Week 3 gave the Indianapolis Colts something they badly needed: a win over the Houston Texans. It also made the AFC South picture a little clearer, and not necessarily in the Colts’ favor.
The Jacksonville Jaguars sit at 2-1 and remain in control of the division, while the Colts are the only other team in the South with a victory. Houston and Tennessee are both still looking for their first win.
The Colts’ result mattered because the alternative would have been a disastrous 0-3 start. Instead, they avoided that hole and kept themselves alive in the division race. But the Texans helped shape that outcome with offensive turnovers and poor quarterback play, which left the game there for Indianapolis to take.
Jacksonville’s win looked different. Trevor Lawrence didn’t need a 200-yard passing day to get it done, but he still threw three touchdowns and finished with a 100+ quarterback rating. That was enough to reinforce the Jaguars’ hold on the top spot in the AFC South.
For Indianapolis, the victory over Houston at least gives them a foothold. It also pushed the Texans to 0-3, and Tennessee joined them there after losing to the New York Giants.
The Titans were expected to be near the bottom before the season began, but Houston’s start is harder to explain. A shaky defense and a shaky C.J.
Stroud have left them winless, even though last year’s defense and a shaky Stroud might have produced a very different record.
That’s part of why the division still feels open, even with Jacksonville sitting on top. The Jaguars could have been beaten by the Denver Broncos in Week 2, and in hindsight that game may have gone differently than last season’s matchup would have suggested. Still, as Week 3 ends, Jacksonville and Lawrence have the clearest claim to being the team to beat in the AFC South.
The Colts, meanwhile, can at least point to the standings and see a path. If Houston keeps sliding, Indianapolis could end up with a real shot to chase Jacksonville, or at minimum secure the division’s second seed.
Their next two games should help tell that story, with Washington and Pittsburgh on deck before the Colts see the Jaguars in November. They also face the Titans in that stretch, which gives them a chance to build on this start.
For now, though, the Colts’ win is more about staying in the conversation than taking control. The Jaguars still hold the division, and the Colts’ truest test remains ahead. Even so, after a weekend where so much went sideways for the rest of the AFC South, Indianapolis at least has something solid to build on.
In Other News...
Anthony Richardson's Colts Future Just Became A Real Midseason Watch
For now, the Colts are treating Anthony Richardson Sr. like a quarterback they still want in the building, even with the noise that has followed him around in recent months. According to ESPNs Jeremy Fowler, Indianapolis is not looking to move Richardson and has not been fielding trade calls, while the Giants have not even reached out about his availability.
Still, the broader picture has not gone away. The fact that a deal before the NFL deadline later this year remains possible keeps Richardson squarely in the middle of a midseason storyline, especially for a team trying to balance patience with urgency at the games most important position. For the Colts, this is less about chatter than about how long they can keep the conversation from turning into something more serious. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Came Uncomfortably Close To A Kicking Crisis Against Houston
Spencer Shraders afternoon at Lucas Oil Stadium almost turned into a special-teams stress test before the Colts even kicked off against Houston. The kicker picked up a groin injury in warm-ups, then went on to handle the job anyway, making every field goal he tried and finishing the day with a game-winning 53-yarder that kept Indianapolis from having to sort out the chaos of an in-game replacement.
Still, the Colts had a plan ready if Shrader had been unable to go. Special teams coordinator Brian Mason said punter Rigoberto Sanchez would have taken over as the emergency kicker, a role he has handled before in college when he was responsible for all kicking duties. Indianapolis also had backup options lined up for snapping and holding, the kind of detail work teams usually hope stays invisible unless the situation turns uncomfortable fast. [Read more 🡒]
Laiatu Latus Slow Start Is Fueling A Painful Colts Fear
Laiatu Latu arrived in Indianapolis with the kind of first-round promise that usually changes the shape of a pass rush, and he gave the Colts enough of that impact as a rookie to leave real expectations for a second-year jump. Instead, through three games this season, the production has not moved forward the way the Colts hoped. His sack total and pressure numbers have both dipped from where they were before, and a chest contusion in Week 3 only added to the sense that the defender they are counting on has yet to find his stride.
For a Colts defense that has spent too much time searching for consistency up front, Latu's slump is more than a personal concern. Indianapolis needs him to look like the player who flashed last season, because the pass rush has not been reliable enough without that kind of edge threat carrying it. The worry now is not just about a slow start, but whether the team can afford to wait much longer for its top young rusher to rediscover the form that made him such an important part of the plan. [Read more 🡒]