Neither of Saturday's games feature the Ravens, but that actually gives fans in Baltimore a chance to relax and simply enjoy watching football without the inevitable anxiety that I am deadly certain I'm not alone in feeling on any given weekend during the season. Saturday's matchups feature two pairs of teams that all started the season rather poorly. The Cowboys began the season 3-5, the Colts began the season 1-5, the Seahawks were 4-5 after 9 weeks, and the Texans were 0-3 early one before winning their next 9 straight. It is for that reason that football fans should avoid proclamations about teams after a fast start or an early slump. The hottest team through the first 3/4 of the regular season is often not nearly the most dominant team when the post-season rolls around. A good coaching staff will evaluate weaknesses and make adjustments after losses, and teams such as the Seahawks and Patriots almost always begin the season with a losing record through the first month before getting on track.
The other major factor beyond simple coaching adjustments is the health and available personnel of a team late in the season. The Chiefs, for example, appeared nearly unstoppable for much of the season, but they then lost one of their most dominant weapons when video surfaced of star running back Kareem Hunt getting into an altercation with a woman in a hotel. That isn't to say that the Chiefs aren't still a major Super Bowl contender, but their ability to grind down the clock to keep their own inept defense off the field has definitely taken a major hit without Hunt. Meanwhile the Cowboys traded for Amari Cooper, and not a moment too soon. Their offense suddenly began to function again, and like the Ravens, their offensive success helped their defense to become more well rested and explosive to close out games.
I've heard many people give cliche predictions about who they expect to see in the Super Bowl such as the Saints, Chiefs, Rams, and Patriots, but I it would not shock me to see one or even two teams from today's games make it to the AFC and NFC Championship. After all, some of the strongest teams in the league at this moment had some of the poorest starts to the regular season.
COLTS AT TEXANS
Of the five remaining teams, the Texans have taken the biggest hit as of late when they lost Demaryius Thomas to a tore Achilles in December. After winning 9 straight games, the Texans went 2-2 to finish the season including a 24-21 loss to the Colts in Houston. The Colts, meanwhile, haven't lost in over a month and won 9 of their last 10 games. It would be easy to point to the last matchup between these two teams and crown the Colts the champion, but it was such an incredibly close game that it would be far wiser to examine what has happened since.
Heading into today's game, the Colts have only a single lesser-known player listed as questionable, but even he is slated to play. The Texans have no injuries reported, but they are, of course, without Demaryius Thomas. Thomas' effect on the the Texans offense may not have appeared particularly profound as his stats didn't jump off the page, but his presence at the very least helps to take pressure off of DeAndre Hopkins. Hopkins, however, may struggle for a different reason.
Despite not appearing on the team's official injury report today, DeAndre Hopkins has dealt with an ankle injury all week. The elite receiver will definitely play, but a major part of his effectiveness comes from his ability to stick his foot in the ground and cut. It's safe to wonder just how much his ankle will hinder his ability to perform.
The Colts, meanwhile, have found success with T.Y. Hilton and Eric Ebron leading the way in the receiving corps along with a handful of supporting receivers with between 300 to nearly 500 receiving yards a piece. Andrew Luck has enough weapons with which to spread the ball around, and a decent rushing attack to compliment them with Marlon Mack totally 908 rushing yards on the season and an impressive 4.7 yards per carry. The Colts offensive line has been instrumental in the revival of Luck's career but will have its hands full facing the likes of J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney.
The Colts and Texans defenses ranked 11th and 12th in the league respectively. From a matchup standpoint, however, the Texans ranked near the bottom of the league in pass defense while the Colts pass defense fell in the middle of the pack at #16. This will likely prove pivotal as I don't foresee the Texans defense having quite enough to stop a balanced Colts passing attack considering just how dangerous Andrew Luck is when he has time to sit in the pocket and throw.
PREDICTION:
Like both of the regular season games between these two teams, this will come down to a single score, but with DeAndre Hopkins not 100% and the recent loss of DeMaryius Thomas, it's difficult to imagine the Texans having quite enough offensive firepower to come out on top.
COLTS 27-24
STAY TUNED FOR THE PREDICTION FOR TONIGHT'S SEAHAWKS-COWBOYS MATCHUP!
AS ALWAYS
GO RAVENS!!!
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