Houston @ Indianapolis preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 8, 2015 ) Indianapolis 27, Houston 20

The battle for the top spot in the AFC South takes place on Sunday, when the Indianapolis Colts host the Houston Texans. The key matchup will commence without either team’s starting quarterback as Andrew Luck (abdomen/kidney) and Brian Hoyer (concussion) both have been ruled out.

The Colts may not even have their No. 2 quarterback if Matt Hasselbeck (ribs) can’t make the start, leaving No. 3 Charlie Whitehurst as the healthy option. "My focus has been giving them everything I've got," Hasselbeck told reporters. "Fighting through pain, showing the coaching staff what I have to offer. Then it's their job to make that decision to decide who plays and who doesn't.” Both teams had a chance to gain an advantage in the division in the last two weeks, but both instead come in having dropped back-to-back games. Indianapolis was outscored 96-26 at Pittsburgh and Jacksonville in its previous two games, while the Texans were beaten up 57-27 by Buffalo and New England.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Off. O/U: Off

ABOUT THE TEXANS (6-7): T.J. Yates, who led the team to a win over the New York Jets on Nov. 22 and has three TD passes in parts of three games this season, will start at quarterback. Defensive end J.J. Watt adjusted to playing with a broken hand last week and again is expected to take the field with a heavy wrap over his left hand. “I think that he is such a competitor that he is going to play hard if he didn’t have any hands,” defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel told reporters of Watt. “You have to consider what he has to do in the game and whether he is on the right side, the left side or in the middle and try to put him into positions where he can do the best with the limitation that he has.”

ABOUT THE COLTS (6-7): Hasselbeck was under center in Week 5, when Indianapolis went into Houston and claimed a 27-20 victory to take early control of the division. Former Texan Andre Johnson caught both of Hasselbeck’s TD passes in that game but has managed only one TD in the last eight contests and slumped to 19 yards on three catches at Jacksonville last week. The Colts' struggling offense has been easy to overlook due to the atrocious performance of the defense, which has been gouged for 902 yards in the last two games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Houston never has won in 13 trips to Indianapolis and has lost six in a row overall in the series.

2. Colts RB Frank Gore needs 92 yards from scrimmage to pass Steven Jackson (15,051) for 21st place on the all-time list.

3. Watt needs 1.5 sacks to post at least 15 for the third time in five seasons.

PREDICTION: Texans 24, Colts 13