Following their narrow defeat to the New York Jets, the Houston Texans now look ahead to an AFC South matchup with the Indianapolis Colts in Week 13.

The Texans failed to build on momentum from their upset road victory over the Tennessee Titans, as the Jets pulled away with a 21-14 win last week. While quarterback Tyrod Taylor found promising success in the second quarter with the pair of touchdown drives, he did not lead the offense to a single scoring drive in the second half.

The Colts are also coming off of a narrow defeat of their own in Week 12, as they blew a double-digit lead at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Colts defense simply had no answer for quarterback Tom Brady in the second half, as he guided the reigning Super Bowl champions to four scoring drives to complete the road comeback win.

One could presume that the Colts should clinch an effortless win over the Texans in Week 13. But as has been shown in the past month, anything can happen in the AFC South. The Texans and Jaguars have secured upset wins as of late, while the Colts and Titans have come away with surprising defeats.

If the Texans aspire to notch a third win over an AFC South rival this season, then they must hit on each of these four feats.

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Texans Week 13 predictions

4. Brandin Cooks shines in the open field

The last time that the Texans and Colts faced off, wide receiver Brandin Cooks had his way over the course of the game. The veteran wideout recorded nine receptions and 89 receiving yards against the Colts in Week 6. Out of the 89 receiving yards tallied up on the day, 72 of them came via yards before the catch, as he secured timely receptions after weaving his way into open space on the field.

Even as Cooks is expected to be a focal point of Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus' game planning for this contest, the Texans wideout should still make the most out of his targets from Taylor.

Whether it will Colts cornerback Xavier Rhodes or another defensive back shadowing him, Cooks must once again step up to the occasion in divisional play.

3. Jonathan Greenard continues standout campaign

Texans defensive end Jonathan Greenard made his return to action last week after being ruled out from Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans due to a foot injury. For now, Greenard is still dealing with this notable injury, as he has been listed as questionable for Week 13.

If Greenard once again receives the green light to feature for the Texans, then it sure will be a grand boost to the front seven. He is currently in the midst of his first breakout season in the NFL. He has recorded eight sacks in eight games played this year to go along with 11 quarterback hits and nine tackles for loss.

The second-year defensive lineman posted a formidable performance in Week 6 against the Colts; he sacked quarterback Carson Wentz twice. And this week, he should tag along with Texans defensive end Jacob Martin to once again create havoc against an Indianapolis offensive line that has allowed 21 sacks in 12 games.

2. Tyrod Taylor finds long-awaited success in the red zone

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Taylor had a promising showing last week against the Jets in the red zone. The veteran quarterback anchored two red zone drives and came away with one touchdown, which was capped off with the keen 13-yard passing touchdown to tight end Brevin Jordan over the second quarter.

Taylor could be on the verge of another formidable performance in the red zone in Week 13. Houston is set to face off with a Colts defense that has so far posted a lowly 71.1 red zone touchdown percentage allowed, which ranks as the fourth-worst mark in the league.

If the Texans have any aspiration of clinching a win over the Colts this week, then Taylor must take full advantage of each of his trips to this area of the field.

1. Texans pick up another upset win over an AFC South opponent

The Texans shocked the NFL when they came away with a statement road win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 11. The Texans defense racked up five takeaways on the day to stun Tennessee.

In what would be a shocking result this week, Taylor and company should once again play the role of spoiler with an upset home win over the Colts, who currently hold the No. 10 seed in the conference.