The Texans unfortunately enter familiar territory. For the second straight year and third time in the DeMeco Ryans era, the Texans are 0-2 out of the gate. They face their AFC South rivals the Indianapolis Colts (0-2), who’ve also tripped coming out of the gate. Both teams are exceptionally desperate for a win, and neither are off to the start they hoped after losing two games to perennial favorites in the AFC. The Colts lost two high scoring affairs to the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs
and are looking to right the ship against the Houston Texan.
FanDuel’s odds currently favor the Texans by 1.5 points. Those odds are much lower than Houston fans would have hoped for and are indicative of the poor start the Texans have put together on both sides of the ball.
Jonathan Taylor powers the Colts’ offense with 190 yards through two games. I predict he will have another productive and efficient day given the Texans difficulties stopping the run. No Henry To’oTo’o or Kayden McDonald means the Texans are vulnerable up the middle of the defense.
QB Daniel Jones has been thoroughly mediocre in his return from Achilles injury suffered last season. He has thrown two touchdowns and two interceptions. He has struggled to sustain drives and has not looked efficient in the red zone.
Newly minted $114M man Alec Pierce has landed on Injured Reserve. He crushed the Texans last year and racked up 210 yards and three touchdowns in two games. His absence will be an immense blessing for a Texans defense surely in need of a reprieve and get-right game.
As for the Texans’ offense, they quickly shifted away from the run against the Bengals, opting to throw the ball a career high 55 times for C.J. Stroud. This was ineffective and certainly not the game script from Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley. Expect Houston to commit, heavily to the run game and incorporate the screen game to break up the issues they’ve faced on offense.
PREDICTION: Colts 24, Texans 17
The Texans offense have yet to put it together. Without WR Nico Collins in the line up there is no indication of their ability to score points. Plus, the Texans’ defense has been unusually porous to start the 2026 season, not to mention unable to convert any turnovers.
Houston has to find a way to get WR Kayshon Boutte incorporated into the offense. Boutte leads the league in go-routes, but that’s simply not enough for him to positively impact this offense. Slants and screens are two easy options for the wide receiver to take more ownership of the air attack and help move the ball down the field.
What separates these two teams is the Colts’ run game. Jonathan Taylor is the most effective weapon for either offense and will allow the Colts to control the tempo. Houston has yet to counter a strong rushing attack. QB Daniel Jones is fairly immobile, which is ideal for the Texans pass rush. In Week One, Bills QB Josh Allen detonated the Texans pass rush duo with his scrambling ability. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter won’t have to worry about that with Jones, who has already been sacked twice this season.
I predict Tyler Warren to have a very productive game against the Texans defense. He leads their team with nine receptions, but only 39 yards. Houston gave up play after play to Buffalo’s tight end Dalton Kincaid. Expect Jones to find Warren early and often on play action plays to decrease the pressure on the run game.
The Colts late addition of Keenan Allen has paid dividends as his seven receptions is third on the team behind Josh Downs and Tyler Warren. He is facing a potential three-game suspension due to driving over the legal limit in Indianapolis earlier this month. If he plays he should be the focal point of CB Kamari Lassiter, who is desperately in need of a good game. The Texans have not let Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. follow specific receivers, which has led to ill-advised mismatches in the secondary. The Colts game presents an opportunity for Stingley Jr. to follow the faster Downs and Lassiter to pursue Allen.
One player on the Texans offense to watch for is Jaylin Noel. He was featured more often this game than in previous contests, mostly out of desperation, but it’s a good sign of his growth and incorporation in Houston’s plans. Fans saw Dalton Schultz shine in a big role last week, which should most certainly be the case again if Nico Collins is sidelined with a hamstring injury again.
Going 0-3 again is not ideal. The criticism and disgruntled emotions will be at an all-time high under the Ryans era. This team was supposed to be better than the last across the board and haven’t shown any progression on any of the fronts they addressed this offseason. The offensive line can’t pass protect or move the ball. The run game is putrid. Whoever plays safety next to Calen Bullock forgets how to play football (C.J. Gardner Johnson, Reed Blankenship). Will it be different this game and can the Texans right the ship earlier than last year? We’ll find out on Sunday.
