The Houston Texans need a win to just get the bad taste of losing out of their mouths.
Here's the problem: So do the Indianapolis Colts.
The Texans look to stop the bleeding en route to picking up their first win against the Colts in Week 3 on the road at Lucas Oil Stadium. Houston has started slowly out of the gate in the DeMeco Ryans era, starting the year 0-2 three times in the four seasons, but the franchise is trying to avoid an 0-3 start for the third time in seven years, dating back to the final days of Bill O'Brien.
A week after scoring 31 points, Houston's offense sputtered behind insufficient play-calling and terrible on-field execution. QuarterbackC.J. Stroud threw for 353 yards against Cincinnati, but never could find the end zone as
Joe Burrow and the Bengals coasted to a 20-6 win at Reliant Stadium.
As for the Colts, Daniel Jones led Houston's AFC South rival to a 13-10 lead entering the second quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs before Patrick Mahomes came to life. The game went to overtime, with each team kicking a field goal, but a pickup of 22 from Kenneth Walker III set up the game-winning field goal by Harrison Butker as time expired was the difference between a tie and a 33-30 Chiefs win.
There's plenty of line for this early divisional matchup. The winner will have a tied possession for first place in the AFC South should the Jacksonville Jaguars fall short against the New England Patriots?
Can the Texans avoid an 0-3 start for the second time in three years and the third time in seven seasons?
WATCH: Colts vs. Texans (Free Trial)
Texans vs. Colts odds, money line, over/under
Texans vs. Colts predictions: picks for Week 3
Cole Thompson: "This is a must-win for both sides, but the Texans' defense stepped up last week and recorded five sacks against Joe Burrow. Even though the offense still looks like it's sputtering, I'll take a pick-six and two touchdowns from C.J. Stroud as the difference in this game. That should stop the bleeding before Dallas arrives next Sunday." - Texans 24, Colts 14
Ariana Pensy: "Indianapolis' defense is one of the worst in the league right now. They are allowing an average of 177 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns a game, making this a perfect bounce-back opportunity for running back David Montgomery and the Texans' offense. Houston's defense will have a challenge with Jonathan Taylor, who is off to another impressive start this season. However, the Colts' passing game is depleted with Alec Pierce out in this game. The Texans will still have to contend with Josh Downs and Tyler Warren, but Houston's defense should be able to contain them. Houston gets its first win of the season on the road." - Texans 28, Colts 17
Texans vs. Colts time, TV channel today
- Kickoff time: 12 p.m. CT
- TV Channel: CBS
- How to watch online: Watch FuboTV (here's how to stream it live)
Texans' regular-season schedule 2026
Below is Houston's regular-season schedule.
Week 1: Sunday, September 13, Noon CT: vs. Buffalo Bills - L 36-31
Week 2: Sunday, September 20, Noon CT: vs. Cincinnati Bengals - L 20-6
Week 3: Sunday, September 27, Noon CT: at Indianapolis Colts
Week 4: Sunday, October 4, Noon CT: vs. Dallas Cowboys
Week 5: Sunday, October 11, Noon CT: at Tennessee Titans
Week 6: Sunday, October 19, 8:30 a.m.: at Jacksonville Jaguars (London)
Week 7: Sunday, October 25, 9 p.m. CT: vs. New York Giants
Week 8: Sunday, Nov. 1: Bye Week
Week 9: Sunday, November 8, 3:00 p.m. CT: at Los Angeles Chargers
Week 10: Sunday, November 15, Noon CT: at Cleveland Browns
Week 11: Thursday, November 19, 7:20 p.m. CT: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Week 12: Thursday, November 29, Noon: vs. Baltimore Ravens
Week 13: Sunday, December 6, 7:20 p.m. CT: at Pittsburgh Steelers
Week 14: Sunday, December 13, Noon CT: at Washington Commanders
Week 15: Sunday, December 20, Noon CT: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 16: Thursday, December 24, 7:15 p.m. CT: at Philadelphia Eagles (Amazon Prime)
Week 17: Monday, January 4, 7:20 p.m. CT: at Green Bay Packers
Week 18: TBD: vs. Tennessee Titans
Texans preseason schedule
- Week 1: Chargers vs. Texans (Aug. 13, 7 p.m. CT on ABC) - L 27-7
- Week 2: Raiders vs. Texans (Aug. 20, 7 p.m. CT on ABC) - L 23-20
- Week 3: Texans at Panthers (Aug. 28, 6 p.m. CT on ABC)- L 16-13
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans vs. Colts predictions, picks, odds: Who wins Week 3 NFL game?
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