Colts vs Texans Picks, Odds & Preview – First Place in AFC South at Stake in Thursday Night Football Clash

• The Houston Texans & Indianapolis Colts are knotted atop AFC South standings at 6-4
• The Texans are coming off a crushing 41-7 loss in Baltimore
• The Colts have dominated the recent head-to-head history with wins in six of seven visits to Houston

First place in the AFC South divisional standings will be on the line this Thursday (Nov. 21), when the Indianapolis Colts visit the Houston Texans as 3.5-point underdogs in the Week 12 NFL odds.

NFL Week 12 – Colts vs Texans Odds

*Odds taken 11/20/19

Rout of Jaguars Lifts Indy into First Place

Indianapolis is coming off a lopsided 33-13 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars last weekend, pulling the team even with Houston atop the division standings with a 6-4 record going into Thursday night’s Colts vs Texans matchup at NRG Stadium.

Jacoby Brissett returned to spoil Nick Foles’ return as #Colts beat #Jaguars. #NFL pic.twitter.com/1lPmNZqCRo

— Justin Valentine (@JV_Sports_Talk) November 17, 2019

Last weekend’s victory as 2.5-point home chalk marked a much needed turnaround for the Colts, who struggled to generate offense while losing their two previous outings. Indianapolis averaged just 18 points per game in consecutive losses to the Pittsburgh and Miami, and had failed to cover in three straight outings ahead of its date with the Jaguars.

Indianapolis has largely dominated in recent clashes with the Texans, posting SU wins in five of six meetings since the start of the 2017 NFL season.

The Colts have also produced mixed results on the road, going 2-3 SU over a five-game stretch that started with a 31-13 loss to Kansas City in last season’s playoffs. However, Indianapolis has largely dominated in recent clashes with the Texans, winning five of six meetings since the start of the 2017 NFL season, including a 30-23 victory when the Texans visited Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 7.

Colts Dominating in Recent Dates in Houston

Indianapolis has also owned the Texans in recent visits to NRG Stadium, winning outright in six of its past seven, capped by a 21-7 victory as a 1.5-point underdog on Wild Card Weekend last season, which marked the Colts’ most-decisive win in Houston since 2005.

AFC South standings:

Colts (6-4)
Texans (6-4)
Titans (5-5)
Jaguars (4-6)

The Colts improved to 3-0 against the AFC South today. Heading into a huge Thursday night game vs. Texans.

— Josh Wilson (@JoshWilsonSB) November 17, 2019

Despite all the trends favoring the Colts, they continue to lag behind Houston as +145 second-favorites in the odds to win the AFC South, and lag as a +5000 wager in Super Bowl betting.

Texans Reeling Following Loss in Baltimore

The Texans return home looking for answers after suffering a crushing 41-7 loss in Baltimore last weekend as 4.5-point underdogs. Overall, Houston has struggled to maintain momentum this season, both on the gridiron and at the sportsbooks. The Texans have stumbled to a 4-3 SU record over their past seven contests, and have posted just one ATS win in their past four outings.

The @Ravens defense with 110 pass yards allowed & 8 tackles for loss in Week 11 ?@WillieMcGinest talks through just how they did it against the Texans ?

?: @NFLTotalAccess pic.twitter.com/T3Gaqh97Mk

— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) November 19, 2019

That inconsistency extends to recent games on home turf, where the Texans have gone 4-3 SU in their past seven, with a dismal 2-5 ATS record during that stretch. Low scoring has been common in recent Texans’ home dates. The team has tallied 21 or fewer points in five of their past seven, fueling a steady 7-1 ATS run over their past eight.

Shaky Bet as Home Chalk

Houston has also failed to regularly pay out when pegged as a home favorite by fewer than four points, losing outright in two of the team’s past four, including last January’s playoff loss to the Colts, and going 3-5-1 ATS in eight dates since October 2016.

TY hilton when he saw the colts are playing in houston this week pic.twitter.com/8jfZ97hiTr

— -.- (@IBSLivesMatter) November 20, 2019

However, the Texans could benefit from the Colts’ recent injury woes. Wide receiver TY Hilton’s status for Thursday’s contest remains questionable while he recovers from a calf injury, but Colts cornerback Pierre Desir looks set to return after missing the past four games with a hamstring injury.

Picks: Colts +3.5 (-114), UNDER 45.5 (-109)