(SportsRadio 610) - For the first time this season, the Texans will have the national stage in their last game at Indianapolis, where the winner has a chance to earn the AFC South title or make the playoffs as a wild card participant.
Because the Texans-Colts primetime game has playoff implications for both teams, they're getting the royal treatment with the No. 1 broadcast team -- Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Lisa Salters -- doing the telecast that'll be shown on ABC and ESPN.
If the Texans win – and they're 4-4 in their last eight games at Lucas Oil Stadium – they'll be focused Sunday on the Jacksonville-Tennessee game. If the Jaguars lose, the Texans will be division champions and host Cleveland, the wild card team with the best record. If the Jaguars and Texans both win, the Texans will play at Buffalo or Kansas City in the opening round. The Bills will have to win at Miami to earn the AFC East title.
"We're really excited about our opportunity and what this game means for us to earn a spot into the playoffs," coach DeMeco Ryans said. "Whether it's primetime or not, it doesn't matter to us. We want to play good football. Play our brand of football, execute and just play clean. We're all excited to play against a really good opponent. They've done a great job all year, and it'll be a great matchup."
For the first time since 2019 when they won their last AFC South title, defeated Buffalo in the wild card round and blew a 24-0 lead before losing at Kansas City in the divisional round, the Texans are experiencing the pressure off a playoff race. Win and they're in, but lose and they go home.
"Our guys have to understand, when that ball is kicked off, it doesn't matter about being overly excited," Ryans said. "You have to be calm in the moment (and) focused on the task at hand and what's in front of you. That's executing the details of your job to the fullest. That's how you play winning football. The excitement of the game really doesn't matter when that ball is snapped. You just have to play the right way."
The Texans didn't focus, execute and play the right way the last time they played the Colts in a game of this magnitude. It was the playoffs after the 2018 season. They'd won the AFC South with an 11-5 record, including splitting the series with Indianapolis. The Texans won 37-34 in overtime at Lucas Oil Stadium to begin a nine-game winning streak. The Colts won 24-21 at NRG Stadium, and they also beat the Texans 21-7 in the wild card game.
In the last game of the 2022 season, the Texans and Colts played a humongous game at Indianapolis but for a different reason. The outcome had a profound impact on both franchises. It was the last game of Lovie Smith's one season as head coach, and the Texans won 32-31 when Davis Mills threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Akins with 50 seconds remaining, then completed a two-point conversion pass to Atkins to earn the one-point victory.
Smith was vilified by fans and media locally and nationally for defeating the Colts and giving Chicago the first overall pick in the draft. They howled that Smith's decision cost the Texans a chance to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. Smith was fired. Ryans was hired, and the Texans had to settle for the second pick that general manager Nick Caserio used on quarterback C.J. Stroud.
Smith's misfortune turned out to be the Texans' good fortune. To say the Ryans-Stroud combination has worked out well would be a massive understatement. They've helped put the Texans in a position to finish 10-7 and win their first AFC South title since 2019.
Saturday's game gives the Texans a chance to avenge the 31-20 loss to the Colts in the second game of the season at NRG Stadium. That Sept. 17 defeat featured Stroud and Colts' quarterback Anthony Richardson competing for the first time. Richardson ran for two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury. Gardner Minshew came off the bench to ignite the victory.
In that loss to Indianapolis, Texans' fans got a glimpse of what Stroud was capable of doing but still had no idea of how terrific he would be in his first season. Stroud completed 30-of-47 (63.8 percent) for 384 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He had a 103.5 rating but was sacked a season-high six times.
"I don't put much weight on the first game," Ryans said. "We're a completely different team (and) they're a completely different team. I start watching (tape), and I'm like, 'Man, who is this team?' It seems like that was so long ago. This is a fresh start."
For the longest time, Lucas Oil Stadium was a house of horrors for the Texans. As long as Peyton Manning was the quarterback, the Texans couldn't win in Indianapolis. After an 0-17 start in Indianapolis, the Texans have won there in 2015, 2016, 2018 and 2022. Now they need to add 2023 to that list of victories, but it won't be easy.
The Texans are 6-3 in their last nine games. This season, they're 3-4 on the road with victories over the Jaguars, Bengals and Titans and losses to the Ravens, Falcons, Panthers and Jets. They're 2-1 in their last three road games with both victories over the Titans. For the season, they average 19 points and allow 21.6 on the road.
The Colts started 1-4 at home but have a three-game winning streak to even that record. In that winning streak, the Colts have defeated Tampa Bay 27-20, Pittsburgh 30-13 and Las Vegas 23-20. They average 26.5 points and surrender 25.8 at home.
The Texans have played in nine games decided in the last 30 seconds, and they're 6-3 in those games, including four that were decided with no time left on the clock. Eight of those nine games were decided by five or fewer points.
"We've been in a lot of different games, won a lot of different ways (and) lost some," Ryans said. "We were able to gain valuable learning lessons on what we can do different in those situations. From that standpoint, our team has a ton of experience on what it takes to win games no matter what it looks like, whether it's overtime, the last drive (or) the fourth quarter -- our guys have been there. There's no situation where our guys are going to blink or be nervous about a moment."
Ryans believes his team doesn't require any extra motivational tactics from him.
"When it comes to motivating (for) a game of this magnitude, there's really not a lot to be said," he said. "Everybody understands where we are. They understand what this game means. There's not a lot a coach has to say to get a guy up for a game like this. If you don't get up for this, I don't know what gets you going as a competitor."
John McClain can be heard Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday on SportsRadio 610 and Monday, Thursday and Sunday on Texans Radio, also on SportsRadio 610. He writes five columns a week and does three Houtopia Football Podcasts for SportsRadio610.com.
