If the Indianapolis Colts are going to come away with the win against Houston, odds are that there best players will have to perform as such. But in football, the ultimate team game, there will be others who have to step up as well.
These players are known as the X-Factors. In this instance, an X-Factor is defined as a person who has a strong but also unpredictable influence on an outcome.
These are the players who, whether they perform well or if they struggle, their play will go a long way in dictating the outcome of Sunday’s matchup.
For the Colts, these three players in particular–the X-Factors–are going to have to play key roles against the Texans.
CB JuJu Brents
A strong performance from Brents would go a long way in providing much-needed stability in the secondary for the Colts–a unit that faces a hefty number of question marks this season.
Along with CJ Stroud under center for the Texans, at receiver this season are Stefon Diggs, Tank Dell, and Nico Collins. Completely stopping this trio is probably not likely, but being able to at least limit their production and the explosive plays when coupled with the Colts’ disruptive pass rush should form what is overall a very good defensive unit.
DT Raekwon Davis
The Colts’ defensive front should be one of the more disruptive units in football. However, if there’s an area of improvement from a season ago, it’s in how this group defends the run when Grover Stewart isn’t on the field.
The addition of Davis this offseason in free agency was, in part, supposed to provide a boost in that area. Collectively, if the Colts can slow the Texans’ run game, it will put their offense in predictable passing situations, where the pass rush can pin its ears back and the secondary has the advantage in coverage.
WR AD Mitchell
Without Josh Downs playing in this game, the Colts will need another pass catching option outside of Michael Pittman to emerge as a reliable target for Anthony Richardson.
Presumably, Mitchell is going to see the bulk of his snaps from the slot, where his combination or size, explosiveness, and route running can make him a difficult player to cover. With those traits, Mitchell has the ability to impact all levels of the field and doing so against the Texans when coupled with Jonathan Taylor and the run game will do wonders for the Colts’ offense as a whole.