10 Texans Tidbits From Colts Loss: Turnovers, Offensive Woes & Will Anderson

The Houston Texans have found themselves in another 0-3 hole to start their new season after the events of a discouraging 17-19 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.

While the Texans' defense held their own for a nice day, it was a combination of Houston's run game that continued to struggle, a lackluster passing game without Nico Collins, and some questionable coaching decisions that have dug Houston into the same hole they started off with this time last year.

If the pressure wasn't turned up for Houston to turn things around early in the season, it certainly is now. They've put themselves in a pretty rough spot just three weeks into the year and have some key kinks to work out if they want to make a similar rise up the standings as they did in 2025.

Let's sort through another edition of our weekly 10 Texans Tidbits, and break down where Houston saw their biggest successes and their biggest lapses on their way to a third straight loss.

Turnovers Finally Came Around... But It Didn't Matter

Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (3) tackles Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Keenan Allen (10) on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Heading into Week 3, the Texans' defense was certainly hungry to get on the board when it came to generating turnovers, as they had went without a takeaway in back to back weeks.

And they finally did see that trend of having no turnover luck spin around in a positive direction in Indianapolis. The Texans logged three turnovers to their own zero, which, on paper, seems like a pretty concrete recipe for success in the NFL.

Will Anderson Jr. with the sack and forced fumble and the Texans get their first takeaway of the season pic.twitter.com/HhzKXbjSEq
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 27, 2026

Instead, the Texans played the opposite of what many coaches would call complementary football. The offense had multiple opportunities, couldn't take advantage, and now makes for yet another example of this defense having a great performance all to be wasted by a lackluster scoring attack.

It's the first time the Colts have won a game with a -3 or worse turnover margin since 1999 against the Washington Redskins, coming in Peyton Manning's second career NFL season. So this is pretty uncharted territory for the Texans to fall into.

C.J. Stroud's Bizarre Pressure Numbers

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) is sacked by Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore (95) and Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner (99) on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

When looking deeper into the Texans' offensive line stats from this weekend, things panned out pretty interestingly. C.J. Stroud wasn't pressured extremely heavily, though his sack numbers still remained pretty average from what he's been accustomed to for the past two seasons.

Stroud was pressured only seven times against Indianapolis, but was still sacked three times for a 42.7% pressure to sack rate. It's the third-highest rate of his career and his highest since 2024.

This offensive line has had bleaker days in the past, yet the big-picture outlook remains the same: even after the work that was done to the unit over the course of the offseason, this offensive front still isn't one built for long-term success––at least from what's been shown three games into the year.

Some Questionable Coaching Decisions

Sep 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans reacts during the game against the Buffalo Bills at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Texans had a couple of key coaching decisions in both the first and second half that inevitably played a key part in their end result looking how it did. And they each deserve a bit of criticism, or at the very least, be examined pretty thoroughly in the aftermath.

For one, the Texans had an early opportunity on their second drive of the game in the first quarter to put points on the board with a field goal on the Colts' 31-yard line. They instead went for it on 4th-and-1, didn't get it, and went scoreless when their offense had an opportunity to strike the first points on the board.

Then you have the Texans' decision not to call a timeout in the final moments of the fourth quarter when the Colts had possession on third down. Houston instead let around 20 to 30 seconds run down on the play clock before then calling time, getting a third down stop, and forcing Indianapolis into a field goal.

With a quicker timeout on defense, Houston's offense gets a much longer clock to play with, and a chance to move into field goal range, rather than being forced into a Hail Mary with time expiring.

Texans HC DeMeco Ryans admits he made a mistake not calling the timeout earlier during the Colts last drive. pic.twitter.com/bDjS81tnF0
— DJ Bien-Aime | NASM CPT (@Djbienaime) September 28, 2026

Of course, hindsight is 20/20. But those two moments––one to take the lead early in the first half, and one that determined the Texans' late-game clock management––are certainly ones where DeMeco Ryans bears some big responsibility.

Texans' Run Defense Came to Play

Sep 27, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) rushes the ball against the Houston Texans in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

All week, the Texans and DeMeco Ryans placed a heavy emphasis on prioritizing Jonathan Taylor in their defensive game plan. After all, he is the Colts' best, most explosive offensive player, and becomes an even bigger focal point without Alec Pierce in the mix.

And overall, Houston's run defense met those high expectations. On the 23 carries Taylor had, he recorded just 68 yards, his longest run going for 11 yards, and paired that production on the ground to just two receptions for four yards.

Taylor finished with a season-low 3.0 yards per carry, and only 0.8 yards per carry after contact, which is also a season low. So if the Texans can hang their hat on any success they saw over the course of their Week 3 matchup, they did limit the Colts' best player to a pretty quiet day.

The Texans' Own Run Game Did Not

Sep 27, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Houston Texans running back Woody Marks (4) reacts after rushing for a touchdown against the Houston Texans in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Considering the Texans were setting up to face one of the league's worst-performing run defenses in the Colts this weekend, many expected David Montgomery and Woody Marks to have a bit of a resurgence from the bleak 1.2 yards per carry they combined for against the Bengals.

And sure, their production was slightly better than how Week 2 went, as they combined for 70 total yards on the ground as a team. Overall though, Houston left a whole lot more to be desired based on their favorable matchup.

Montgomery continues to show a lack of explosion and efficiency, which led to a pretty uninspiring 11 carries for 33 yards. Marks did take in his first rushing touchdown of the season, yet matched his veteran counterpart's 3.0 yards per carry for an also inefficient day.

Simply put, the Texans have to be more effective on the ground moving forward if their offense wants any hope of lifting up from their current lowly position. If not, it'll be hard to envision this rushing attack to be any different than last year's.

How Daniel Jones Overcame Houston's Pass Rush

Sep 27, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) drops back to pass against the Houston Texans in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While the Texans' own offensive line presented some big hurdles for Stroud and this run game to try and overcome, the same could certainly be said for the Colts' front. Houston took down quarterback Daniel Jones for four sacks; his highest count for a single game on the season so far.

However, the difference between the Texans' and Colts' offense is that Jones actually played better when Houston was sending pressure his way.

According to numbers from NFL Pro, Jones was pressured on 19 of his 41 total dropbacks against Houston (46.3%), with his lone interception coming when he was under pressure. He finished 9 of 15 for 115 yards and a touchdown when under pressure, which is a pretty productive day for the veteran signal-caller, considering the circumstances.

Have a Day, Will Anderson Jr.

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. (51) reacts to sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) (not pictured) at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Daniel Jones certainly made the most of his opportunities when he was put under duress from this Texans' defensive front. At the same time, Houston's All-Pro edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. still managed to put together his best performance of his fourth season pro by far.

And that breakout from Anderson was primarily because of how he truly dominated his matchup against Colts right tackle Jalen Travis. Across 23 matchups against Anderson Jr., Travis allowed eight pressures, three quick pressures, and 2.5 sacks.

When Travis was facing off against other Texans defenders, he allowed two pressures on 16 individual matchups. So that's a credit to just how dominant Anderson was in what sets up for his first tryout to land this year's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Where Were the Tight Ends... Again?

Sep 20, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz (86) runs onto the field before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Texans left many wondering as to why they didn't incorporate more heavy tight end packages for their offense, especially for the stint that Nico Collins was to be sidelined.

Houston has five tight ends on the roster, drafted one in the second round this past offseason, and have a previous tight ends coach as their offensive coordinator. All of the pieces are there for the Texans to put a whole lot more emphasis into their tight end position.

But against the Colts, they decided to use their tight ends even less. Dalton Schultz wasn't nearly the weapon he was against the Bengals as he hauled in just three total receptions. Marlin Klein got just four offensive snaps on the day, and it was actually Foster Moreau who led Houston's tight end room in snaps with 31.

There are a lot of head-scratching moments from the Texans in this game that deserve to be talked about. This part might be one of the most confusing.

Nico Collins' Return Is More Important Than Ever

Jul 30, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans wide receiver Nico Collins (12) and wide receiver Jared Wayne (89) during training camp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For a second straight week, the Texans proved exactly why Pro Bowl wide receiver Nico Collins is the most important player in this offense, and how pivotal it will be to get him back in the lineup. Because when forced to roll without him, the pass-catching talent simply isn't enough to get the job done.

No receiver in the Texans offense recorded more than three receptions, and no pass-catcher logged over 50 yards outside of Xavier Hutchinson, who just barely eclipsed that mark.

Separation became a rarity, drops became frequent, and there were a ton of head-scratching personnel decisions made throughout the day as well. No receiver was on the field for over 80% of the offensive snaps? Jaylin Noel only got 14 snaps? Jared Wayne got 33? What's the deal here?

We Know They've Been Here Before

Aug 13, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio watches during practice before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And here we are again. The Texans are winless through three games of the regular season, have an elite defense to lean on that offers some optimism moving deeper into the season, but also have some crucial questions for how their offense can progress from its current state.

Houston has certainly shown that if there's any team to believe in that can climb into the playoffs, they can make it happen. The Texans won 12 of their last 14 games in 2025 to finish 12-5. Only seven teams in NFL history have gone on to make the playoffs after starting 0-3, with Houston making up for the last two occurrences (2018 and 2025).

So there's a sliver of hope left in play for the Texans. However, no team has ever been able to escape from an 0-4 start to the year. That means there's no doubt that Week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys now becomes a must-win matchup, or else they're in serious trouble.

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