Indianapolis has won four of its last five games. Houston had its three-game winning 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. This is a match that you can follow live on KHOU 11 at noon.
If you’re at the game, stop by the KHOU 11 tent in the BULLevard, which is located just outside of NRG Stadium. Stop by and say hello. You can appear on our fancam, which stream live on KHOU 11+!
Indy comes into NRG Stadium as winners of four of its last five games. The Colts are just one game behind 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 completed a career-low 86 yards and didn’t throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season. season. Head coach DeMeco Ryans isn’t worried about his signal-caller.
“CJ handles adversity really well because he’s really grounded…and it doesn’t dictate who he is or change his personality or what he does,” Ryans said. “So I’m excited to see how, not only CJ, but how everyone reacts after losing a match.”
As for Stroud, he’s using last week’s loss as a learning experience.
Instead of dwelling on his poor play, Stroud uses it as a learning experience.
“Not everything happens the way you want it to and it’s all about how you react,” he said. “For me, I just watch the film, be critical of myself and get better from there.”
The Texans will have a healthy Joe Mixon again this week. Mixon has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the three complete games he has 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 rushing yards last week to the Dolphins. Indianapolis ranks second to last in the NFL by allowing 159.9 rushing yards in a game.
Indianapolis defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said the addition of Mixon, a Bengal alum, strengthened Houston’s offense.
“What makes them even more complete is their running game. Now they can run with the ball,” he said. “Joe Mixon is a great back and someone you need to be aware of in the running game.”
Celebrate Andre Johnson
Fans at Sunday’s game will also be able to celebrate Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Johnson. Johnson will receive his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring at halftime. There will also be 80 former Houston Texans. be 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 did not play before being released earlier this month. He was inactive for the first four games, then was ruled out of Game 5 for 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 looks 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 all of us. You just have to keep hitting, keep attacking every day with the right mindset and the opportunity for Devin is to come here and compete.
Close calls
The Colts have lost their last two meetings against Houston by two and four points, both in Indianapolis. But one area Steichen’s team has excelled in during his first 24 games as coach is winning close games.
Indy is 11-6 in one-score games during Steichen’s tenure, with every game this season decided by six points or fewer. 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 have to preach this, but you have to go do it. You have to be disciplined, and that happens on the training pitch. You have to correct it on the training ground. And I think finding ways to finish and really have that relentless quest at the end of matches to finish those matches.
