The Colts finally broke through Sunday, and they did it the hard way.
Indianapolis outlasted Houston 19-17 at Lucas Oil Stadium, ending the NFL’s longest losing streak and doing just enough in a tense, messy finish to get back in the win column. It was not clean.
It was not comfortable. But it was a win, and for a team that had been searching for one, that was the only thing that mattered.
Spencer Shrader was the difference. The kicker, who was listed as questionable because of a groin injury, looked anything but limited.
He drilled field goals from 39 yards, 58 yards, 37 yards and then delivered the 53-yard game-winner with 16 seconds left. He also added an extra point.
Outside of missing his first extra point of the season, Shrader kept showing the kind of range that makes him a real weapon, and his last kick sent the Colts home with a result they badly needed.
There were plenty of other moments that helped Indianapolis survive.
Late in the third quarter, Shane Steichen made the call to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Houston 48-yard line. Jonathan Taylor took the pitch and gained four yards, extending a 15-play drive that ended with the Colts pushing the lead to two scores. That sequence mattered because it forced Houston to keep chasing.
On defense, rookie Justin Walley came up with a huge pass breakup on what looked like a touchdown throw to Dalton Schultz. With Sauce Gardner forced out, Walley slid over to outside corner and made the play that kept the Texans out of the end zone. Earlier, the Colts also got a fourth-and-1 stop in the opening quarter that helped prevent an early swing in momentum.
The defense needed a day like that. After back-to-back games of surrendering more than 500 yards, Indianapolis held Houston to 223 total yards.
The Texans had six of their seven drives end after four plays or fewer at one point, and the Colts’ front helped set the tone. DeForest Buckner looked like his usual disruptive self again as he works back from neck surgery, while Adetomiwa Adebawore continued to flash as a rotational rusher.
The unit did loosen up some in the fourth quarter, but the first three quarters were enough to keep Indianapolis in front most of the way.
Daniel Jones’ afternoon was much shakier. He finished 24 of 36 for 235 yards with one touchdown, one interception and two lost fumbles, and the final turnover nearly turned the game on its head. With the Colts in range for Shrader, Jones was sacked and stripped by Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter on a second-and-10 from the Houston 39-yard line with 4:45 left, handing the Texans another chance and good field position.
The Colts had asked more of Jones because Jonathan Taylor was held to 23 carries for 68 yards. Jones did connect with Josh Downs early, and he got solid production from Tyler Warren, who caught 9 of 10 targets for 55 yards, and Keenan Allen, who had 6 catches on 9 targets for 63 yards. In the first game without Alec Pierce, Indianapolis still came close to giving the game away, but the defense and Shrader bailed it out.
The win snapped a nine-game skid dating back to last season and a five-game losing streak against Houston. It also gave the Colts their first victory since November 9, 2025, and their first home win since October 26, 2025. In a division that is still messy and open, Indianapolis moved to within one game of Jacksonville at 2-1.
The result won’t be remembered for style points. It will be remembered because the Colts needed it, and they finally found a way.
Inactive players: WR-Ashton Dulin (ankle), WR-Darius Slayton, RB-DJ Giddens, DE-Geroge Gumbs Jr., OL-Dalton Tucker
What’s next: The Colts (1-2) head overseas in Week Four to face the Commanders (1-2) at Tottenham Stadium next Sunday at 9:30.
In Other News...
Spencer Shrader Fought Through More Than Colts Fans Realized
Spencer Shrader gave Colts fans a performance worth remembering, drilling four field goals from 39, 58, 37, and 53 yards in a single game while carrying an injury he picked up during warmups. It was the kind of quiet, steady day that can change the shape of a game, and it also offered a reminder that kickers often spend just as much time managing pain and pressure as they do putting points on the board.
Shrader spoke about the mental side of kicking and the path that brought him here, including growing up near the Colts and working his way to the NFL. For Indianapolis, that background adds another layer to what looked like a clean outing on the scoreboard, because it turns out the success came with more behind-the-scenes grit than many in the stadium realized. [Read more 🡒]
Colts May Be Running Out Of Anthony Richardson Options
The quarterback market got a little more complicated with Minnesota sending J.J. McCarthy to the Giants for a 2027 fifth-round pick, a move that ripples beyond those two teams and into Indianapolis. For the Colts, it is another reminder that the value of young passers can shift quickly, even when the player in question is no longer in line to start. Anthony Richardson remains in a backup role, but his name still sits in the trade conversation because of his age, draft pedigree and the uncertainty around his long-term fit.
For Indianapolis, though, the bigger issue may be whether there is enough real interest to make a deal worthwhile. Richardson has been discussed as a potential trade candidate, but the pool of teams willing to make a meaningful offer could be thinning rather than growing. If that is the case, the Colts may end up doing what once seemed unlikely and simply holding onto him, even as the league keeps searching for the next quarterback bargain. [Read more 🡒]
Colts May Have Found A Defensive Answer At The Perfect Time
Adetomiwa Adebawore gave the Colts a timely jolt in Week 3, flashing the kind of interior pass-rush burst that can change a game in a hurry. In just 15 snaps against the Texans, he piled up four pressures and 1.5 sacks, a strong reminder that his growth as a disruptive force up front is no longer just a projection. For a defense looking for answers early in the season, that kind of production stands out.
The Colts are 1-2, and the schedule ahead figures to keep testing them in different ways, from offenses built on the pass to groups that lean on a more varied attack. Adebawores development, and the likelihood that his role keeps growing, gives Indianapolis a useful piece at exactly the right moment. If he keeps affecting quarterbacks the way he did last week, the Colts may have found a defensive spark they can lean on. [Read more 🡒]