The Houston Texans host the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football tonight. The Texans are coming off of a 48-21 defeat from the Atlanta Falcons where the Texans turned the ball over four times, resulting in 20 points for the Falcons. The Colts are coming off of a 16-13 overtime victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Colts won that game without Andrew Luck and they'll be without him tonight as well as 40 year old quarterback Matt Hasselbeck prepares to get his second start of the season for the Colts.
Through four games, the Texans offense has been struggling. A number of issues can be identified, but everyone knows it starts at quarterback. The Texans are starting Ryan Mallet tonight after he went 12-27 for 150 yards and an interception. A big problem so far for the Texans this year has been the stalling of the running game. Over the years, the Texans have relied heavily on running the ball. It's no coincedence the only game the Texans have won this year, was the game that Alfred Blue had his second career 100 yard game. Last week, the Texans had trouble running the ball and were punished accordingly.
With Arian Foster back in the lineup for the Texans now, The Texans are hoping to be back to their roots. Foster averages over 6 yards a carry against the Colts and has 8 touchdowns against them. Foster will need to get going tonight for the Texans offense to blossom into a full product.
Matt Hasselbeck will play for the Colts tonight with Andrew Luck still injured. Hasselbeck was in the hospital Tuesday night for an illness he has. Reports say Hasselback has not thrown in practice this week. Hasselbeck better know the gameplan though. He should also know that wide reciever T.Y Hilton has a big game every time he plays Houston. Hilton has 35 catches for 661 yards and 6 touchdowns against the Texans defense in his career. Against the Texans, the Colts revolve around T.Y Hilton.
Also returning to Houston is Andre Johnson. Once known as the hero of the Texans, Andre comes home on the opposite sideline. Johnson has 7 catches for 51 yards this season. He has not been thrown to since week 2.
Inside NRG Stadium tonight, the Texans will be supporting Breast Cancer Awareness with their annual Pink Ribbon Game. The stadium will be decked out in pink. The Home Field Advantage captain will be Texans offensive lineman David Quessenberry. Quessenberry has never played an NFL game due to injury and a battle with Lymphoma. Quessenberry has won his battle and should be on the NFL field next season.