Subscribe
Jobs
Cars
Real Estate
Apts
Classifieds
Shop
INDIANAPOLIS – Sage Rosenfels’ two fumbles and interception enabled the Colts to make a comeback from 17 points down to defeat the Houston Texans 31-27 on Oct. 5, in one of the most memorable endings this season.
“Obviously, we came away real, real late to win the last (meeting),” Colts center Jeff Saturday said. “It’s a game the Texans probably think they should have won. And without those turnovers, they definitely would have. They must have the mind-set that they can beat us.”
Texans coach Gary Kubiak, whose team is 0-6 all time in Indianapolis, said the lesson of that loss was clear.
“We did some good things for about 56 minutes,” he said. “But you have to play 60 minutes in this league, and the Colts did that. They deserve the credit for finding a way to win the football game and making plays. Regardless of what took place, it wasn’t good enough, and it’s going to have to be better for us (to win).”
Indianapolis (5-4) and Houston (3-6) play today at Lucas Oil Stadium. With the Texans’ No. 1 quarterback, Matt Schaub out with a knee injury, Rosenfels will get his shot at redemption. His coaches don’t want him trying to do too much, like going airborne for a first down with the game already in hand.
“It’s a big opportunity for him,” Kubiak said. “He can’t try to do too much. He has to do his job. We have to play well around him and well as a football team to have a chance to win. It’s not all about just (our) quarterback, and he knows that.”
Rosenfels will have a huge role to play as the Texans’ fourth-ranked passing game will take on a Colts secondary depleted by injuries. Cornerback Kelvin Hayden (hamstring) is not expected to play, and safety Bob Sanders (knee), the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year last season, is questionable because of a knee injury.
Texans receiver Andre Johnson leads the NFL in receiving yards (900) and is second in catches (67) with three touchdowns.
“(Rosenfels) will take what we give him,” Colts linebacker Gary Brackett said. “He’s not going to come out and force anything because that’s when you get into trouble, when you do those sort of things. He’ll be calm and cool and resort back to the things (that work), like getting the ball to Andre Johnson and using their run game.”
The Texans’ run game is paced by rookie Steve Slaton, who has 545 yards and five touchdowns on 124 carries. He has outperformed the Colts’ Pro Bowl running back, Joseph Addai, who has 282 yards and four touchdowns on 91 carries.
Because Houston has one of the weaker run defenses in the NFL – it ranks 23rd, allowing 130.7 yards a game – Indianapolis is hoping its league-worst running game (69.2 yards a game) will finally get going.
If the Colts can’t get some production from the running backs, they might need another meltdown by Rosenfels and another defensive comeback to win.
No one is expecting history to repeat itself, though.
jcohn@jg.net
