DeMeco Ryans doesn’t need a long scouting report to know where Sunday’s game can tilt. If the Texans are going to get their first win of 2026, he sees the same answer that usually shows up in AFC South games: slow down Jonathan Taylor.
Houston heads into Week 3 at 0-2 and opens divisional play against the Indianapolis Colts, who are in the same spot after two losses of their own. Both teams are looking for a reset, and both know the first AFC South meeting of the year carries extra weight.
The Texans have had the better of this matchup lately, winning their last five games against Indianapolis. But Ryans isn’t treating this one like a soft landing. On Texans Radio, he made it clear that beating the Colts starts with a defense that stays locked in against the run.
"[Jonathan Taylor] is an all-world running back," Ryans said on Texans Radio. "This guy here, man, wherever he touches the ball, like everybody has to be prepared.
He can cut back and make you pay. So, if you're not disciplined backside with JT, he has such great vision to where he's going to find the open hole."
He kept coming back to the same point: discipline, run fits, and everyone doing their job. That, in Ryans’ view, is the formula whenever Indianapolis lines up with Taylor in the backfield.
"So it's, again, it's discipline, run fits, everybody being where they're supposed to be... So, the Colts, always playing them, as long as he's going to be there, the key to victory is always, first and foremost, stopping the run with JT, because he's such a dynamic back."
Houston has seen enough of Taylor to know what kind of damage he can do. Even in a stretch where the Texans have controlled the series, Taylor has still popped off against them. In his past 10 games versus Houston, he’s averaged a little over 22 touches and 120-plus all-purpose yards per game, with 10 total touchdowns.
That makes him the obvious centerpiece again this week, and it puts the Texans’ run defense directly in the spotlight. Through two games, Houston has held up well there. The unit ranks sixth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed with 171 total, or 85.5 per game.
That was true even against a Buffalo offense that brought Josh Allen and James Cook in Week 1. Now comes a different kind of test, and maybe the toughest one yet for Houston’s front.
If the Texans can keep Taylor from taking over, they give themselves a real chance to leave Indianapolis with their first win of the season.
In Other News...
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For a team staring at an 0-2 start, any hint of trouble around Stroud would have only added to the pressure. Instead, Houston gets some reassurance that its quarterback is not dealing with a significant injury, leaving the Texans focused on fixing the rest of what went wrong while hoping their franchise passer is ready to keep carrying the load. [Read more 🡒]
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Texans Have A Growing Jaylin Noel Problem They Cant Ignore
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DeMeco Ryans acknowledged the growth Noel has shown and hinted that his involvement could expand, which only adds to the intrigue for a Houston offense still searching for reliable answers. The wrinkle, of course, is Collins' eventual return, and how the Texans balance getting their top target back while also making sure Noel's momentum does not get buried on the depth chart. [Read more 🡒]