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After splitting a pair of regular-season meetings in 2018, theIndianapolis Colts and Houston Texans will start off 2019 with a rubber match in the wild card round. The winner will move within two games of Super Bowl LIII, while the loser will begin the offseason.
For those in Canada looking to watch, the game is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. ET and will be televised on CTV. Fortunately, if you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch the game live on your computer, phone or streaming device via one of the following options:
DAZN is a cable-free, live-sports streaming service that comes with a one-month free trial. It’s offerings depend on your country, but those who are in Canada can watch every NFL game, including the playoffs, and NFL Network live and on-demand via DAZN.
You can sign up for a free one-month trial of DAZN right here, and you can then watch the game on your computer via DAZN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Xbox One or other compatible streaming device via the DAZN app.
NFL Game Pass International
If you’re not in the United States, surrounding territories, or Mexico, you can watch NFL games live and on-demand via NFL Game Pass International. The cost of the package depends on which country you’re in.
You can sign up for Game Pass International right here, and you can then watch the game on your computer via the NFL Game Pass website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other compatible streaming device via the NFL Mobile app.
CTV Online
You’ll have to sign to a participating TV service provider to watch this way, but you can also watch a live stream of CTV via their website.
Colts vs Texans Preview
Back on October 14, the Colts had just given up 42 points in an embarrassing loss to the New York Jets. They were two games behind every other team in the AFC South and closer to the No. 1 pick in the draft than they were to a postseason spot.
But with next to zero room for error, the Colts were near perfect from that moment onward. They slipped up in a weird, 6-0 loss at Jacksonville in early December, but they won every other game over the seasons final two-plus months. Since the loss to the Jets, Indy went 9-1, averaged 28.1 points per game (despite the shutout against the Jaguars) and outscored opponents by 11.7 points per contest.
“Maybe I am blind, but I felt like it took hold from the beginning,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said last week. “(And) even when we were going through that rough spell I still believed that we knew we were getting better, even though we weren’t seeing the results.”
Indy’s schedule over the last 10 weeks may not look all that daunting overall, but it includes several noteworthy wins over the last month. After the loss to Jacksonville, the Colts picked up back-to-back wins over the Texans and Cowboys, who were largely considered the hottest teams in the NFL at those points. They halted Houston’s nine-game winning streak then put an end to Dallas’ five straight victories. Two weeks later, in a winner-goes-to-the-playoffs game, they went into Tennessee and flexed their muscles in a 33-17 win.
All this is to say: the Colts may be the No. 6 seed in the AFC, but they’re also playing like one of the best teams in the league.
That said, it’s important to not sell the Texans short. Houston is 11-2 since an 0-3 start to the season. The two losses during that stretch have come by a combined five points, and the five defeats on the season have been by a total of just 20 points.
“I give all of the credit to the players,” head coach Bill O’Brien said. “I do think we have a very experienced coaching staff that helps in late-game situations, but I think all of the credit goes to the players. The players play hard, they believe, they believe in each other, they never feel like – even if something bad happens – that they’re out of a game. There were some bad things that happened in the game. Our guys kept fighting back. We talk about answering the bell. I think our guys did a good job of that for the most part, but there are a lot of things that we need to improve on, but our guys, they fight hard.”
The Texans, who are favored by 1.5 points, are going to have to find a way to slow down Andrew Luck.
In the two head-to-head matchups this season, Luck has torched the Texans to the tune of 863 yards, 8.38 yards per attempt and a 6-to-1 TD:INT ratio.
“I can definitely tell he’s getting the ball out quicker,” Texans defensive end J.J. Watt said of Luck. “I think he’s doing a great job of it, whether it’s finding the read or the scheme is set up for that, but you have to play your game. He makes quick reads, he’s a smart guy, he knows where he’s going with the ball, tries not to put himself in too much danger.”
Of course, Deshaun Watson has been pretty good on the other side. In his two games against the Colts this year, he has completed 70 percent of his throws for 642 yards, 8.03 yards per attempt, three touchdowns and one interception.
If the Colts win, they’ll face the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round. If the Texans advance, they’ll head to New England to face the Patriots.