The Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans face off on Saturday afternoon at NRG Stadium and both of these defenses and special teams are going to play a huge role in who wins this game. Let’s break down both defenses and who has the edge on this side of the ball in our Colts vs. Houston Texans Defense/Special Teams Analysis.
Indianapolis Colts Defense
The Indianapolis Colts offense led by Andrew Luck gets all the attention but the defense is actually pretty strong too, even if it doesn’t get talked about a lot.
On the season the Colts are giving up only 21.6 points per game which is 10th in the NFL. A big reason for the success of the defense is the play against the run where they are ranked 8th in the league giving up only 101.6 yards per game.
Through the air, the Colts defense does give a little to be desired giving up 237.8 yards per game which is 16th in the NFL and needs to be better in this game.
In the first game against the Texans the Colts gave up 34 points but in the second game they improved giving up only 21 points. In four of the last five games they have given up 21 points or less with the other game giving up 27 points.
Special Teams
The Colts are very solid on special teams led by the ageless wonder Adam Vinatieri. He is 23 of 27 on field goals this year and although his leg isn’t as big as years past, he is still trustworthy.
At punter, the Colts have Rigoberto Sanchez who has a net average of 46.1 on punts and has pinned 24 of his kicks within the 20-yard line.
Houston Texans Defense
Much like the identity for the Colts is their offense, the identity for the Texans is on the defensive side of the ball and if they want to win this game it’s going to be because of the defense.
On the season they are giving up 19.8 points per game which is the 4th best in football and a big reason is the rush defense. On the season they are giving up only 82.7 yards per game on the ground which is 3rd best in football. The pass defense however really struggles giving up 260.4 yards per game which is 28th in football.
When the Texans defense is good they are getting pressure on the quarterback but when the quarterback can sit back in a clean pocket the defense has problems slowing down the pass.
Special Teams
The Texans kicker is Ka’imi Fairbairn who has been solid this year hitting 37 of 42 kicks and his play will probably be key in this game. At punter the Texans have Trevor Daniel who has a season average of 43.7 yards per punt and has down 36 kicks inside the 20.
Advantage
The Advantage in this game is with the Texans but they need that pass defense to step up in the game. The Colts don’t need to run the ball to have success so there is a chance that a balanced defense like the Colts might actually play better in this game.
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