The Colts walked into Week 3 carrying all the weight that comes with an 0-2 start and a nine-game losing streak, and they walked out with something they badly needed: a win over the Texans that can change the feel of a season in a hurry.
Indianapolis entered the day with the bigger urgency, even if both teams were still searching for their first victory of the year. Two losses in three home games at Lucas Oil Stadium would have been a rough place to sit, and an 0-3 hole - especially with an AFC South loss attached to it - would have made the path ahead look a lot uglier.
Instead, the Colts flipped the script and found a comeback they wouldn’t have made in a season and a half. Now there’s at least a pulse, and maybe more than that.
The biggest reason? The defense finally showed up.
That side of the ball looked nothing like the first two weeks. Maybe Houston being without Nico Collins helped, but that can’t be the whole story.
The Colts were disruptive, and the pressure on the quarterback stood out. DeForest Buckner and Adetomiwa Adebawore were both central to that surge, and Adebawore is the kind of player who has been waiting for more chances.
Justin Walley also made his presence felt, and he may have taken a step the Colts have been hoping to see from a secondary that needed one badly.
There are no guarantees that one strong afternoon changes everything. The season still has plenty of proving left to do. But after what Indianapolis had shown through the first two games, this was a real positive start.
There was also a useful development on offense: Keenan Allen can still give this team something.
Through his first two games in Indianapolis, the veteran wideout hadn’t done much to move the needle. On Sunday, though, he looked like the kind of reliable possession receiver the Colts were counting on when they brought him in to help replace Michael Pittman Jr. He caught the ball cleanly, showed enough burst, and finished off a crossing route for a touchdown that stood out as one of the sharper plays in the game.
That matters even more now with Alec Pierce out for a while. Allen is sitting in the WR2 spot behind Josh Downs, and if he’s going to spend only one season in a Colts uniform, he’ll need to keep showing he’s worth the role.
And then there’s the simple fact that one close win can do a lot for a locker room.
The Colts had already lost five straight one-score games to Houston, so this wasn’t just another victory. It was the kind that can change the mood around a team. Spencer Shrader added to that feeling by continuing to look like a dependable kicker in crunch time, and the final result gave Indianapolis something it hadn’t had yet this season: belief.
That may be the most important takeaway of all. Not perfection.
Not a full answer. Just a win that lets the Colts start over, at least emotionally, and see what comes next.
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 🡒]