If the Houston Texans go on to do anything remarkable the remainder of the year, like make the postseason and win a couple games, the three game stretch where C.J> Stroud was concussed and Davis Mills came in and went 3-0 will be looked back upon as possibly even more surreal than it feels right now.
Mills capped off a perfect record in his three game stint as a starter undefeated, piling up nearly as many wins in 11 days as he did in two seasons back in 2021 and 2022. It’s exactly why Texans GM Nick Caserio has already given Mills two contract extensions, and honestly, those three games might trigger several phone calls to Caserio from opposing GM’s looking for a bridge starter at quarterback.
That’s a conversation for the offseason, though, because now here comes C.J. Stroud, back into the lineup this weekend. The Texans’ defense is playing at a meteoric level right now, so the pressure is on Stroud to steward an offense where “slightly above average” should win enough games to get into the postseason.
This week, the Texans travel to Indianapolis to face the division leading Colts. A win in Indy and, all of a sudden, the Texans’ third straight division crown is back in the conversation. A loss, and the Texans will practically need to run the table to get into the playoffs.
Here are four things to watch for in Indy on Sunday:
**4\. Welcome back, C.J. Stroud**
It will be very itneresting to see what this offense does with Stroud back at the helm. Prior to going down with his concussion, Stroud was dynamite against San Francisco and briefly against Denver, until he left the game. If that version of Stroud comes back, it’ll be a good day on Sunday. Stroud is 2-0 at Lucas Oil Stadium in his career, and he is 9-4 in AFC South games since arriving in the NFL in 2023. This begins a HUGE six game stretch for Stroud’s contractual future, as well.
**3\. Nico versus Sauce**
A few weeks ago, just prior to the NFL’s trade deadline, the Colts traded two first round picks to the Jets for former All Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. It was a risky, “chips all in” move that, thus far, has paid tepid returns, at best. This game is full of huge individual matchups, but none bigger than Gardner going up against Texans No. 1 wideout Nico Collins. Collins has been picking up the pace since a slow start, and now he can have some say in the ongoing debate between who is the better corner between Gardner and Collins’ teammate, Derek Stingley, Jr.
**2\. Jonathan Taylor, the head of the snake**
When it comes to taking away the most important things that the Colts do well offensively, shutting down running back Jonathan Taylor is the foremost key. Taylor leads the league in rushing yards with 1,197 yards on the ground, but last week against the Chiefs, he was held to 58 yards on 16 carries, and the Colts were running in wet cement the entire fourth quarter and overtime. The Texans are fully capable of taking away the other team’s marquee running back, as they’ve done several times this season. The key will be shutting down Taylor, because….
… Daniel Jones appears to be back to his old ways, and if there is no running game to speak of, then there is no play action, and if there is no play action, it means Jones is pocket fodder for the QB sack tandem of Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. On top of the general regression of Jones and the offense, which was sensational through the first eight games, Jones is also dealing with a fibula injury that affects his ability to run the football and scramble. The rest of the division has been waiting for the New York Giant version of Jones to show up for three months now. Well, here he is.
**SPREAD: Texans +4.5**
**PREDICTION: Texans 23, Colts 22**
**SEASON RECORD: 5-6 SU, 6-5 ATS**
This article appears in [Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2025](https://www.houstonpress.com/?post_type=newspack_collection&p=390334).