Colts' Banged-Up Defense Won't See Texans' Superstar Weapon

The Indianapolis Colts' heavily injured defensive side will dodge a massive Houston Texans playmaker this afternoon.

Dec 14, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) catches a touchdown pass during the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The time for the 2025 season to close out for the Indianapolis Colts has come, and it will be on the road against one of the hottest teams in the league in the Houston Texans.

Riley Leonard is set to get his first start at quarterback with the hopes to, not only establish himself as Indy's QB2 going forward, but pull off a massive victory to help the Colts finish with a winning record, albeit 9-8.

As for Houston, they're fighting for the AFC South crown and better playoff positioning, so expect a full effort from the Texans this afternoon at NRG Stadium.

With this matchup on tap, it's time to detail each team's inactives for this divisional Week 18 clash.

Colts Inactives

our inactives for #INDvsHOU. pic.twitter.com/H9a8NqhQZu

— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) January 4, 2026

As expected, cornerback Sauce Gardner won't suit up for this game due to a calf injury. The next most prominent name is quarterback Philip Rivers.

With Leonard starting and Seth Henigan getting called up from the practice squad to serve as QB2, Rivers will spend his last game on the sideline helping the young quarterbacks.

After this contest, Rivers will head back to retirement.

Texans Inactives

Our inactives for #INDvsHOU ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/VXNiLkdvoD

— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) January 4, 2026

The Texans will be without starting cornerback Kamari Lassiter, which could serve as a target for Indy's offense to attack. Lassiter has four picks, 17 pass breakups (leads team), and 62 tackles.

Next is offensive tackle Trent Brown, who won't be in the trenches for Houston. It might spell a situation where Laiatu Latu is lined up on the backup tackle to give him added chances to get into the Houston backfield.

The biggest inactive is Nico Collins, who has decimated the Colts secondary in years past, but as recent as this year in Week 13 where he caught five passes for 98 receiving yards and logged a rushing score.

This is a massive omission, and will give a banged up Colts secondary an opportunity to make up for the injuries the room has sustained.

In Collins' stead, expect Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins to be leaned on more to make plays for C.J. Stroud and the Houston offense.

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Dec 7, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard (15) throws downfield against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the second half at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

On paper, this is a mismatch for the Colts due to Houston's wildly explosive defense. In short, they get after the quarterback, limit yards, and force turnovers.

Houston has 46 sacks on the season, with 14 coming from Danielle Hunter and 12 from Will Anderson Jr. off the edge. As for total yards allowed, they rank first in the NFL with 272.4 per game.

However, they've also forced 26 total turnvovers (18 interceptions and eight forced fumbles), good enough to be tied for third-best in the league.

Leonard won't have an easy trek ahead against this defense, but head coach Shane Steichen undoubtedly has a game plan ready to get the ball out of the QB's hands fast while leaning on Jonathan Taylor.

THE RILEY LEONARD MEGA MAX (5u)

Known Bookit Sports hall of famer.

Running for his life against the Texans D.

Enough said, lock in and let’s ride 🫡 pic.twitter.com/1n97n8oTNA

— Jovan (@jovan_deeb) January 4, 2026

The key will be to keep the game close against Houston with efficient operation offensively and limiting the turnovers as much as possible.

As for the defense, they won't have to worry about playing superstar wide receiver Collins, which will help Indy's stop troops that don't have Gardner or Charvarius Ward on the outside.

This game might not have much value for the Colts, but there's more to this contest than just wrapping up the 2025 season.

It would give the Colts at least a big win over a red-hot divisional opponent to get off a six-game losing streak that started all the way back on Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs after the bye.

It will be interesting to see if the Colts can play spoiler against the Texans and deny them the AFC South crown for 2025.