The proverbial page has been turned.
The Texans trimmed their roster from 85 to 53 on Tuesday, and will continue to add and subtract over the course of the next week.
For General Manager Nick Caserio, the main focus is now on the Colts.
The Week 1 opponent at NRG Stadium bludgeoned the Texans, 31-3, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Week 6. At NRG Stadium on December 5, they blanked Houston, 31-0. Those defeats are fresh on the minds of many in the organization, starting at the top with Caserio.
"Now, we reset and recalibrate," Caserio said. "It's time to get ready to play real football. Really our focus turns to the Colts, and that will be the first challenge in front of us next week. They've got a good football team. It will certainly be a big challenge in front of us. They kicked our ass twice last year, so we've got a lot of work in front of us and hopefully we have a good week of work tomorrow."
Throughout training camp and the preseason, Head Coach Lovie Smith pointed to preparing for Indianapolis, emphasizing that it was all a ramp up to Week 1 and the regular season slate. He and the Texans want to be a running team in 2022 - just like the Colts.
"They're a running team too," Smith said. "Their best football player may be their running back (Jonathan Taylor). There's a lot of ways to do it, and we're going to look at all of the different ways that you can run the football."
Smith and company practiced this week, and will soon have a short break. But the week ahead is an important one.
"Players are off for three days, and then next week they'll come back in with the right mindset and get ready to play against the Colts," Caserio said. "Try to take advantage of the opportunity in the opener a week from Sunday."
Kickoff against Indianapolis is set for Noon CT on September 11. It will be the third time in franchise history the two franchises have met in Week 1. Houston won the other two, triumphing in 2010 and 2011.
