Texans' DeMeco Ryans Weighs In on Colts Starting Riley Leonard

Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Riley Leonard will take on his first-ever NFL start against the tall task that is the Houston Texans' elite defense, proven to be one of the best in the league throughout the course of this regular season.

The 8-8 Colts are already out of the playoff picture, and after a three-game experiment with 44-year-old Philip Rivers, Indianapolis felt like it was the right time to hand the keys over to their rookie quarterback for a shot to perform in the final week of the regular season. It certainly won't be easy, but it's a big opportunity nonetheless.

In the mind of Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans, there can be some "unknowns" when facing a rookie quarterback like Leonard, especially in his first-ever NFL start––so it becomes even more important for Houston's elite defense to hone in on their fundamentals this weekend, especially when matching up against his athleticism.

"For Riley Leonard starting... What I know about Riley is he's a very athletic quarterback, so he'll do a good job of moving in the pocket trying to escape some things, and we have to do as best as we can defensively to make sure we're just playing sound with our technique, our fundamentals, just being where we're supposed to be," Ryans said.

"When you have a new quarterback stepping in, there will be a lot of unknowns. There's nothing that we can just hang our hat on that they're doing certain things. So, have to be prepared for anything. One thing, knowing that he is an athletic quarterback, have to be prepared for him to pull the football and run it. So we have to make sure we're aware for that. Other than that, it's just about us just doing what we need to do defensively, playing how we play."

Texans Looking for Ninth-Straight Win vs. Colts

The Texans have proven time and time again this season that they can get the best out of some of the game's best signal callers.

Josh Allen was stumped on Thursday Night Football with a game-wrecking eight sacks from the Texans' pass rush. Patrick Mahomes was taken down in front of the bright lights of Sunday Night Football. Just recently, Justin Herbert was haunted once again by Houston to claim what's now an eight-game win streak, taking down the Los Angeles Chargers heading into the final week of the year.

Now, the Texans defense will be tasked with a sixth-round rookie in the biggest opportunity of his young career, hoping to extend that win streak to nine, and retain that red-hot momentum in their third-straight playoff appearance the week following.

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Riley Leonard (15) throws during warmups Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, ahead of a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Mykal McEldowney/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Leonard might not have the arm talent or downfield capabilities as some of the elite names Houston's been up against, but he does have some innate athleticism to bank on– thus allowing the Colts to add some dynamic ability to their offense next to Jonathan Taylor in the backfield, and in Ryans' words, have a bit of unknowns that the Texans will have to unpack throughout the day.

Time will tell if Leonard can lead the way for that upset victory, but for the Texans, it's clear they'll be preparing for this one with the same intensity as they have throughout their lengthy win streak.

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