(Sports Network) - After coming out on top against a pair of division leaders in consecutive weeks, the Indianapolis Colts will host the basement-dwelling Houston Texans this Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Houston is last in the AFC South standings with a 3-6 mark, while 5-4 Indianapolis is second in the division and four games behind front-running and still-unbeaten Tennessee.

The Colts are a longshot at winning the AFC South for a sixth straight year and are trying to regroup for a playoff berth after a shaky start to the 2008 season. Indianapolis has won back-to-back games over New England and Pittsburgh and is 4-2 over its last six contests. In order to make a run at the postseason, the Colts must put together a streak of wins and not overlook Sunday's opponent.

Colts eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning has been solid the past seven games, with 10 touchdown passes against four interceptions for Indianapolis, which has reached the playoffs in eight of the past nine years and has won 52 of its last 66 regular-season tilts. The Colts are starting to play better at home too, having dropped its first two tests at brand-new Lucas Oil Stadium before its current two-game winning streak there.

Houston, which is one year removed from finishing with the first .500 record in franchise history, is in its familiar spoiler position after dropping two straight. The consecutive losses, including Sunday's embarrassing 41-13 defeat to Baltimore, comes on the heels of a three-game winning streak that once put the Texans in playoff contention. Now the Texans are trying to reach the .500 mark once again, but it will be a difficult task for a team that has yet to win on the road this season.

Texans head coach Gary Kubiak has watched his team drop four straight away from Reliant Stadium this year and seven in a row dating back to last season. Houston's next two games are on the road.

To make matters worse for Kubiak, starting quarterback Matt Schaub is still injured and backup Sage Rosenfels had an outing to forget against the Ravens. Kubiak hopes Rosenfels' familiarity with Indianapolis -- he started Houston's Week 5 home loss to the Colts -- will come in handy Sunday.

SERIES HISTORY

The Colts are 12-1 all-time against the Texans, including a 31-27 win at Reliant Stadium in Week 5. In that game, Indianapolis became the first team in NFL history to erase a 17-point deficit with less than four minutes to play to win in regulation. The Texans are 0-6 all-time in Indianapolis, and scored their only victory in the series with a 27-24 win at Reliant Stadium in Week 16 of 2006.

Colts head coach Tony Dungy is 12-1 against the Texans all-time, while Kubiak is 1-4 against both Dungy and the Colts as a head coach.

WHEN THE TEXANS HAVE THE BALL

Rosenfels (764 passing yards, 4 TD, 6 INT) started last week versus Baltimore and threw four costly interceptions, two of which led to touchdowns. He has played well in his career against the AFC South with Houston, passing for 1,359 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions for an 85.8 quarterback rating versus the division. Rosenfels, who was sacked three times on Sunday, will lead the league's fourth-best passing offense that also contains wideouts Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter. Johnson (67 receptions, 900 yards, 3 TD) leads the NFL in receptions and receiving yards, and is averaging 120.2 yards over the past six games. He hasn't missed a beat with the new quarterback and is aiming for his third straight game with a touchdown against the Colts. Walter (37 receptions, 6 TD) leads the Texans in touchdowns and had four catches for 85 yards and a score last week.

The Colts' seventh-ranked pass defense showed up in the Steel City by picking off Ben Roethlisberger three times, with defensive end Dwight Freeney (16 tackles, 5 sacks) posting a pair of sacks as well. Freeney owns nine career sacks against the Texans. Steelers wideout Hines Ward was able to post 116 yards on nine receptions in a losing effort last week, however. Cornerbacks Keiwan Ratliff (19 tackles, 1 INT) and Tim Jennings (39 tackles, 2 INT) and safety Melvin Bullitt (48 tackles, 3 INT) each had an interception off Roethlisberger. Cornerback Kelvin Hayden (17 tackles, 1 INT) has missed the past five games because of knee and hamstring injuries, but may return to face the Texans. Indy's defensive backfield will be busy against Johnson and Walter on Sunday.

Houston had trouble against Baltimore's excellent run defense last week, posting just 75 yards on the ground. Rookie running back Steve Slaton (545 rushing yards, 5 TD), who was having such a hot start to his career, was cooled off to the tune of seven yards on four carries. Backup Ryan Moats (51 rushing yards) led the way for the Texans with 34 yards on seven carries, while Ahman Green (238 rushing yards, 1 TD) carried the ball four times for 19 yards. The reason for Slaton's lack of carries was because he needed rest, according to Kubiak, but the youngster is still one of the team's most productive offensive players and will likely have a bigger role this week. Slaton ranks third among NFL rookies in rushing yards, and he had 93 and a pair of scores on 16 attempts in the first matchup with the Colts.

Dungy's run defense is only 24th in the league, but the Colts were able to hold Pittsburgh to 55 yards on the ground last week. The defense suffered through some major struggles earlier in the year, but has been progressing the past few weeks. The Colts made a few plays at the Pittsburgh goal line, but caught a break with Steelers top back Willie Parker out due to injury.. Defensive tackles Eric Foster (25 tackles) and Keyunta Dawson (34 tackles) combined for nine stops last week. Safety Bob Sanders (28 tackles, 1 INT) is often used in run-stopping situations and uses his bulked-up frame to make plays in the backfield. On a few occasions in last week's game, Sanders' efforts left Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin shaking his head in disgust.

WHEN THE COLTS HAVE THE BALL

Manning (2,248 passing yards, 15 TD, 9 INT) is coming off a three-touchdown performance at Pittsburgh, and his 17-yard scoring strike to Dominic Rhodes in the waning minutes of the game sealed the win. He is the leader of Indy's eight-rated passing offense and owns five TD passes, no interceptions and a sizzling 106.8 passer rating over the previous two weeks. The Colts are 40-7 when he has two or more touchdown passes in a game. The offensive line has been giving Manning enough time this season, but he was sacked twice last Sunday after avoiding pressure in the three previous games. Wideout Reggie Wayne (49 receptions, 700 yards, 5 TD) has been the go-to guy ever since veteran Marvin Harrison went down with a knee injury last year. He has recorded five or more catches in a game six times this season and is coming off a 114-yard, one-touchdown performance at the Steelers, his second 100-yard receiving game of the season and 24th of his career. Wayne is averaging 108 yards receiving per game over the past three weeks as well. Harrison (30 receptions, 3 TD) is still a threat and tight end Dallas Clark (34 receptions, 3 TD) has three touchdown catches in the Colts' past three games.

The Ravens don't have much of a passing attack, and Houston was able to limit them to 171 yards through the air last Sunday. The Texans had a season-high three sacks in the first half, but were unable to provide any pressure on rookie quarterback Joe Flacco after the break. The Texans were not able to post any interceptions either, one of the reason why the defense surrendered 41 points. Kubiak's secondary is rated 14th in the league against the pass, allowing 198.7 yards per game through the air. Cornerbacks Jacques Reeves, Fred Bennett, Dunta Robinson and Eugene Wilson each had a pass defensed last weekend and will be busy again covering Wayne, Harrison and Clark. Reeves (27 tackles, 2 INT) leads all Houston defensive backs in tackles and is tied with Wilson (19 tackles, 2 INT) for the team lead with two interceptions. Defensive ends Tim Bulman and Earl Cochran and linebacker Kevin Bentley each had a sack last week. End Mario Williams (32 tackles, 8 sacks) has six sacks in his last six games and three in the Texans' last two meetings with Indianapolis. Since 2007, Williams ranks third in the NFL with 22 sacks.

It seems Colts running back Joseph Addai (282 rushing yards, 4 TD) is fully recovered from a hamstring injury that sidelined him for two weeks. Addai has no more than 78 yards rushing in a game this season and hasn't surpassed more than 34 yards on the ground over the previous two weeks. Addai and Rhodes (290 rushing yards, 3 TD) are part of the worst ground attack in the league, as the Colts are averaging just 69.2 rushing yards per game this season. Houston is not too bad at defending the run, leaving Addai with another difficult task at hand. Addai does have four rushing touchdowns in the past three games versus the Texans. Rhodes leads the team in rushing and carried the ball seven times for 28 yards at Pittsburgh.

Bentley (22 tackles, 1 sack) stepped in last week after linebacker Zac Diles was lost for the season with a broken leg in the Texans' previous game. He had seven tackles, including a sack, and will most likely get the starting nod again versus the Colts. Linebacker Morlon Greenwood (36 tackles) went down with an ankle injury against the Ravens, although X-rays were negative. Rookie linebacker Xavier Adibi (3 tackles) could move into the starting lineup if Greenwood is unable to play. Houston is struggling up front with star defensive tackle Amobi Okoye (11 tackles) out with an injury, and yielded more than 150 rushing yards for the second straight week in the Baltimore game. DelJuan Robinson (13 tackles) has filled in adequately for Okoye and made three stops against Baltimore. Stud middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans (62 tackles) is second on the team in tackles behind Diles and had 11 stops on Sunday. Ryans, though, has reached double digits in tackles just three times this season. Expect Addai and Rhodes to test Houston's 23rd-rated run defense early.

FANTASY FOCUS

Manning, Wayne and Addai should have decent fantasy games on Sunday, with Manning likely compiling the most points against a mediocre Houston defense. Addai hasn't been fantasy worthy the past two weeks, but no time is better than the present to break out of a slump. Like Manning, Wayne is a definite starter each week barring any injury. Desperate owners looking for a quick fix can use either Harrison or Clark for this week. Rosenfels and Johnson are good choices for Sunday because the Texans like to pass often. Rosenfels has a chance to reach the 300-yard passing mark, but touchdown throws may be minimal. Slaton should be spry enough to get a start after Kubiak possibly tricked the fantasy world by limiting the rested rookie's touches versus the Ravens.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Unfortunately for the Texans, they are facing a team on the cusp of being eliminated from postseason contention. Indianapolis is behind a few teams for an AFC wild card spot and needs to win on Sunday to stay alive. Manning has been playing much better in recent weeks and is starting a strong passing trend with Wayne, who will give the Texans' defensive backfield fits. Rosenfels and Johnson also will get their numbers, while Williams and Ryans will do their fair share of damage on defense. But that won't be enough to top the division-rival Colts on the road.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Colts 33, Texans 17