• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Colts begin playoff tuneup against Texans

Dec 23, 2007 - 11:22 AM Houston (7-7) at Indianapolis (12-2) 1:00 pm EST

INDIANAPOLIS (Ticker) -- With nothing at stake, the Indianapolis Colts begin a two-week tuneup for the playoffs on Sunday when they host the Houston Texans.

The ever-consistent Colts held off the Oakland Raiders, 21-14, last week to clinch the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.

Indianapolis also set an NFL record with its fifth straight season with 12 or more victories.

The Colts have nothing left except to maintain an edge heading into the postseason. Indianapolis will host a divisional playoff game the weekend of January 12-13.

"We definitely want to maintain a rhythm," Colts coach Tony Dungy said Monday. "We want to improve. We have a lot of guys who do need to play and play more."

Indianapolis can use the last two weeks to get its "walking wounded" healthy. The Colts played without five starters against the Raiders - wide receiver Marvin Harrison, offensive tackle Ryan Diem, defensive end Robert Mathis, defensive tackle Raheem Brock and safety Antoine Bethea.

While the Texans have been eliminated from the playoffs, they will be looking to set a record for wins in the franchise's brief history.

Houston has won two straight, including last week's 31-13 victory over the Denver Broncos, to reach .500. But the Texans have a difficult finishing schedule, hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars in their regular-season finale next week.

While the Texans are 1-10 all-time against Indianapolis, they did post a 27-24 victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion Colts in Houston on December 24 of last season. Kris Brown kicked a 48-yard field goal as time expired.

Houston's previous best season came in 2004, when the Texans went 7-9 in their third year of existence. They fell apart in 2005, going 2-14, then rebounded to win six games a year ago.