As far as Week 8 matchups go, this one between the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans is a big one when it comes to the AFC South divisional race.
In some respects, this is a game that the Colts have to win in order to avoid falling behind significantly in the tie-breaker battle between these two divisional foes.
In Week 1, the last time these two teams met, the Texans left Indianapolis with a narrow 29-27 win. Houston running back Joe Mixon ran wild on the Colts’ run defense, while the Indianapolis offense was very boom-or-bust in this game.
The Colts are coming off back-to-back wins to get to 4-3 on the year, while Houston lost last week to Green Bay to fall to 5-2. So, who is going to come away with the big win this week? Let’s see who the experts are picking.
ESPN
All three of ESPN’s staff members making the predictions are picking the Texans to win this game. ESPN’s FPI prediction model has Houston winning this game in 69.4 percent of the simulations by an average margin of 3.9 points.
NFL.com
All five members of the NFL.com prediction crew are taking the Texans in this game as well. Gennaro Filice is picking the Texans in this game because of CJ Stroud’s consistency compared to Anthony Richardson’s.
CBS Sports
Pete Prisco is also picking the Texans. After a week where the Houston offense was stifled by Green Bay, Prisco believes that unit gets going again versus the Colts, which will be too much for Indianapolis to overcome.
Pro Football Talk
Both Mike Florio and Chris Simms are taking the Texans in this matchup. For the year, Florio is 73-34 on picks and Simms is 66-41.
“The Texans can’t afford to blow their early-season lead in the AFC South,” wrote Florio.
Bleacher Report
Here we have a few who are willing to pick the Colts. Of the eight staff members making picks, six are taking the Texans. Maurice Moton, who is picking the Texans, noted Stroud’s impressive performance in his career against Gus Bradley’s defenses.