The Indianapolis Colts (6-4) have a vital matchup Thursday night against the Houston Texans (6-4), and it seems they could get one of their key players in T.Y. Hilton returning from injury.
The 30-year-old wide receiver has missed the last three games due to a calf injury. He’s listed as questionable for the primetime divisional matchup, but he seems to be trending the right direction, per James Palmer of NFL Network.
On T.Y. Hilton, who is questionable with a calf, he believes he’s good to go. I'm told Colts don’t have any issue with him not practicing and playing. My understanding is the Texans have game planned for him to play and expect him to do so.
Hilton’s presence in the Colts offense can’t be understated. Whether it’s simply from a production standpoint or the way defenses roll their coverage, the Colts need Hilton on the field for this matchup.
It should be noted that nothing is official until the inactive players list is released an hour and a half before kickoff.
This is a huge game for the Colts, who can get a nice advantage with a win. A major key to achieve that objective is Hilton being active, which appears to be the way the situation is trending.
The Houston Texans expect Indianapolis Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton to play on Thursday night despite being questionable with a calf injury.
While it would seem the Houston Texans are going to get a break Thursday night with Indianapolis Colts receiver T.Y. Hilton questionable with a calf injury, defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel isn’t falling for it.
Even before Hilton was given the questionable designation, which came after a full practice on Wednesday, Crennel told reporters Tuesday that he expected the four-time Pro Bowler to play.
“Yes, he’s going to play,” Crennel said. “He’s probably counting on it, and I’m — well not necessarily counting on it or looking forward to it, but you’ve got to prepare for him to play because he’ll show up.”
Hilton has a reputation for being a Texans killer. The former 2012 third-round pick from Florida International was anything but that the Week 7 encounter as he produced just six catches for 74 yards and a touchdown in the 30-23 win at Lucas Oil Stadium. Hilton failed to stack his third consecutive game against Houston with at least 100 yards receiving, which he chalked up to a bad game and not the Texans defense doing anything to stop him.
“He’s a tremendous playmaker and we’ve played him several years, and he’s made plays,” Crennel said. “So, if he is not able to play, some of those big plays that get made, maybe they’re not there to be made. So, that would be the benefit.”
The Texans will get some help with wideout Parris Campbell declared out for the game with a hand injury. Houston will have to make their pass defense more formidable against Indianapolis as they allowed quarterback Jacoby Brissett to throw four touchdown passes against them and take one sack. That with defensive end J.J. Watt in the lineup, now done for the year with a torn pectoral.
Hilton or not, the Texans have to find a way to impact the Colts’ passing game.
Our weekly NFL underdog betting staple continues into Week 12 where Ken Pomponio features three teams likely to upset their underdog odds
Thanksgiving is only a week away and we’re quickly cutting to the chase in the 2019 NFL season.
Believe it or not, every team will have only five games remaining after this weekend, and each one takes on added significance with postseason berths and draft positioning on the line. We will see if that means more favorites come through in the win column – and, for our purposes, against the point spread – as the stakes grow higher.
Last week, favorites posted a season-best-matching 9-5 mark against the mid-week lines, and we were able to forecast only one (the Arizona Cardinals) of the five covering underdogs, moving our season record to 19-14.
The Week 12 pickings look slim at the outset, but come up with three dogs we must, utilizing Wednesday’s point spreads from BetMGM.
Indianapolis Colts (+3.5) at Houston Texans
(Photo Credit: Thomas J. Russo – USA TODAY Sports)
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett was back Sunday, and so was the Colts’ mojo as they snapped out of a two-game skid with a 33-13 rout of the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars. This week, Brissett looks like he may get back his top weapon in wideout T.Y. Hilton.
The Texans, meanwhile, came off their Week 10 bye and were summarily smashed by Lamar Jackson and the red-hot Baltimore Ravens 41-7 on the road. The rout highlighted the Texans’ growing defensive deficiencies as they’ve surrendered 24 or more points in five of their last six outings.
That includes a 30-23 road loss to Brissett and the Colts in Week 7 – Indy’s fifth win in the last six series meetings, including a 21-7 road playoff triumph last January in the Wild Card Round.
Also factor in the success of Thursday night underdogs and their 8-3 record against the spread this season, and there is ample reason to back the visiting Colts Thursday night.
Dallas Cowboys (+6.5) at New England Patriots
(Photo Credit: Raj Mehta – USA TODAY Sports)
Yep, we’re playing with fire again, siding against the Patriots who are 11-3 ATS in their last 14 games dating back to Week 17 of last season.
The New England defense is allowing a league-low 10.8 points per game but has famously feasted largely on a group of bottom-feeder teams and injury-addled offenses.
Dak Prescott and the Cowboys are anything but, ranking fourth in the league with an average of 28.6 points per game and have the requisite run-pass balance to pose a serious challenge.
Overshadowed by a dominant defense, Tom Brady and his offense simply haven’t been their usual potent selves and have managed only five offensive TDs over the last three games.
The Cowboys may not pull off the outright upset in Foxborough, but they have more than enough to make this Sunday afternoon national showcase game a close one.
Green Bay Packers (+3.5) at San Francisco 49ers
(Photo Credit: Cary Edmondson – USA TODAY Sports)
After bouncing back from their first loss of the season, the Niners are tied with the Pats for the league’s best record at 9-1.
But whether it’s been a rash of key injuries or the up-and-down play of QB Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49ers have covered only once in their last five outings and are 5-4-1 overall ATS on the season.
Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, meanwhile, are only one game behind the Niners at 8-2 and have been at their best in their biggest games, beating the division-rival Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, and winning on the road in Dallas and against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now comes their biggest test yet – a prime-time NFC playoff-seeding showdown in San Francisco – and we give Rodgers and Co. more than a puncher’s chance to not only cover but come away with the outright road upset.
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All seems to be well again for the Indianapolis Colts after their 33-13 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Whether it was Jacoby Brissett returning to his post this team’s starting quarterback or the historical rushing performance by Marlon Mack and Jonathan Williams, the Colts certainly had a lot of positives in their Week 11 performance.
But things will take a different turn in Week 12 as the Colts play face another divisional rival in the Houston Texans on Thursday night. This game is arguably the most important one for either team, as they’re currently tied for first place in the AFC South and it involves playoff implications for not only right now but at season’s end.
Here are three key matchups to watch in the Colts’ primetime Week 12 bout against the Texans:
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
RB Carlos Hyde vs. Colts’ defensive front seven
It was just a few days ago when the Colts’ defense had to face another red-hot running back in Leonard Fournette before ultimately slowing him down (eight carries for 23 rushing yards). But this week is a new week and up next for the AFC South competitor now is a tough matchup with Texans running back Carlos Hyde.
As crazy as this might sound, Hyde’s very solid season in Houston is under the radar. After disappointing stints in Cleveland and Jacksonville between 2017-’18, the former San Fransisco 49er is playing his best football ever. By having 769 rushing yards, a yards per carry average of 4.9, and four rushing touchdowns, Hyde is easily the third-most important player on the Texans offense, behind Deshaun Watson and DeAndre Hopkins.
Even with Watson and Hopkins being more than capable of taking over this game, it shouldn’t stop the Colts from trying to contain Hyde. By doing so, this could keep the Texans’ offense in longer down and distances, which is bad for them given their shaky pass protection and Justin Houston’s recent streak of sacks in a game.
Injuries have been the main theme for the Indianapolis Colts as they prepare on a short week for the divisional matchup against the Houston Texans on Thursday night. The status of wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has garnered the most attention.
That’s not surprising, though. Given his history in torching the Texans and his MVP-caliber impact on the Colts offense, Hilton’s status will be closely monitored as the short week progresses.
While he has seemingly been making progress, the 30-year-old wide receiver still has boxes to check before he gets on the field.
“If I check all the boxes – from me (and) how I feel, the doctors, the trainers and Frank (Reich) and Chris (Ballard) have the last say so. So if I check all the boxes then I’ll go out there,” Hilton told reporters Tuesday. “It’s a couple more. It’s about two more. The last two will be the say so.”
Those final two boxes will depend on how he feels physically with the injury in addition to the thoughts of the medical staff and head coach Frank Reich and Chris Ballard.
T.Y. Hilton asked if he’ll play: “If I check all the boxes”
Boxes are how he feels, what doctors and trainers say, Frank Reich, Chris Ballard
Hilton’s history against the Texans is well-documented. The Ghost has had more success against Houston than he has against any other team in the NFL, and it’s not really close.
He’s played 15 games in his career against the Texans. The gaudy numbers include 82 receptions on 133 targets for 1,519 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those are incredible numbers to have against a single team.
He’s even had success on the road. In eight games, Hilton has 46 catches for 1,018 yards, seven touchdowns and 22.1 yards per reception.
For what it’s worth, Hilton hasn’t practiced this week during the team’s walkthroughs. Though the veteran knows his body and the fact that he doesn’t necessarily need to practice in order to be cleared to play.
“I don’t need practice. It’s just how my body feels. When I feel good and all the boxes are checked then I’ll go,” Hilton said. “If three of the four boxes are checked then I’m not playing. All four have to be checked for me to play.”
The injury designations will come out Wednesday, which will give us a better idea of his status. With all the injuries amounting on the Colts’ sideline, there are high hopes Hilton can play against the team that he’s found the most success against.
Fans feel as though there wasn’t a lot of good to take from the Jags loss to the Colts but at least Foles looked to be 100% from his injury.
Time is slowly ticking away on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ season.
The Jaguars concluded Week 11 with a brutal 33-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. With this loss, the Jags sit at 4-6 on the year and will move further down the standings in the AFC. This all but eradicates their chances of making the playoffs.
Sunday’s game was also a huge deal because it marked Nick Foles’ return from the collarbone injury he sustained Week 1.
How would Foles measure up to a tough division rival in the Colts? Here are the good, the bad and the ugly moments from the Jaguars loss vs. the Colts:
1. The good: Foles’ shoulder looks well and healthy
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
While the final result on the scoreboard wasn’t particularly desirable, Foles showed that he is perfectly healthy and appeared to show no setbacks from his injured shoulder. Foles threw 47 passes and had 33 completions, proving that he can handle a high volume of passes. He even showed off some great intermediate accuracy on his two touchdown throws to wide receiver DJ Chark Jr.
There were many questions as to rather or not Foles would be able to return to form after his injury and it seems for now that everything looks fine health-wise for him. It’s an encouraging sign for a quarterback that the Jaguars will be committed to for three more years.
The Jags entered Sunday’s must-win game needing to show some life and did the exact opposite.
The Jacksonville Jaguars came into Week 11’s game against the Indianapolis Colts looking to capitalize on a must-win situation but that did not happen. In fact, it wasn’t even a close game as the Jags fell flat with the final score being 33-13.
The Jags were coming off their bye week almost at full strength with just one player on their injury report, while the Colts were without their top receiver, T.Y. Hilton, however, that did not matter. The Colts offense still found success on the ground as the Jags’ defense had another terrible outing against the run. By the time the clock hit 0:00 the Colts had garnered 264 rushing yards mostly thanks to Jonathan Williams, who had 116 yards and Marlon Mack, who exited the game early with an injury but had 109 yards and a touchdown. Simply put, Week 11 marked yet another poor showing from Todd Wash, which should leave the status for his job potentially in the air.
The Jags’ offense wasn’t much better, however, and that was despite the return of Nick Foles from his Week 1 collarbone injury. The veteran had a forgettable day despite the plethora of passing attempts he made (33-of-47) and passing for just under 300 yards and a pick. Of course, those stats were padded due to the Jags being behind for most of the game. Additionally, he had some poorly thrown balls throughout the game, but it’s worth noting he’s just returning from a two-month hiatus. Still, it was not a performance fans will be happy about — and rightfully so.
The Jags also had some questionable offensive play-calling by John DeFilippo. Similar to their previous loss to the Houston Texans in London, the team didn’t give Leonard Fournette a lot of carries early and it resulted in him finishing the game with just eight total carries (for 23 rushing yards) on the whole day. With him being one of the league’s top rushers many fans will question his usage, which is puzzling, to say the least.
In all probability, the Jags have played themselves out of postseason contention although the Houston Texans lost handily Week 11 as well. Still, they will have to get over this loss quickly with a trip to the Tennessee Titans coming up. Kickoff for that game will be at 4:05 EST on Nov. 24 via CBS.
The Jags must put some heat on Jacoby Brissett as they have in the past this Sunday, because if they do, it could result in a big win.
The Jacksonville Jaguars will take on the Indianapolis Colts on the road at Lucas Oil Stadium Sunday.
It’s been a tale of two records for both teams as the Jaguars currently sit at 4-5 on the year, while the Colts are 5-4 this season. A win for the Jags will put them at the No. 2 spot in the AFC South with a great deal of control of their destiny heading forward.
This is a must-win game for the Jaguars and here are three ways that they can secure the victory against the Colts on Sunday:
1. Feed Leonard Fournette the ball
Thomas J. Russo-USA TODAY Sports
This one seems simple but it rings completely true.
Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette has been a force in the league ranking third in the AFC in rushing yards with 831, sitting only behind Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb (1,011 yards) and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry (832 yards).
The Colts struggle with high-usage running backs as they allow 4.4 yards a carry to running backs with 15 or more carries. The Colts are also ranked No. 15 overall against the rush, which is good for a 104.3 yard per game average, so Fournette should have opportunities.
Giving Fournette a high volume of carries also will ease Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles into things after an eight-week hiatus that was a result of the collarbone injury he sustained Week 1.
A majority of the Jags Wire staff are going with the Jags over the Colts this week in a must-win.
After having a week off to settle ourselves for a potential late-season playoff push, it’s now time for the Jacksonville Jaguars to re-take the field and string some wins together. Their first opponents in that process will be their longtime rivals in the Indianapolis Colts, who desperately need a win as well. In a game in which should be a key moment for both team’s postseason aspirations, here are our staff predictions for Week 11:
I’m not banking on the Jags making the playoffs but that doesn’t mean they can’t win this one. That said, I’d personally be going with the Colts if they had receiver T.Y. Hilton. However, with him being ruled out, it could be a lot for Jacoby Brissett to overcome, especially coming off an injury.
Meanwhile, on the Jags’ end, they will have Nick Foles returning. I wouldn’t bank on him lighting up the scoreboard but he at least has Leonard Fournette by his side. I also think Foles will link up with his good friend Chris Conley for a clutch reception at some point in the game.
Nick Foles makes his return to the starting lineup this week and we’ll finally (hopefully) get a full games worth of film on him. Jaguars fans hope to see Foles lead the Jags on some magical playoff run, but I think the fanbase needs to be more temperate with their expectations. As Jay and I have discussed on “The Jags Den Podcast,” I don’t believe this team has what it takes to make the playoffs. I see Indy coming away with a win in an ugly game.
The Jags are on the road this week as they face their division rival in the Colts. This is a matchup of returning quarterbacks as both Nick Foles and Jacoby Brissett have previously missed time. Both teams need a win to improve their playoff chances. Expect a heavy dose of Fournette to lighten Foles’ load. However, I can see Foles making enough plays for the Jags to escape with a win.
Daniel Griffis (@GriffisNFL): Jaguars 27, Colts 23
This is as much of a must-win game as fans will find. The Jaguars can get to 1 game back from the wild-card if they win and things play out their way this weekend. The Jags have to be hungry for this one and with Foles back, expect this team to be ready to go.
The Jags will need to bounce back after a tough loss across the pond in London against the Texans. This will be a low scoring as both QBs will be easing their way back from injuries. However, the Colts will find a way to possibly sneak out a tough victory.
The Indianapolis Colts will once again be without wide receivers T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell, both of which were ruled out on Friday ahead of the Week 11 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Neither wide receiver practiced this week as they continue to recover from their injuries. Hilton has been dealing with a calf injury while the rookie in Campbell fractured his hand in Week 8.
Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been named the starter after practicing all week. He missed the Week 10 loss against the Miami Dolphins due to a sprained MCL. He makes his return on Sunday.
Another question mark the Colts have will be cornerback Pierre Desir, who didn’t practice at all with a hamstring injury. Wide receiver Devin Funchess, who is eligible to return from the injured reserve, also is unlikely to play.
