DeMeco Ryans Confirms If Texans Starters Will Play vs. Colts

It looks like there's no question of whether the Houston Texans will be playing their starters in Week 18 vs. the Indianapolis Colts.

According to Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, the Texans will be preparing to play their guys in Week 18 against Indianapolis, considering they still have a shot to win the AFC South.

DeMeco Ryans said the #Texans are still playing for the division, so they'll play their starters this week vs. Colts.
— Jonathan M Alexander (@jonmalexander) December 29, 2025

The Texans, currently on a league-high eight-game winning streak, currently lie at a record of 11-5 with one game left to go on their regular season calendar, and have since locked their spot into the postseason after Week 17's victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.

However, even with that top-seven seed officially in their possession for the Wild Card round approaching in the coming week, Ryans isn't ready to rest his guys just yet, as there still remains an opportunity to steal an AFC South win, and with it, a home playoff game.

How Can Texans Steal the AFC South?

It's a simple formula for the Texans to find their way to a top-four seed, but it relies on some outside help.

Of course, the Texans need to take care of business against the Colts this coming weekend, which would then take them to a 12-5 record. Houston would also need some extra assistance from across the division from the Tennessee Titans in their matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If the Titans take down the Jaguars, both find their way to a 12-5 regular season record. However, that would then place Jacksonville at a 4-2 record within the division, while the Texans would hypothetically have a 5-1 record themselves.

In that case, Houston wins that tiebreaker against their division rival Jaguars, with whom they've split their season series, 1-1, and thus claims a third-straight division title.

Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) talks with Indianapolis Colts safety Camryn Bynum (0) on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, after a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The Texans won 20-16. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What happens next for the Texans? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our free newsletter and get breaking Texans news delivered to your inbox daily!

While it's no guarantee that a Texans win in Week 18 will allow them to hoist the division crown, there's still a solid opportunity for it to come to fruition. So, for Ryans, the decision is easy on whether his best guys are suiting up for the last regular season game: they're coming to play, and they're coming to try and win what would be a ninth-straight game on the season.

Be sure to bookmark Houston Texans On SI and follow @TexansOnSI on X for daily Houston Texans news, interviews, breakdowns and more!