Texans vs Colts Prediction, Odds & Best Bets for Week 18 (Indianapolis Stands Tall in Regular Season Finale)

Texans vs Colts Week 18 Game Info

2022 NFL Regular Season — Week 18
Houston Texans (2-13-1, 2-6 Away) vs. Indianapolis Colts (4-11-1, 2-5 Home)
Date: Sunday, Jan. 8, 2023
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Lucas Oil Stadium — Indianapolis, IN
Coverage: CBS

AFC South rivals with playoff hopes already dashed meet head-to-head in Week 18 as the Houston Texans visit the Indianapolis Colts. The Texans were dominated by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in a 31-3 loss. Quarterback Davis Mills completed 22 of his 40 pass attempts for 202 yards.

Meanwhile, the Colts couldn't keep up in a 38-10 loss to the New York Giants in Week 17. A disastrous second quarter sealed Indianapolis' fate as the defense let up a whopping 24 points. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. provided the highlights of the day with 41 yards and 1 touchdown on 6 catches.

Texans vs Colts Odds & Spread

All NFL betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
Moneyline: HOU: (+130) | IND: (-154)
Spread: HOU: +2.5 (-105) | IND: -2.5 (-115)
Total: 38.5 — Over: (-105) | Under: (-115)

The Colts enter this contest as slight home favorites on the moneyline and spread on FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 1 p.m. ET clash also features one of the lower totals on the Week 18 slate at 38.5 points.

Texans vs Colts Prediction & Pick

This is one of a few Week 18 games that has no impact on the playoff seeding. Instead, it has a major impact on the NFL draft order as a Texans loss would give them the No. 1 overall pick. It'll be a battle between two unproven quarterback as Mills starts opposite Indianapolis' Sam Ehlinger on Sunday.

I'll give the edge to the home team. Head coach Jeff Saturday has one last shot to show the front office why he deserves the gig moving forward. He should have his players motivated to pick apart a Houston defense that allows 378.4 yards (No. 30 in NFL) and 24.3 points per game (No. 26 in NFL).

Indianapolis is also 17-3 straight up in its last 20 home games against Houston. I'll back the Colts.

Final Score Prediction: Texans: 17 | Colts: 21

Texans vs Colts Betting Trends

- Houston is 0-4-1 straight up in its last five games against Indianapolis.
- The total has hit the under in six of Houston's last eight games.
- Indianapolis is 1-4 against the spread (ATS) in its last five games.
- The total has hit the over in four of Indianapolis' last five games.

Texans vs Colts Best Bet

This game is truly a toss-up, which makes shifting gears to a team total a smart move. The Texans have been held to less than 18 points in nine of their 16 games this season. They rank 30th in yards per play (4.2) over the last three weeks as well and have no reason to start balling out at this point.

While the Colts have certainly looked dismal over the last few weeks, this is still a team that owns the 14th-best total DVOA rating in the NFL this season. Indianapolis' defensive line is filled with studs like Yannick Ngakoue and Deforest Buckner, so expect Mills to be uncomfortable for the entire game.

Bet: Houston Texans Total Points Under 17.5 Points (-116)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.