Week 9 NFL Preview | AFC South | Houston Texans (5-3) versus Indianapolis Colts (7-0) - Indianapolis Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis Colts WR Reggie Wayne
Michael Conroy/AP Photo

Week 9 NFL Preview | AFC South | Indianapolis Colts versus Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Indy Football Report Editor John Oehser breaks down the Week 8 NFL matchup between the Indianapolis Colts (7-0) and Houston Texans (5-3), which will be played at Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis Sunday at 1 p.m. . . .

THE VIBE . . .

This week's pregame/gameday vibe is as obvious as it is welcome, andt that's that after nearly two months, the unbeaten, AFC South-leading Colts are playing a big game. That's not to say the Colts' status among the NFL's elite isn't deserved, or that they haven't been tested. In the NFL, if not every game is a test, at least some of them are, and while the Colts haven't exactly played a lineup of franchies that seemed playoff-bound, they have played well at times and more than well enough at most others. Even QB Peyton Manning touched on it this week, saying that the records of the Colts opponents -- the Arizona Cardinals (4-3) are the only one of the seven currently with a winning record and no Colts opponent has been above .500 at the time of the game -- wasn't nearly as strong as those of Indianapolis' upcoming opponents. The Colts in the next four weeks will play Houston, New England, Baltimore and at Houston. Head Coach Jim Caldwell is a stickler for preparing for and discussing each game as it comes, but in the bigger picture, even Colts President Bill Polian said on his weekly radio show this week there's little question the coming months could shape the season.

THE BIG CONCERN . . .

Andre Johnson. What this entry lacks in surprise it makes up for in truth. Johnson's the obvious pick for the biggest concern facing the Colts, but he's the biggest concern for anyone facing the Texans. Indianapolis players, coaches and officials long have considered the Texans' Pro Bowl wide receiver one of the NFL's best players at his position. Rookie CB Jerraud Powers was asked this week what made Johnson dangerous. "Everything," he replied, and listed size, speed, strength, etc., etc. Making this more difficult for the Colts is that CB Kelvin Hayden has missed two days of practice with a knee injury and nickel corner Marlin Jackson sustained a season-ending knee injury Sunday. Jackson wasn't starting, anyway -- Powers had started six of seven games -- but Jackson's size and experience would have been a help, particularly if Hayden can't play. Powers and rookie free agent Jacob Lacey likely will start if Hayden can't play. each is confident, and each is capable, but no matter who's in the lineup, Johnson's a tough matchup.

THIS WEEK'S LIST . . .

The injuries . . .

Each NFL season, it seems like there's one week where injuries just hit and keep htting, and before there's a chance to breathe, the season's altered. This week may not have been season-alternating for the Colts, but there was enough injuries news it seemed worth reviewing.

5) CB Kelvin Hayden. Hayden has Pro Bowl potential, but he has had trouble staying on the field in recent seasons. He missed six games last season with knee/hamstring issues, and after missing all four preseason games with a hamstring injury, he missed three more during the regular season. He played the last two games, but last Sunday sustained a concussion and a knee injury, the latter of which has kept him out of practice the last two days. Hayden still has Pro Bowl potential and when he has played, he has played well, but he has missed nine of the last 19 games with injuries.

4) WR Anthony Gonzalez. OK, so this one didn't occur this week, but it has been in the news. Gonzalez has been out since Week 1, but after the team thought he might return to practice last week, the outlook changed. He didn't practice last week and this week, he has missed practice again while seeking outside advice on his knee injury. The vibe on Gonzalez was vague this week, but whereas the thought was he would return 6-to-8 weeks after his Week 1 injury, that seems more unlikely.

3) S Bob Sanders. The 2007 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year, Sanders missed the first five games with a knee injury, played the last two and now has missed two days of practice this week with an elbow injury. Hard to get a gauge yet on whether Sanders will play Sunday.

2) CB Marlin Jackson. The Colts' first-round selection in the 2005 NFL Draft, his career has become defined by injuries in recent seasons. He missed the last half of last season with a torn ACL sustained in practice and on Thursday, word came that he tore the ACL in the other knee and will miss the remainder of the season.

1) LB Tyjuan Hagler. While Sanders and Jackson are more high-profile players, there may have been no sadder news around the Colts than on Wednesday, when the team announced that Hagler had been placed on injured reserve with a ruptured biceps. He has been limited by injuries most of his career, earning a starting job in 2007 and losing it last offseason when began the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. He became a free agent following last season, but re-signed and surprised many outside the team when he won the starting strong-side linebacker job over second-year veteran Philip Wheeler.

A FEW THOUGHTS . . .

. . . on the above list . . .

1) The first is that on the surface, the above injuries aren't necessarily killers Sunday. That's an odd thought, considering that Hayden, Jackson and Sanders are all high-quality secondary players and the Colts are playing the Texans and WR Andre Johnson. But the Colts played without the trio much of the first half of the season. The Colts have built remarkable depth in the secondary -- an area some considered a weakness in the early part of the decade -- and depth such as Jerraud Powers, Jacob Lacey and Melvin Bullitt have performed well enough early this season to make you think they can do so again Sunday.

2) The second is that while the first thought is true, this may be the toughest test for Lacey/Powers because of the presence of Texans WR Andre Johnson. Then again, Johnson is a difficult for any defender and Powers and Lacey have yet to show signs of being weaknesses.

3) A third thought is that what has happened to the Colts' secondary is a vivid illustration of the reality of the NFL. In 2007, I honestly thought it was on its way to being one of the NFL's best and honestly believed all four -- Jackson, Hayden, Sanders and Bethea had a chance to go to the Pro Bowl in their career. Sanders and Bethea each went that season, but Jackson and Hayden also looked like that kind of player. They talked, too, of becoming the NFL's best secondary. The foursome started the first two games of 2008, and not only haven't they started together since, they haven't been on the field together since. It's a cruel league of quick careers sometimes.

WHY THE COLTS CAN WIN . . .

Because they believe they can, and somewhere, deep down, perhaps the Texans believe the Colts will, too. Not that the Texans don't have talent and not that they're not a playoff team this season. The first is true and the second may be. But except for a last-second field goal in a game in Houston in December 2006, the Colts have beaten Houstin in every meeting, and some of those victories were amazingly improbable in nature. The Colts beat the Texans, 31-27, in Houston last season in a game there absolutely no way the Colts should have won -- and they wouldn't except for two late fumbles by QB Sage Rosenfels. Such is the nature of the Colts-Texans rivalry -- that even when the Colts perhaps shouldn't win, they do. Could this be the game the Texans break the Colts' hold on the rivalry. On such questions do franchises' fortunes turn.

WHY THE TEXANS CAN WIN . . .

Because they may be ready. They have been building talent for years, and now they have it on both sides of the ball. WR Andre Johnson is as good as any receiver in the NFL and DE Mario Williams is nearly as good as any player at his position. The Texans' front seven on defense is powerful, and with QB Matt Schaub playing well, the offense can score with most NFL teams. All of the pieces are in place, but as some point, if you're going to be a power team from the AFC South, you have to beat Indianapolis.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH . . .

1) Colts DE Dwight Freeney versus Texans LT Duane Brown. When will Freeney not be the top matchup in "Matchups to Watch?" When he stops being the most important matchup on the field. The matchup here is particularly important this week, because Texans QB Matt Schaub enters the game as one of the NFL's hottest quarterbacks. The Colts could be without CB Kelvin Hayden and Powers and Lacey -- the Colts' rookie corners -- could start. They have been capable, but they're more capable if Freeney and DE Robert Mathis get pressure.

2) Colts WR Reggie Wayne versus Texans CB Dunta Robinson. Robinson has been a solid corner for six seasons, and his matchup with Wayne will be key. The Colts' three-time wide receiver has been playing at a high level since 2004, but this could be his most impressive season yet. He has 51 receptions for 689 yards and six touchdowns, and he has reached a level where the opponent doesn't seem to matter much when it comes to his effectiveness. Last week, he played through a groin injury and caught 12 passes for 147 yards and the game-winning touchdown. Like Johnson of the Texans, he's a difficult matchup no matter the corner.

3) Colts C Jeff Saturday versus Texans LB DeMeco Ryans. This won't always be a true one-on-one matchup, but how Saturday and the Colts' interior handles the Texans' front seven will be key. Colts TE Dallas Clark said this week the key to the Texans' defensively is the pressure on the quarterback from the Texans' ends, but handling Ryans is key to establishing the run. The Colts have struggled at times to run as well as they would like, but they have run effectively enough to create opportunities in the passing game. That will be critical Sunday.

QUOTABLE . . .

Houston knows that we have respect for them. They’re a division team. I really think this may be our biggest of the season, so far. You look at the actual records of the teams we’ve beaten so far, they don’t have as many wins. I think we are beginning the teeth of our schedule right now with the way some of these teams we’re about to play are playing right now. Houston is playing with a lot of momentum. I feel like because it’s a division game, that’s what makes it a big game for both teams. We’re going to be just as excited to play them as they may be to play us, because it’s a division game, it means a lot, especially when it comes to implications down the road.

--- Colts QB Peyton Manning

THE LAST WORD . . .

The importance of the matchup is obvious, and for the first time in a while for the Colts, it's not about streaks or unbeaten records, but establishing dominance in the AFC South. The Colts lead the Texans by two and a half games, and with a victory, they will be three and a half games ahead with eight remaining -- not an insurmountable lead, but perhaps close enough. A Texans victory and Houston will be a game and a half behind the Colts -- with a game against the Colts in Houston three weeks later. There may be no game on the Colts' schedule that will so dramatically dictate the rest of the season. The gut here is that the Colts will figure out a way to win, but going in, it has the feel of one of those games decided with a touchdown in the final minutes and a defensive stop. The Colts have been in those games before, and that may be what makes the difference Sunday.

RECENT COLTS NEWS

* QB Peyton Manning: Houston Texans "may be the biggest test of our season so far". Here.

* Status of WR Anthony Gonzalez uncertain.Here.

* LB Tyjuan Hagler on IR. Here.

* Friday rest for QB Peyton Manning shouldn't worry Colts fans. Here.

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*** COFFEE WITH THE COLTS: NEXT DAY LOOK AT COLTS-49ERS. HERE

*** 49ERS-COLTS GAME STORY. HERE

*** COLTS HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL: WE FIND DIFFERENT WAYS TO WIN. HERE

*** IFR EDITOR JOHN OEHSER ON COLTS DE DWIGHT FREENEY: HERE

MAGNIFICENT SEVENS: WEEKLY COLTS THOUGHTS . . .