Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans Prediction 9-8-24 NFL Picks

In this article, we will formulate an Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans Prediction for this NFL Week 1 game on Sunday, September 8th, at Lucas Oil Stadium.

How Do Texans Follow Up on Last Year?

Not many expected the Texans were going to be all that good in 2023, but they shocked many, finishing with a 10-7 record and on top of the AFC South. The Texans know that this is going to be a battle again this year, though, and that the Colts are a team that could be chasing them this year. The biggest reason for all the success last year was the addition of CJ Stroud who had quite the year throwing for 4,108 yards, 23 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He also added another 167 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Texans were good last year, but they got better during the offseason. Joe Mixon was brought in and Stefon Diggs came over in a trade from the Buffalo Bills.

The offense gets the attention, but the Texans’ defense is also filled with quality players. It’s almost unfair that the Texans were also able to get Will Anderson, but they did, and there are a whole lot of expectations surrounding him this season. One of the big losses on defense was losing Blake Cashman who joined his hometown team the Minnesota Vikings. 

Why the Texans Will Beat the Colts

• The Texans have won each of their last eight road games against AFC South opponents on a winning streak.
• The Colts have lost nine of their last 10 Week 1 games.
• The Colts have failed to cover the spread in each of their last nine season openers.
• The Texans have covered the spread in each of their last eight road games against AFC South opponents.
• The Colts have lost the first half in each of their last five September games as home underdogs.
• The Texans have scored the first touchdown in four of their last five Week 1 games.
• The road team has won the first quarter in each of the last five games between the Texans and Colts.

Colts are Healthy

The Colts are pretty healthy heading into this season, and that is good news, because at the end of last season that wasn’t the case. Even with all the injuries, the Colts still did manage to pick up nine wins. Anthony Richardson showed some real signs of promise, but injuries became an issue, and he ended up missing most of the season because of it. The good news for Richardson is that he is healthy and has all kinds of talent surrounding him. Michael Pittman Jr was signed to an extension and the expectation is that he’s going to have a huge year again this year. Jonathan Taylor is also back, and they need him to have a huge year. 

On defense, the Texans selected Laiatu Latu with the 15th overall pick, and he’s expected to be an impact player right away. This game for the defense is going to come down to the secondary. JuJu Brents and Dallas Flowers are expected to be the starters, and both are going to need to have big games to really slow down the offense.

Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans Prediction

The Colts are going to struggle in this game. I really wish the Colts would have made the upgrades in the secondary, but they didn’t and that is going to be their downfall here. CJ Stroud is going to have a huge game, and the Colts aren’t going to have any answer for it. Anthony Richardson might have a strong game for the Colts, but it’s not going to be enough. The Texans are going to pull away and Houston is going to cruise to the victory here. Back the Texans against the spread.