There's no game that gets me going like a tilt with the Colts. While there was a boatload of outside-the-building hype last week heading into Baltimore, I was still figuratively standing on a table shouting that Indy is a far bigger game.
Because it is.
And I get asked all the time, "Is this the biggest Texans rival?" I used to say no because the all-time series belonged to them so heavily. But now I have to say it is.
In the 17 years of AFC South history, the Texans and Colts have won 14 of the titles. And the Texans have taken three division crowns in the last four years.
Things started to shift in the Houston-Indy series in 2010, when the Texans shocked the Colts on opening day with Arian Foster running for 231 yards. Houston won on opening day the next year too, on its way to a first division championship.
In 2012, Andrew Luck burst onto the scene and the Texans won a second title by beating him and his squad in Houston. The next two years saw Colts sweeps. And it was almost a third until Brandon Weeden came off the bench to help the Texans win at Indy for the first time ever in 2015.
Houston got its only season sweep in 2016. Both wins were quarterbacked by Brock Osweiler and Luck was the QB for the Colts in each game. This is a great setup for a trivia question to use for your friends at the water cooler.
2017 saw two Jacoby Brissett-piloted Indy wins but the Texans bounced back the first time Deshaun Watson played the Colts, with an overtime win in Indy, the third out of four visits.
Here we are headed into Thursday night with the Colts having won the last two regular season meetings plus a playoff game in between. An NFL rivalry doesn't really get noticed on a national scale until the teams meet in the postseason.
We'll cross that bridge again if and when we get to it. The matter at hand is a monumental game against a team that has created so many dramatic moments in the history of this franchise. The Texans are looking to make some happy memories on Thursday night, with so much on the line.
