5 Questions with Battle Red Blog: will either team win?

In preparation for the Indianapolis Colts' upcoming game against the Houston Texans, I interviewed Scott Barzilla of Battle Red Blog, SB Nation's Houston Texans blog. Here are five key insights from our discussion:

1. Attack the interior of the Texans defense: According to Barzilla, targeting the interior of the Texans' defense with Indianapolis' Jonathan Taylor is crucial. The edges of the Texans' defense are their strength, so getting behind the sticks could prove challenging.

2. Limit the Texans' running game: After two weeks of the season, the Colts' defense has shown significant improvement. To prevent the Texans offense from regaining momentum, Barzilla suggests focusing on stopping their running game, making the Texans one-dimensional, and pressuring quarterback Deshaun Watson to create turnovers.

3. Stroud's issues: Despite throwing for nearly 314 yards per game, Cincinnati's quarterback Deshaun Watson has struggled with a low 60.2% completion rate and only two touchdowns through two games. Barzilla attributes Stroud's issues to the Texans being pass-happy and problems with their running game and communication breakdowns.

4. Potential unknowns: Barzilla predicts that key players could have a significant impact on the game. For the Colts defense, he highlights Calen Bullock and Jalen Pitre as potential turnover-makers. On offense, Marlin Klein could deliver crucial catches for the Indianapolis offense, which has been undermanned.

5. Expected outcome: Based on the Texans' five-game winning streak in this matchup, Barzilla predicts a closely contested game. However, he believes a key turnover in the final moments will determine the winner. While the Texans' defense poses a challenge for the Colts, Barzilla doesn't anticipate any other defensive concerns for Indianapolis.