The 5-2 Indianapolis Colts are in the unheard of position of being up a full three games over the 2-5 Houston Texans, once considered to be the team to beat in the AFC South. Now the Colts are in a position to hand the Texans their sixth straight defeat in week 9 on the NFL schedule when we watch Sunday Night Football Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans online free live streaming week 9 NFL game on NBC by following the links you will find below.
It had been relatively smooth sailing for the Colts this season until their starting lineup was dealt a major blow in an October 20 win over the Denver Broncos. Veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne torn the ACL in his right knee and will not return this season, including the playoffs. Wayne had been quarterback Andrew Luck’s top target, and now the young quarterback will have to spread the ball around to his other receivers and tight ends more.
The big target with Wayne out is expected to be Darrius Heyward-Bey who caught a touchdown pass against the Broncos. Tight end Coby Fleener also caught one, so Luck is more than willing to work his tight ends into the passing game, which should in turn open up the field a little more for the wide receivers to work their routes.
That game against the Colts was a coming out party for a team on the rise. It was Peyton Manning’s return to his former home team’s home field and instead of leaving victorious, Luck and the Colts stole the show and handed the Broncos their first loss of the season. Add that victory to a big one over the 49ers on the road and it’s clear around the NFL that the Colts mean business this season and intend to contend for the Super Bowl.
Luck comes into tonight’s NFL Sunday Night Football game on NBC knowing that All-Pro J.J. Watt is on the Texans defense and he has a knack for pressuring opposing quarterbacks into sacks, hurries and mistakes. In two games last year, Watt sacked Luck three times and the Texans as a team put him down six times. On the bright side for Luck, Texans linebacker Brian Cushing will be out with a torn ACL so that’s one less defensive threat to worry about.
The Texans have decided to leave healthy former starting quarterback Matt Schaub on the bench and hand the ball to Case Keenum for his second straight start. Keenum was 15 of 25 for 271 yards and a touchdown pass in his NFL debut against the Chiefs and nearly pulled off a huge upset. Coach Gary Kubiak appears to have more confidence in Keenum than throwing Schaub, whom had been struggling before going down with a foot injury, back on the field.
Running back Arian Foster would have loved to run against a Colts defense that is ranked 29th in the league against the run, but he has a lingering hamstring injury that might limited his carries tonight or leave him on the sideline entirely. Foster missed Wednesday’s practice entirely which isn’t a good sign for his participation when we watch tonight’s NFL Sunday Night Football game online free live streaming on NBC.
The Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans will kick off their NFL Sunday Night Football game at 8:30pm EST / 5:30pm PST. The game will be carried on television on NBC in high definition as all Sunday Night Football games are. Check those local listings to find the NBC channel number in your local area.
NBC offers a service called NBC All Access that allows you to watch Indianapolis Colts vs Houston Texans Sunday Night Football online free live streaming on NBC directly on their official website here. The game will be intercut with analysis, stats and more, so if you want the clean uninterrupted online stream, subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV with Max and watch the football game online on your iPad, cell phone or other Internet device. You can also choose to watch Sunday Night Football online with the Verizon NFL mobile app at a price of $5 a month. I think the Colts will be just fine without Reggie Wayne and continue their AFC South domination with their sixth win tonight.
