3. Third-down defense

Easier said than done, get the offense off the field on third down. The Colts have done a great job of that recently, only giving up a 39% completion rate on third down to opposing offenses. The Texans are one of the best third-down offenses, at 44%. One has to give Thursday night.

One reason for the beatdown in Baltimore from the Texans was their third-down offense, they were only 2-10 on third down. In Week 7, the Colts held the Texans to 4-12 on third down.

So the key is simple, get Houston off the field and you give yourself a chance to win on Thursday night.

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