patriots 20

    GO BLUE!!!
  13. Justin
    240. Posted by Justin Mon Nov 9 2:37pm EST

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    rushmore....nice avatar (tell me this boy doesn't bend over for Bubba!)






    ROFLMAO!
  14. rushmore
    239. Posted by rushmore Mon Nov 9 2:30pm EST

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    Colt,

    The Pats lost to the damn Jets in game they could only muster 9 measly points! The Jets! (Not exactly the cream of the crop...though in the AFC east a close second I guess) Not to mention the loss to Denver... You can say that Brady was "finding his rhythm" or "getting his timing back" during those games or whatever other excuse you want, but the fact is they lost and looked bad doing so. The Colts may not have looked great, but they won their games, didn't they? And the Texans are better than you give them credit for. And my God, the Patriots have beat whom exactly? The miserable Titans, the disappointing Falcons, the loathsome Bucs.... etc... oh, and throw in a CLOSE (25-24) win against the craptastic Bills and you don't exactly paint a formidible resume either. Bottom line: Good teams win all the games they are supposed to win and most of the ones they have a chance to win. So far, between the Patriots and the Colts, only the Colts have done that. The rest of the season may go differently, but right now you need a different argument. And whatever you may think, winning close games in the NFL, no matter the opponent, takes grit.... The Patriots should know that well since essentially all their SB wins were decided by what, field goals????
  15. Justin
    238. Posted by Justin Mon Nov 9 2:14pm EST

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    America's Team.....Your New England Patriots!








    Carry on ladies!




    ROFLMAO!
  16. Justin
    237. Posted by Justin Mon Nov 9 2:14pm EST

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    America's Team.....Your New England Patriots!








    Carry on ladies!




    ROFLMAO!
  17. Daniel
    236. Posted by Daniel Mon Nov 9 2:12pm EST

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    Colts can do it this week against New England. But the Defense is so beat up their going to have to run up the score to have a shot.
  18. Mike P
    235. Posted by Mike P Mon Nov 9 2:07pm EST

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    I know Kris Brown felt heart-broken over missing that field goal. But that would have just tied the game. In that situation, I would bet on Peyton and the Colts anyway. Peyton remains a premier QB on a premier team, and they would have figured a way to win, the great teams always do.
  19. colt
    234. Posted by colt Mon Nov 9 1:58pm EST

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    @ geno_3599 #232

    You made a typo. You added a 0 to your prediction of Pats 23 Colts 13. Just making sure you know.
  20. True American
    233. Posted by True American Mon Nov 9 1:57pm EST

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    Geno, LOL 130 points..........

    I hope to see a really great game by both teams!

    Colts 31 Pats 27
  21. <i>geno_3599</i>
    232. Posted by geno_3599 Mon Nov 9 1:55pm EST

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    I think a lot of what Colt says is true and the Pats will be a real test for the Colts. Brady is getting better every week and they have been tested by some strong teams. It will be almost impossible for the Colts to keep the Pats from scoring and so I predict: Pats - 23, Colts - 130.
  22. Stephen T
    231. Posted by Stephen T Mon Nov 9 1:54pm EST

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    I agree with 2cents on the Moats fumble, but my key word is whistle, how can a change of possession be awarded after the play is blown dead. The entire Texan team could have been by the ball, whistle blows play dead, defense then picks up ball and it is theirs, I don't think so. WHAT has IN REVIEW turned into???? It is not football.
  23. colt
    230. Posted by colt Mon Nov 9 1:54pm EST

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    @ aprilsalazar27 # 227...
    Why the hell are you talking like the Colts already won? You are counting on turnovers, pressure, and sacks that haven't happened yet. Let me give you a little history lesson here. The Pittsburgh Steelers purchased SuperBowl tickets for their family members to watch them play before the AFC Championship game was even played. What happened? The Patriots embarrassed the Steelers who were so confident 24-17 to win. Shawn Merriman of the Chargers promised a win over the Patriots and thusly lost on their home field. Terrell Owens got his popcorn ready for a game the cowboys lost by 20 points in 2007 against the Pats. Joey Porter talked smack about this weeks game, his dolphins lost and he didn't record a stat. I know there are a lot more examples, those are just a few. Don't count your chickens before they hatch, any REAL football fan, regardless of team affiliation knows that. Any given sunday...I bet you don't even know what that means. Pathetic.
  24. <i>geno_3599</i>
    229. Posted by geno_3599 Mon Nov 9 1:50pm EST

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    I think a lot of what Colt says is true and the Pats will be a real test for the Colts. Brady is getting better every week and they have been tested by some strong teams. It will be almost impossible for the Colts to keep the Pats from scoring and so I predict: Pats - 23, Colts - 130.
  25. Mopbrothers
    228. Posted by Mopbrothers Mon Nov 9 12:59pm EST

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    Peyton is awesome, my favorite----BUT-----the Saints and Patriots are better teams.
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