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NFL · Week 3 · 2026 Final Division game

Texans at Colts

Sun, 27 Sep 2026 · 17:00 UTC
Houston Texans logo
Houston
Texans
0-2 · L2
17
@
Indianapolis Colts logo
Indianapolis
Colts
0-2 · L2
19
Houston Texans to win 61% win probability · projected 26–22 · Solid

Result & Grading

Published before kickoff, graded after. No edits, no quiet deletions.

Final score
17–19
HOU at IND
Our pick
HOU ✗
Missed
Margin error
5.6
points from our projection
Against the spread
Missed ✗
vs line of HOU −2.5

Pre-Game Win Probabilities

From the engine's power ratings, adjusted for home field and rest, then mapped through the margin distribution. Not a blend of the market — this is our own number.

HOU 61%
IND 39%
Projected score
26–22
HOU at IND
Projected margin
-3.6
home perspective
Projected total
48.0
combined points
Confidence
Solid
published before kickoff

Engine vs The Line

We agree with the market on the winner. The margins may still differ.

8th Day Engine
Houston Texans
by 3.6 points · total 48.0
Closing line
Houston Texans
by 2.5 points · total 43.5

Matchup Facts

Venue and rest come from the schedule feed and feed directly into the model; surface and weather are context we show but don't yet model.

Venue
Lucas Oil Stadium
Roof
Open
Surface
Fieldturf
Rest · HOU
7 days
Rest · IND
7 days
QB · HOU
C.J. Stroud
QB · IND
Daniel Jones

Recent Form

Last five completed games this season, most recent first.

Houston Texans

L vs CIN 6–20
L vs BUF 31–36

Indianapolis Colts

L @ KC 30–33
L vs BAL 23–41

Season Scoring

Points per game either side of the ball, 2026 season to date.

HOU · scored
18.5
per game · 2 played
HOU · allowed
28.0
per game
IND · scored
26.5
per game · 2 played
IND · allowed
37.0
per game

How The Model Sees It

Our rating has Houston Texans as the stronger side by 125 rating points, which on its own is worth about 5.0 points on the scoreboard (HOU 1,542, IND 1,417).

Home field adds 1.4 points to IND — a measured figure from our backtest, not the traditional three, because home advantage in the modern NFL is considerably smaller than it used to be.

That lands on a projected margin of -3.6, and running that through the historical spread of actual results against projections gives Houston Texans at 61%.

The closing line agrees on the winner, making Houston Texans favourite by 2.5 against our 3.6.

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