The Indianapolis Colts will square off against the Houston Texans in week 13. It will be a matchup against the leagues number 1 offense and the number 1 defense. The Colts are coming off a loss against the Kansas City Chiefs where their offense went missing in action in the second half. To where the Texans are coming off a big win against the Buffalo Bills where their defense shut down the offense. This matchup has serious division, and playoff, implications attached to it. A Colts win almost cements their spot in the playoffs, and puts the Texans hopes to bed. On the other hand, a Colts loss makes the division up for grabs and gives the Texans more playoff hope. It will be a heavy weight battle between the two teams, to where the Colts look to tame the Texans defense.
Matchups
The NFL is a league all about matchups. On paper, it looks likes the Colts and Texans fair pretty evenly with each other. However, there are areas where the Colts can take advantage of the Texans. To win this week, the Colts will have to do two different things. Play with the lead on offense, and have a “bend but don’t break” mindset on defense.
Colts Offense vs. Texans Defense
If the Colts are looking to tame the Texans defense, they will have to play with the lead. Out of their 6 wins, the Texans only have one comeback win this season. So the plan of attack for Indy will be to get out to lead and not let up. This strategy favors Indianapolis because they are known to take the ball first, and get the offense going. The Colts have the number 1 ranked total offense to Texans ranked number 1 total defense.
The Colts will have be on schedule and not be one sided. The Texans defense ranks in the top 5 in rushing and passing. With that being said, Indy’s offense has to get back to its efficient ways from earlier in the season. The Colts still lead the league as far as offensive efficiency goes. They are averaging 3.6 points per drive, which ties into the strategy of playing with the lead. However, the Colts will not be able to win this week on field goals.
The Colts will have to rely on quarterback Daniel Jones to get them into scoring position. Jones will have to make the throws and the reads to keep this offense rolling throughout the contest. Also, running back, Jonathan Taylor, will also be tasked with a heavy attack against the Texans defense. Houston uses a heavy pressure defense, so making the right choices against the blitz will be key. The Colts offensive line is also one of the best units in the league. They will be tasked with slowing down the defensive pressure from Houston.
Colts Defense vs. Texans Offense
Houston’s offense has not been a strong suit for them this season. The Texans rank 19th in total offense in 2025, and they will match up against a Colts defense that ranks 22nd in total defense. The Colts have struggled against the pass in 2025, but that was mainly due to a banged up secondary. With the addition of Sauce Gardner and the return of Charvarius Ward, the Colts secondary is set to be one of the best in the league. The secondary should fair well against the Texans pass game, even with the possible return of CJ Stroud. The Texans currently rank 16th in the NFL in passing game, so it will be tough to attack through the air. Even with wide receiver, Nico Collins, being a kryptonite for the Colts, this secondary will be the best he’s faced in Indy.
The Texans running game has been strange this season. They currently rank 23rd in the NFL in rushing. With Joe Mixon being a non factor and Nick Chubb struggling, Houston turns to Woody Marks. The Colts defense currently ranks 7th in the league against the run. It is to be known that the Colts are still without primary run stopper DeForest Buckner. However, with the Texans lackluster offensive line, Indy can still fair well against the run.
The Colts defense is also known to be stingy in the red-zone. To where the Texans offense struggles in those situations. Houston is only scoring touchdowns in the red-zone 36% of the time. To where the Colts defense is only allowing touchdowns 46% of the time. Indianapolis has a “bend but don’t break” strategy on the defensive side of the ball. The Colts will be able to win this game by allowing Houston to do nothing but kick field goals.
Back in the Win Column
This falls into the category of “must win” for the Colts. Take care of business at home, and get back to playing winning football. Winning football is something the Colts have played this year, and still are super bowl contenders. Play with the lead, bend don’t break, that will be the message sent into the Colts locker room going into Sunday. The Colts offense has the ability to tame the Texans defense, and the Colts defense can definitely handle the Texans offense. If the Colts want to show the league that they are the real deal, handling this Houston Texans team will show that they are not a flash in the pan.
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