Top 3 Takeaways From the Colts Gritty Win Over the Texans

The Indianapolis Colts earned their first win of the young 2026 regular season after beating the Houston Texans 19-17 at home.

Indianapolis found itself in a must-win scenario after losing its first two games of the season against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, and leaving Lucas Oil Stadium with a win was a much-needed pivot.

Adding to the win column is huge, but doing so in the divisional opener is the cherry on top.

The AFC South had a collective 1-7 record entering Week 3, and now the Colts look ahead to their international matchup against the Washington Commanders in London with an undefeated divisional record to hang their hats on.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars jumped ahead to a 2-1 start with their win over the New Englad Patriots, the Colts' second-place standing at 1-2 is a solid place to be, with all things considered.

With that being said, follow along as I break down my three biggest takeaways from the Colts' much-needed Week 3 victory.

Defense Trending Upward

Lou Anarumo's Colts defense had looked like the worst unit in the NFL after two weeks.

Indianapolis entered Week 3 having allowed a league-worst 74 points, 1,029 yards, and 675 passing yards through two games in 2026.

The 1,029 total yards allowed are the 2nd-most through two games of a season in NFL history, according to Next Gen Stats — only the 2016 Raiders (1,035) allowed more, a team that finished 12-4 and made the postseason.

As a result, the Colts needed to look competitive against CJ Stroud and the Houston Texans' offense, and they rose to the occasion.

Although they didn't force a turnover, Lou Anarumo's Colts defense held Stroud and Co. to just 223 total yards of offense and allowed just 17 points on the day.

Through the air, the Colts allowed just 153 passing yards and sacked Stroud three times.

Indianapolis took advantage of star wide Nico Collins being out with a hamstring injury, but it's still worth shouting out their rebound in question.

The Colts were equally as successful against Houston's rushing attack as they allowed 70 rushing yards on 21 carries, a 3.3 yards-per-carry average.

But their apparent rebound was even more promising when you point out how Indy's defense cleaned up their tackling and communication woes from the previous two weeks.

The pass rush only totaled seven pressures on the day, but they made the most of their output by landing three sacks. Furthermore, the Colts' pass defense benefited from consistent coverage as they totaled seven pass break-ups against Houston. Indianapolis only had four pass break-ups throughout the first two weeks, so this was a welcomed change of pace.

Finally, and perhaps the biggest improvement came from the Colts' tackling peformance.

Lou Anarumo's Colts defense missed just four tackles against the Houston Texans, according to Pro Football Focus.

You never want to applaud any missed tackles, but the Colts had missed 19 (!!!) tackles against the Chiefs in Week 2, and nine against the Ravens in Week 1.

Perhaps the Colts defense just lucked out by going up against a Collins-less Texans offense, but they're still trending in the right direction.

Daniel Jones Ball Security Becoming a Concern

The Colts' starting quarterback led five scoring drives against the Texans in Week 3, but four those ended in field goal scores as opposed to finding paydirt.

Daniel Jones went 24-36 for 235 passing yards, one touchdown, one interception, and was sacked four times through the air against the Texans, which is by no means a poor showing, but his ball security loomed largest.

Jones had the aforementioned interception, but he also fumbled the ball three times. He only lost two of the fumbles, but his butter fingers nearly proved to be the ultimate nail in the Colts' coffin on numerous occasions.

To be fair, Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. did wreak havoc off the edge, but if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best -- and Anderson Jr. is undeniably one of the NFL's best edge rushers.

Through three weeks, Jones is responsible for three passing touchdowns and five turnovers (3 interceptions, 2 fumbles lost).

Head coach Shane Steichen's offense has kept the Colts alive throughout the regular season thus far, but Jones's turnovers are a big reason the defense has had little chance to breathe.

Daniel Jones has largely been a positive on the Colts' offensive showing so far in 2026, but he'll need to clean up his mistakes if Indianapolis wants any chance of making noise in the postseason.

Spencer Shrader is That Guy

The Colts' well-documented kicking competition throughout the offseason saw 2025 starter Spencer Shrader reclaim the throne, and he's showcased exactly why STC Brian Mason made that call ahead of the 2026 regular season.

Shrader was the team MVP in the Colts' Week 3 win in Houston after going 4-for-4 on field goal attempts and accounting for 13 of the team's 19 point scored.

He was 2-for-2 from 50+ yards, a range that was previously deemed to be Shrader's weakest, including a 53-yard game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.

The most impressive part is that Shrader did this on a hurt groin. Said injury kept him out of kickoff duties and is certainly worth monitoring moving forward, but at least it wasn't enough to keep him sidelined and/or affect his performance.

Despite missing his first kick of the season, the Colts' first PAT of 2026, Shrader is a perfect 8-for-8 on field goal attempts (4-4 on 50+ yards).

Shrader has raised the floor of the Colts' offense by being a reliable kicking option, and this is a massive development for a team that has playoff aspirations.

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