Last week, yours truly correctly predicted that (1) Jacques Reeves would have an interception and (2) Matt Schaub's streak of turnover-less football would end. Pretty good, right? Kindly ignore the misplaced faith in Steve Slaton's hands, Owen Daniels' health, Schaub's ability to limit his turnovers to one, and/or Kevin Walter's reincorporation into the offense. Nothing to see there, friends. Don't let the misfirings get in the way of admiring my brilliance.

My crystal ball (which may or may not be an empty can of Coors Light) reveals that the following shall come to pass on Sunday in Indianapolis:

1. Ryan Moats will get the start and finish with 13 carries for 57 yards, as well as 3 receptions for 27 yards. Steve Slaton will finish with 9 carries for 64 yards and 4 receptions for 36 yards. Slaton will find the end zone, but he will also put the ball on the carpet again. And then we will be treated to two (2) weeks of chatter about whether Slaton should start on Monday Night Football against Bud Adams' Army of Darkness. Yippee.

2. If the Colts get the ball to start the game, I can't shake the feeling that Peyton Manning's going to have them up 14-0 before we know what happened. If the Texans get the ball to start the game, there will not be a two TD lead at any point all afternoon by either team. Needless to say, I'm going to be paying close attention to the coin toss. Personally, I'd go with tails.

3. The Colts are ravaged with injuries to their secondary, and Matt Schaub's going to take full advantage of it when Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis aren't in his grill. Schaub finishes with 284 yards passing, complete with 3 TDs and 1 INT. He'll also be dropped a total of three (3) times by the Indy defense. Owen Daniels is gone, but Joel Dreessen and Kevin Walter will pick up his slack. Between the two of them, they will account for 122 receiving yards and a TD.

PUT YOUR NAME ON IT: All hyperbole about this being the biggest game in franchise history aside, your Houston Texans are playing with house money on Sunday. No one expects them to beat the mighty Colts on the road. And with good reason--the Texans have never done it before. Unfortunately, I think this is the week that the Texans secondary gets exposed. I mean, it's Peyton Manning; he's the best QB in the league, and the Texans have yet to face a QB in the same zip code of excellence as the one in which Peyton resides. He's going to be the difference, though I think the Texans are going to make it tough on him, particularly in shutting down the Colts' running attack. Texans 24, Colts 30.

More photos » by Matt York - AP

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Safety has been a position of need pretty much since the Texans inception in 2002. Eric Brown, Glenn Earl, Jason Simmons, C.C. Brown, Nick Ferguson, Dominique Barber and John Busing are just some of the names who came and didn't work out at the spot. But something odd has happened this season. Houston seems to have finally found someone who has shored up the Strong Safety position well. Extremely well.

I remember watching NFL Network right near the end of preseason for the names of all the final roster cuts for every team. There were obviously several names that I immediately put on my "Texans Wish List." One of those names was former Kansas City Chief, Bernard Pollard.

By the end of Week 1 of the 2008 season, almost everyone knew who Bernard Pollard was. While it wasn’t necessarily for his play on the field. It was more for being known as the man who ended the season of Patriots QB Tom Brady. Not that his play on the field was lackluster.

I have several co-workers at my office who are Purdue alumni, and I remember one of them mentioning Bernard Pollard while he was still playing for the Boilermakers. He was referred to as "The Bonecrusher" for his really physical play and devastating hits in college. Something that earned him honors as a first day draft pick, going in the 2^nd round and #54 overall to Kansas City.

After starting every game and leading The Chiefs with 98 tackles in 2008, I think it surprised almost everyone when his name was on the final cuts list at the end of camp this year. Especially Chiefs fans.

With us staring a year of Dominique Barber and John Busing at safety in the face, I hoped Houston would take a flyer on him. And that they did. So far, it seems to have been one of the smartest in-season pickups the Smithiak regime has ever had. Since being inserted as a starter, Houston is No. 1 in the league against the rush.

"It was very difficult," he said. "You don't know what's going on. You don't know who said what about you. You don't know how they labeled you. When you don't know, that's the worst thing."

When credited for Houston’s defensive revival, Pollard is humble and gives his teammates credit by saying that he is just another piece to an already great defense.

"I knew what kind of player he was and I figured he would come in here and make an impact," Reeves said. "I don't know what else went along with him being cut, but I do know he is a good player and he's playing good for us."

"I just want to play football," he said. "I want to be able to show management or teammates what I'm able to do. You know what they say; one man's trash is another man's treasure. I'm thankful for where I'm at."

And most Texans fans are thankful to have him here. 

"You just got to establish yourself....let them know that I'm going to hit the ever-loving **** out of them. Sorry to say that, but that's how I feel, that’s how I play."

Sorry, but what fan isn’t going to like hearing a player for their team say that? Along with Brian Cushing, Pollard has given the Texans defense a swagger and a mean streak that we have never seen out of this team before.

I say lock the guy up. He is only 24 (25 in about a month and a half) and in his prime. I know there are many who are worried he is just another Will Demps. And that could be true. But you don’t want to have the fix in your hands and let him walk next season. Pollard talks about how much he likes it here and the direction the team is headed. Unfortunately, there are going to be many other contract renewals and extensions to worry about this offseason. But let Rick Smith worry about that. It’s his job, not ours. Just like Pollard’s is to keep knocking the ever-loving  **** out of ‘em, and the contract will take care of itself.

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

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Bob Sanders not only missed his second straight day of practice for an elbow he injured in the game against San Francisco, but he also flew to Alabama to see the famous Dr. James Andrews.  That can't be a great sign that Sanders couldn't wait until the day after the game, which NFL teams don't generally use to practice, to make this visit.

Sanders is quickly becoming a tragic figure.  He is undoubtedly one of the best defensive players in the league when healthy enough to actually play.  The problem is that since his first full season as a starter (2005), he has played in just 41 games out of a possible 71.  As much as I wish to see a safety of Sanders' talent playing for the Texans someday, I would imagine it would be excruciating to know you have that kind of player but he can only get on the field about half the time.  Colts fans, I'm very curious to hear your reaction to Sanders' continuous injury woes.

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

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Many people are calling the game on Sunday between the Texans and the Colts the biggest football game for the City of Houston since the Oilers played there.  The Texans have their best record in franchise history but are staring down the barrel of an undefeated Colts team.  The Texans will have to play close to perfect to come away with what would be the most important win in their history thus far.  These are the five matchups I feel will make or break the Texans on Sunday.

1.  Amobi Okoye vs. Mike Pollak - Pollak, the Colts' right guard, had issues last week against San Francisco.  The 49ers' defensive line was able to get penetration early and often, which did not allow Manning to step up in the pocket.  Even though the Niners lost, I think they showed exactly what we need from Amobi Okoye this week--penetration.

2.  Dunta Robinson vs. Reggie Wayne - I hate this matchup.  I have visions of Wayne running loose all over the place on Sunday.  Last time I said that Robinson had to prove he was worth the money he demands, he was burned for 5 receptions for 103 yards and a lengthy pass interference penalty to boot while covering Chad Ochocinco.  Dunta will have to limit Wayne as best he can if he wants a leg to stand on next time he writes on his shoes.

3.  Duane Brown vs. Dwight Freeney - Last year, Freeney abused Brown for three sacks in two games.  That means that roughly 30% of Freeney's sacks in 2008 came at the expense of Brown in his rookie season.  Brown has probably been the most improved player on the offense and a big reason that Matt Schaub has performed so well.  Brown needs to continue to give Schaub the time he needs despite the history he has with Freeney.

4.  Steve Slaton/Ryan Moats vs. Clint Session - The Colts have given up the fewest points in the NFL, but opponents have rushed for an average of 4.5 yards per carry against them.  Outside linebacker Clint Session has the second most tackles on the team, but safety Antoine Bethea has the most, and it's never a good sign to have a member of your secondary lead that category.  Whoever runs between the combo of Slaton and Moats needs to run well in order to open up the passing game.

5.  Frank Bush vs. Peyton Manning - Everyone knows this is the guy you need to at least slow down in order to have a chance.  If you blitz him too much, he'll gouge you with huge plays.  If you don't apply any pressure, he'll nickel and dime you all the way down the field.  Bush will have to come up with the right mixture to try to limit #18 as much as possible.  Even though 347 yards passing doesn't sound like a bad day, San Francisco was able to frustrate Peyton for zero touchdowns.  Three words will have to sum up the Texans defensive philosophy on Sunday--"Bend, Don't Break."

Texans vs Colts coverage

Part I was probably the best pre-game football discussion thread in the history of man.  Or close to it, at least.

Here's another discussion thread for the smackdown between your JUGGERNAUT and the Colts.  1000 comments was breaking the Interwebz, and breaking stuff is CFHTim's sole (soul?) duty.

Texans vs Colts coverage

For the second time in three weeks, no less (tip o' the cap to Bobobigbro). From the official website, a few tidbits:

Cushing (6-3, 265) led the Texans with 10 tackles and had one sack, one pass defensed and an interception against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The interception was his second of the season and sealed the Texans' 31-10 victory.

The last rookie to win multiple weekly NFL awards was Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month twice in 2007. Peterson was a consensus choice for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season.

The last defensive player to win two weekly awards was Ravens safety Ed Reed in 2008. Reed was a consensus All-Pro and finished third in voting for AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

Cushing leads all rookies and ranks fifth in the NFL with 66 tackles this season. He has led or tied for the team lead in tackles six times in eight games.

When you're keeping company with Adrian Peterson and Ed Reed, as a rookie, you just might have a future in this league, no matter what a moronic blogger says about you. Congratulations to Cush.

Brought to you by Comcast's Red Zone Channel, a quick look at how your Houston Texans fared in the red zone last week in the win at Buffalo:

More photos » by Mike Groll - AP

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At the end of Week 8, the Texans find themselves with the best record in franchise history after a third consecutive win.  The average ranking for the Texans rose from 17 last week to 14 after the win against the Bills.  Additionally, SB Nation is now polling the writers of each blog to create their own Power Rankings, which I have for you after the jump.

ESPN:  14

The upcoming trip to Indianapolis is only the most significant game in franchise history.

Fox Sports:  18

Houston fans are itching to dive into the deep end of the Texans pool.  At 5-3 with an exciting offense, this year's team represents the bet team in Houston since Warren Moon was QB-ing the Oilers.

CBS Sports:  13

The improvement of the defense to go with the passing game has really helped this team.  They do have a lot of premium talent on the defensive side of the ball.

Yahoo Sports:  15

Can we commend Ryan Moats for being a lot more aggressive toward opposing tacklers than he is toward overzealous law-enforcement officers?

Pro Football Weekly:  13

Who had Ryan Moats in their fantasy lineup Sunday?

Pro Football Talk:  10

Maybe Steve Slaton can move to tight end.

NFL Experts Average Ranking:  13

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