The Texans unfortunately entered 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 will face their AFC South rivals the Indianapolis Colts (0-2), who also tripped out of the gate. Both teams are desperate for a win, and are off to the start they hoped for after losing two games to the perennial AFC favorites. The Colts lost two high scoring affairs to the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs and look to right the ship against the Houston Texans.
FanDuel odds currently favor the Texans by 1.5 points. Those odds were lower than Houston fans expected and it’s indicative of the poor start the Texans have put together on both sides of the ball.
Jonathan Taylor paced the Colts’ offense with 190 yards through two games. I predict he will have another productive and efficient day given the Texans’ difficulty stopping the run. No Henry To’oTo’o or Kayden McDonald means the Texans are weak in the middle of the defense.
QB Daniel Jones has been very modest in his return from the Achilles injury suffered last season. He threw two touchdowns and two interceptions. He struggled to sustain the drive and didn’t look good in the red zone.
Newly minted $114M man Alec Pierce lands on Injured Reserve. He crushed the Texans last year and had 210 yards and three touchdowns in two games. His loss is a huge boon for a Texan defense that desperately needs a reprieve and get-right game.
As for the Texans’ offense, they quickly eschewed the run against the Bengals, opting to throw the ball a career-high 55 times to CJ Stroud. It was ineffective and certainly not the game script from Offensive Coordinator Nick Caley. Expect Houston to work hard on 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 just hasn’t put it together. Without WR Nico Collins in the line up there is no indication of their scoring ability. Additionally, the Texans’ defense has been unusually porous to start the 2026 season, in addition to failing to convert any turnovers.
Houston needs to find a way to integrate WR Kayshon Boutte into the offense. Boutte leads the league in go-routes, but that’s not enough to positively impact this offense. Slants and screens are two easy options for wide receivers to gain more possession 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 any offense and will allow the Colts to control the tempo. Houston has yet to field a strong rushing attack. QB Daniel Jones has been pretty stagnant, which is good for the Texans pass rush. In Week 1, Bills QB Josh Allen blew up the Texans pass rush duo with his scrambling ability. Will Anderson Jr. needn’t have worried. and Danielle Hunter on that to Jones, who has been fired twice this season.
I predict Tyler Warren will have a very productive game against the Texans defense. He led their team with nine receptions, but only 39 yards. Houston gave up play after play to Buffalo tight end Dalton Kincaid. Expect Jones to find Warren early and often on action plays to take pressure off the run game.
The Colts’ late addition of Keenan Allen has paid dividends as his seven receptions are third on the team behind Josh Downs and Tyler Warren. He faces a potential three-game suspension for driving over the legal limit in Indianapolis earlier this month. If he plays he should be the focal point for CB Kamari Lassiter, who desperately needs a good game. The Texans didn’t allow Lassiter and Derek Stingley Jr. to go after specific receivers, leading to unintended mismatches in the secondary. The Colts game provides an opportunity for Stingley Jr. to follow the faster Downs and Lassiter to pursue Allen.
One player in the Texans offense to watch is Jaylin Noel. He was featured more often in this game than in previous contests, mostly out of desperation, but it’s a good sign of his growth and integration into Houston’s plans. Fans saw Dalton Schultz shine in a big role last week, which is sure to happen again if Nico Collins is sidelined again with a hamstring injury.
Going 0-3 again isn’t ideal. Criticism and discontented feelings will be at their peak under the Ryans. This team should be better than last overall and has not shown any improvement in any of the areas they have addressed this offseason. The offensive line cannot pass protect or move the ball. The run game is rotten. Anyone who plays safety next to Calen Bullock is forgetting how to play football (CJ Gardner Johnson, Reed Blankenship). Will this game be different and can the Texans right the ship sooner than last year? We’ll find out on Sunday.