We're nearly to December and the Texans and Colts will finally do battle in the 2025 season at Lucas Oil Stadium where the Texans have won three in a row. The win streak started in 2022 as Texans QB Davis Mills led a last minute drive, completing two key fourth down passes, one for a touchdown and a subsequent two point conversion completion for a 32-31 win.
Then, in week 18 of 2023, with a playoff berth on the line, the Texans came away with a 23-17 win as rookie QB C.J. Stroud and WR Nico Collins put on an aerial show in that win. Then, to start the 2024 season, the dynamic duo did it again with some major help from RB Joe Mixon to beat the Colts 29-27. But, as many from Indianapolis will tell you, the names might be the same, but this is a much, MUCH different Colts squad.
QB Daniel Jones has been living his best football life with head coach Shane Steichen calling the shots, while RB Jonathan Taylor is putting together an Offensive Player of the Year campaign, leading the league in rushing with 1,197 yards through just 11 games. Rookie TE Tyler Warren has been fabulous and the defense added Pro Bowl CB Sauce Gardner prior to the trip to Germany. Why? For games EXACTLY like this one.
This one is going to be a football war inside the cozy confines of Lucas Oil Stadium. As such, let's get to know even more about the Texans Week 13 foe - the 8-3, AFC South-leading Indianapolis Colts.
2025 Indianapolis Colts Schedule (8-2)
- Week 1 - W Miami Dolphins 33-8
- Week 2 - W Denver Broncos 29-28
- Week 3 - W @ Tennessee Titans 41-20
- Week 4 - L @ Los Angeles Rams 27-20
- Week 5 - W Las Vegas Raiders 40-6
- Week 6 - W Arizona Cardinals 31-27
- Week 7 - W @ Los Angeles Chargers 38-24
- Week 8 - W Tennessee Titans 38-14
- Week 9 - L @ Pittsburgh Steelers 27-20
- Week 10 - W Atlanta Falcons 31-25 (Berlin, Germany)
- Week 11 - BYE WEEK
- Week 12 - L @ Kansas City Chiefs 23-20
- Week 13 - Houston Texans
- Week 14 - @ Jacksonville Jaguars
- Week 15 - @ Seattle Seahawks
- Week 16 - San Francisco 49ers
- Week 17 - Jacksonville Jaguars
- Week 18 - @ Houston Texans
Colts OFFENSE (in 2025 regular season)
Rushing Yards Per game - 138.8 ypg (4th in the NFL)
Passing Yards Per game - 245.2 ypg (7th)
Total offense per game - 384.0 ypg (2nd)
Turnovers lost - 12 (5 Fumbles lost, 7 INT)
Expected Colts starting offense for Week 13
- QB - DANIEL JONES
- RB - Jonathan Taylor
- TE - TYLER WARREN
- WR - Michael Pittman Jr.
- WR - Josh Downs
- WR - Alec Pierce
- LT - Bernhard Raimann
- LG - Quenton Nelson
- C - Tanor Bortolini
- RG - Matt Goncalves
- RT - Braden Smith
Other Key Offensive pieces
- TE - Drew Ogletree
- TE - Mo Alie-Cox
- OT - Blake Freeland
- WR - LAQUON TREADWELL
- WR - Anthony Gould
Italics - Rookie
ALL CAPS - New to team in 2025
Keys to winning v. the Colts Offense
- JT28 is waiting - In the 2020 NFL Draft, the Texans possessed pick No. 40 and did have a need for a young, explosive running back. Well, that's the way many of us saw it and one of my favorites was on the board at the current moment. However, the Texans passed on a running back to take a defensive tackle that started three games over four years with five teams. The Indianapolis Colts held pick No. 41 and their University of Wisconsin graduate GM Chris Ballard called New Jersey to see if Badgers' All-American RB Jonathan Taylor wanted to join the Colts. With the words "we're turning the card, you're going to be a Colt", the Texans nightmare began. Now, the Texans aren't the only team that Taylor has tormented throughout his career, but very few teams have felt 28's wrath as ardently as the Texans have in his career. Taylor has 964 rushing yards on 172 carries, a whopping 5.6 per carry in just eight appearances against the Texans. He's had the Texans' number, even in Colts' losses. He's gone over 83 yards in seven of the eight performances and has had five 100+ yard games, including 188 yards rushing in a loss in week 18 of 2023. The scary part? He's been even better in 2025 and the Colts offense will go as he does. The Texans will need to tackle him 25-30+ times in this one and that creates issues because of his balance, vision and 4.39 speed. This is the biggest challenge for this defense in 2025 to date and one they must pass with flying colors if they hope to win this game.
- Indiana-aniel Jones - Colts QB Daniel Jones had one solid season in his career before becoming a Colt and the Texans had a ringside ticket to that season. In 2022, the Texans went to New Jersey to face the New York Giants and Jones turned the game in the Giants favor with a stellar blitz beating throw for a touchdown to Darius Slayton. Although the past couple of seasons in New York had a not-so-happy ending, his arrival in Indianapolis was a godsend for the QB-starved Colts. Jones excelled early in the year with his diverse receiving corps and his star rookie TE Tyler Warren. Last week, though, against the Chiefs, he struggled to make good decisions and make quality throws against the Chiefs defense. Now, the Texans defense arrives to take on the challenge of stopping Jones the same way. He didn't turn the ball over as he did in the two previous games, but he struggled to complete just over 60% of his passes, after spending most of his season in the 70% range. The Texans focus is on #28, but when the situations permit, they must harass, frustrate and irritate Jones into questionable throws against this stout Texans secondary.
- Warren, Indiana - When I studied Colts TE Tyler Warren for the 2025 NFL Draft while he was at Penn State, I was SMITTEN with the All-American. The dude did everything on a football field. He lined up at QB. He lined up at TE. He lined up at RB. They handed him the ball. He snapped it to the QB and ran a deep route for a TD against USC. He WAS Penn State's offense. In the Orange Bowl loss to Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions had a 17 play drive for a touchdown in the second half. On that drive, Warren lined up in five different spots, took three snaps from shotgun in Wildcat and dominated the edge in the run game. I remember thinking in the midst of studying him "Damn, I hope he doesn't become a Colt". Lo and behold, the Colts drafted him 14th overall and the Colts offense soon changed forever. Indy's wide receivers are one of the best pass catching groups in the NFL, but the addition of Warren added a dimension to the Colts offense that I, unfortunately, expected. Jones has targeted Warren six times or more in six games and no less than four times in every game this season. He will line up all over the formation and the Texans' inside-the-formation defenders will be charged with limiting his impact in the passing game throughout this contest.
Colts DEFENSE (in 2025 regular season)
- Rushing Yards Allowed Per game - 97.4 ypg (7th in the NFL)
- Passing Yards Allowed Per game - 245.4 ypg (28th)
- Total offense Allowed per game - 342.7 ypg (11th)
- Turnovers generated - 16 (11 INT, 5 Fumble recoveries - Colts are +4 in TO margin in 2025)
Expected Colts starting defense for Week 13
- DE - Kwity Paye
- DT - Adetomiwa Adebawore
- DT - Grover Stewart
- DE - Laiatu Latu
- LB - Zaire Franklin
- LB - GERMAINE PRATT
- Nickel - Kenny Moore II
- CB - CHARVARIUS WARD
- S - CAM BYNUM
- S - Nick Cross
- CB - SAUCE GARDNER
Other Key Defensive pieces
- DE - Samson Ebukam
- NT - ERIC JOHNSON II
- DE - Tyquan Lewis
- DT - Neville Gallimore
- CB - MEKHI BLACKMON
- CB - Jaylon Jones
- LB - Segun Olubi
- Edge - J.T TUIMOLOAU
Italics - Rookie
ALL CAPS - New to team in 2025
Keys to winning v. the Colts' Defense
- Stewart, No Buck - Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, the Colts traded their mid-first round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for DT DeForest Buckner. Now, THAT was the kind of deal that GM Chris Ballard made that made sense. Finding a STUD interior/trenches player who could change the complexion of the defense was Ballard's thing, if you will. What that trade also did was give the Colts one of the best pairs of interior defensive duos in the NFL. Buckner and Grover Stewart, Stewart and Buck. The Texans struggled for years trying to block both of them effectively and as a result, the two of them wrecked shop on the Texans' offenses since that trade. But, earlier this month, Buckner was placed on IR with a neck injury, leaving Stewart on a solo mission to wreak havoc on the Texans interior. Buckner's absence also coincides with the Texans potentially finding the "RIGHT" five on the Texans offensive line as Tytus Howard moved to left guard as Ed Ingram returned to the lineup at right guard. This Texans offensive line gave up no sacks last week and will only get better with more reps together. Thankfully, it's going to be reps against just one of the two Colts' IDL studs. Let me be very clear, I HATE facing Stewart, but at least it's not Stewart AND Buckner.
- K Mo - From the very first time that I saw Colts nickel Kenny Moore on the field, I was fascinated with him and his overall game. He can do everything in the secondary. He plays man-to-man well against slot receivers or tight ends. He impacts the run defense. He tackles everything that moves. He blitzes off the edge and, perhaps most importantly, he disguises blitzes well that he's often a free runner at the QB when he does. He can be a nickel, safety or perimeter CB. Whenever the Texans line up across from him, I worry about the plays that he can make out on the field. This is the kind of game that he can muddy with his presence all over the secondary. He is still one of the most impactful nickels in the league and the Texans must be aware of his presence on every play.
- "You Missed me?" - On the first play of the last game of 2023, QB C.J. Stroud launched an unforgettable deep shot to WR Nico Collins that gave the Texans a 7-3 lead right out of the chute. Nico finished with nine catches for 195 yards and that 75-yard TD. Then, in week one of 2024, Nico dominated at Lucas Oil Stadium again, scorching the Colts for six catches for 117 yards. In the week eight rematch, though, Nico missed the game with a hamstring injury. However, #12 is back to face a Colts secondary that looks a WHOLE LOT different than it did the last time Nico faced the Colts. GM Chris Ballard signed former 49ers/Chiefs CB Charvarius Ward last offseason and then at this year's trade deadline, Ballard gave up WR Adonai Mitchell AND two first rounders for All-Pro CB Sauce Gardner. Unfortunately, those two haven't faced one another even though the Texans played the Jets, Gardner's former team, twice the past two years. Nico played one play against Gardner in 2023 before leaving with an injury and then Nico missed the entire 2024 game. So, this will be the first time that the two stars have gone at one another for an extended period of time. They get to do it at a place that Nico has gone nuts the past two visits. Can't. WAIT!
