The Texans will take on the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday at Reliant Stadium in an attempt to knock the crown off the AFC South Dynasty's head early. Both sides will convene at noon CT for what will be CBS' best game of the morning slate. The game can also be heard on Sports Radio 610 AM, 100.3 KILT FM, or La Tremenda 1010 AM, if for whatever reason you prefer listening to football rather than watching it.
The Texans will enter the game relatively injury-free, but without star linebacker Brian Cushing, who will begin serving his four game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Fortunately, if last year's results hold up, the Texans won't miss him as much as they would against other teams, since they predominantly ran a nickel defense against the Colts last year. Zac Diles will probably take Cushing's spot on the field in this set and be tasked with guarding Dallas Clark.
The Colts, the closest thing in the NFL to a machine, have a few banged up players but nobody who has been ruled out for the opener. Left tackle Charlie Johnson is probably the closest thing to questionable the Colts have, but he hasn't ever really shown himself to be a dominant pass-protector in the first place. The Texans should be praying that C Jeff Saturday is on the inactive list on Sunday, because he's the real key to the Indy offensive line.
If you happen to be a gambling man, which I certainly am not, the Texans are home underdogs in the neighborhood of one to three-and-a-half points, depending on where you look.