Indianapolis has won four of their last five games. Houston had its three-game win streak snapped last week.
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans hope to bounce back from last week’s loss when they host the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium on Sunday. It’s a game you can watch live on KHOU 11 at noon.
Indy comes into NRG Stadium as winners of four of their last five games. The Colts are only a game back of the Texans in the AFC South.
This will be the second and final time the two teams will meet in the regular season. Houston won the season opener in Indianapolis, 29-27.
In last week’s loss to Green Bay, Texans quarterback CJ Stroud had a career-low 86 yards passing and didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season. Head coach DeMeco Ryans isn’t worried about his signal-caller.
“C.J. handles adversity really well because he’s really grounded … and it doesn’t dictate who he is or change his personality and what he’s about,” Ryans said. “So, I’m excited to see how, not only C.J., but how everyone responds after losing a game.”
As for Stroud, he’s using last week’s loss as a learning experience.
Instead of dwelling on his bad game, Stroud is using it as a learning experience.
“Not everything goes your way and it is all about how you respond,” he said. “For me, I just watch the film, be critical on myself and just get better from there.”
The Texans will have a healthy Joe Mixon again this week. Mixon has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the three full games he’s played this season. That includes the season opener against Indianapolis, in which he ran the ball 30 times for 159 yards and a touchdown.
Now he’ll face the Colts again after they gave up 188 yards rushing last week to the Dolphins. Indianapolis ranks second to last in the NFL by allowing 159.9 yards rushing a game.
Indianapolis defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said the addition of Mixon, a former Bengal, has boosted Houston’s offense.
“What’s made them even more complete is their run game. Now they can run the ball,” he said. “Joe Mixon is a great back and someone you’ve got to be aware of in the run game.”
Celebrate Andre Johnson
Fans at Sunday’s game will also get to celebrate Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Johnson. Johnson will get his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring at halftime. There will also be 80 former Houston Texans in attendance. to be a part of the celebration.
Pro Bowl pickup
Linebacker Devin White, who made the Pro Bowl in 2021, joined the Texans this week and Ryans said he could help against the Colts.
White signed a one-year contract with the Eagles this offseason, but didn’t play before being released earlier this month. He was inactive for the first four games and then ruled out of the fifth game because of personal reasons before his release.
White was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 draft and spent five seasons with the Buccaneers before signing with the Eagles. Ryans isn’t worried about why things didn’t work out for him in Philadelphia and is looking forward to seeing him bounce back in Houston.
“He went top 10 in the draft, he was an exceptional talent,” Ryans said. “So, what happened and why he’s here, no one knows. Life happens to us all. You just have to keep punching, keep attacking each day with the right mindset and the opportunity for Devin is to come in here and compete.”
Close calls
The Colts lost their last two meetings with Houston by two and four points, both in Indianapolis. But one thing Steichen’s team has excelled at in his first 24 games as coach is winning close contests.
Indy is 11-6 in one-score games during Steichen’s tenure with every game this season decided by six or fewer points. The secret to Indy’s success is simple — they limit both penalties and turnovers.
“You want to play smart football, I think that’s part of it,” Steichen said. “You’ve got to preach that, but you’ve got to go do it. You’ve got to be disciplined, and it happens on the practice field. You’ve got to correct it on the practice field. And I think finding ways to finish and really having that relentless pursuit at the end of games to finish those games.”