:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47802835/GettyImages-491903432.0.jpg)
As the 2015 NFL season approaches the final stretch and teams are making pushes for a playoff spot, there's one game that stands above the rest for the Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans. The two teams, tied atop the AFC South with 6-5 records, will face off for the second time this season on December 20 in Indianapolis.
The Colts defeated the Texans on the road earlier this year with Matt Hasselbeck at quarterback, winning 27-20. That game has been the reason the Colts have stayed in first place in the division, as it gives them the tiebreaker. Houston can't afford to lose both games to the Colts and still hope to win the division, yet they've never won in Indianapolis before. As for the Colts, as long as they take care of business in the other division games and the ones they're supposed to win, a victory over the Texans in week 15 would essentially clinch the division.
Because of how much could be riding on that late-season matchup, the NFL is reportedly considering it's options as it pertains to flex scheduling. This is according to John Michael Vincent of 1070 the Fan in Indy:
The #texans #colts week 15 matchup flex schedule option being discussed by #nfl. Should know by early next week.
— JMV1070 (@JMV1070) December 4, 2015
The currently-scheduled Sunday night matchup for week 15 is the San Francisco 49ers hosting the Cincinnati Bengals, but it's not at all certain that the league would want to highlight the dysfunctional 49ers, who are among the worst teams in the league this year, in primetime. That could pave the way for the Colts vs. Texans game getting flexed to Sunday night, though there are a few other options as well (like the Broncos vs. Steelers matchup). Another option would be to flex the Colts vs. Texans game to 4:25 instead of 8:25, giving it more of a national broadcast but not in primetime.
The league recently flexed the Patriots vs. Texans game in week 14 to Sunday Night Football, so flexing the Texans to the primetime Sunday night game for two consecutive weeks might be something the NFL is hesitant to do. That's where the questions come in, but without a doubt, the AFC South matchup between the Colts and the Texans should be a very important game for both the AFC South race and the AFC wild card race.