The last time these two shared a field, Houston outlasted Indianapolis in a 38-30 shootout to close last season. Now the Texans get another crack at a Colts team that hasn't won since.
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SUN SEP 27 · 1:00 PM ET
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This one carries real residue from January. The Texans capped a 4-1 finish to last season by beating the Colts 38-30, then Indianapolis lost its final four games of the year by a combined margin that included a 48-27 blowout to San Francisco. Houston enters this rematch with its quarterback situation settled and its head start on this rivalry intact; Indianapolis is still trying to figure out who's even taking snaps.
That's the real storyline in Indianapolis: Daniel Jones, who led the Colts to a 7-1 start before an Achilles injury wrecked the season, has been named the starter again after clearing camp drills. Anthony Richardson is back from the freak eye injury that ended his 2025 season early, but he's now fighting Riley Leonard just to be the No. 2, and defensive cornerstone DeForest Buckner is working back from neck surgery with his Week 1 status still unresolved. Houston's own concerns are smaller in scale — Tank Dell is still working back from a knee issue and a rebuilt offensive line featuring free-agent additions Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith needs time to gel — but this is a program with far more continuity than the one across the field.
The Texans spent the offseason making sure their best players stayed put. Nico Collins restructured his deal to remain in Houston, and OC Nick Caley has praised C.J. Stroud for taking a visible leap this offseason after a shaky prior year. The backfield now runs through a Woody Marks-David Montgomery committee, with Houston's coaching staff talking up both as legitimate every-down options. Indianapolis, by contrast, is still leaning on Jonathan Taylor to shoulder a workload that even Shane Steichen admits is worth worrying about.
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
It's not just the record that separates these two teams right now — it's direction. Houston closed last season playing playoff-caliber football until New England ended the run in January; Indianapolis limped to the finish line and lost five straight to close things out, capped by that 38-30 defeat to this same Texans team. Add in the fact that Jones is coming off a serious injury and the Colts' secondary is banged up, and the gap between these two programs looks wider than a rivalry game normally suggests.
Houston Texans
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Indianapolis Colts
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
None of that means Indianapolis rolls over. Taylor remains one of the league's best backs when healthy, and second-year tight end Tyler Warren is positioned to take on a bigger role in the passing game. But until Jones proves the Achilles injury is fully behind him and the offensive line in front of him holds up, the Colts are the team with more to prove Sunday, September 27 at 1:00 PM ET.
