John McClain, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, is in his 48th year of covering the NFL in Houston, including 45 seasons at the Houston Chronicle.
It seems fitting the Texans begin regular season at Indianapolis.
The Texans have closed each of their last two regular seasons at Lucas Oil Stadium, where they've escaped with monumental victories that weren't secured until the final seconds.
If Sunday's game is anything like the Texans' previous two appearances in Indianapolis, it'll have edge-of-your-seat excitement from start to finish.
Both victories made significant impacts on Texans history. Winning 32-31 in the last game of the 2022 season set up an offseason that brought C.J. Stroud, Will Anderson Jr., and new Head Coach DeMeco Ryans to Houston.
Defeating the Colts 23-19 last season clinched at least a wild card playoff berth. When Tennessee upset Jacksonville, it gave the Texans their first AFC South title in five years.
What makes the Texans' recent success at Lucas Oil Stadium even more satisfying is looking at the AFC South rivalry from a historical perspective. Since their inception in 2002, no team has tormented the Texans like the Colts, who own a 33-11-1 advantage, including a 15-1 record through their first seven seasons.
In their last two games at Indianapolis, though, it was the Texans doing the tormenting. They're hoping to make it three in a row on Sunday when their goal is to get off to their first 1-0 start since the 2021 season.
With the trip to Indianapolis on the horizon, this is a good time to revisit what the Texans accomplished the last two seasons and what those victories have meant to the organization.
In the 2022 season, the Texans went to Indianapolis with a 2-13-1 record. A defeat would have given them the first pick in the 2023 draft.
After the Texans and Colts battled to a 20-20 tie in the first game of the season at NRG Stadium, they took a 2-13-1 record into Lucas Oil Stadium. The Colts were 4-11-1 playing for a combination of head coaches Frank Reich and Jeff Saturday.
The Texans led 17-7 at halftime and 24-21 early in the fourth quarter. There was a lot of hand-wringing on the part of Houston fans and media. If the Texans won, they'd lose the first overall pick in the draft.
A Davis Mills interception set up the Colts for a 14-play, 83-yard touchdown drive that gave Indianapolis a 28-24 lead with 10:30 left in the game. A 54-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin boosted the Indianapolis advantage to 31-24 with 3:33 remaining.
In perhaps the most impressive drive of his first two seasons, Mills took over at his 17 with 3:29 remaining. He completed six passes for 67 yards, but when he was sacked for a 10-yard loss, the Texans faced fourth-and-20 at the Colts' 28-yard line.
The first overall pick seemed secure, but then Mills and tight end Jordan Akins collaborated on what turned out to be one of the biggest plays in franchise history. They connected for a 28-yard touchdown to pull the Texans within one point. Rather than settle for another tie, Smith elected to go for the victory, and Mills and Akins connected again to give the Texans a one-point lead with 50 seconds left.
Time ran out for the Colts at their 46, securing the victory for the Texans. Fans were frustrated. Ryans was hired, and and Executive Vice President/General Manager Nick Caserio selecting Stroud second overall in the draft after the Carolina Panthers traded up to take Alabama QB Bryce Young.
The Stroud pick has worked out pretty well, right?
Now, fast forward to last season. The Texans started with a loss at Baltimore before returning to Houston to play the Colts in the first matchup between rookie quarterbacks Stroud and Anthony Richardson. Before getting injured, Richardson ran for two touchdowns, and the Colts left NRG Stadium with a 31-20 victory.
The Texans recovered nicely from that 0-2 start. By the time they played the Colts again, it was Jan. 6, and a playoff appearance was on the line for both teams. Gardner Minshew had replaced the injured Richardson as the starter early in the season.
Stroud opened the game with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Nico Collins, and the Texans never trailed, but they did get tied in the fourth quarter when Matt Gay made it 17-17 with a 35-yard field goal.
Devin Singletary gave the Texans a 23-17 advantage with 6:20 remaining, but Ka'imi Fairbairn missed the extra point. The Colts needed a touchdown and extra point to win.
Indianapolis reached the Texans' 15. On fourth-and-1, rather than give the ball to Jonathan Taylor, who had rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown, the Colts had Minshew pass. He had running back Tyler Goodson wide open for what would have been a first down, but he dropped the pass.
Ryans called for punter Cam Johnston to take a safety, and the Texans secured the playoff berth and, ultimately, the AFC South title, with the 23-19 victory.
Further illustrating how the Stroud pick turned out to be the best in team history, he was 20-of-26 for 264 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in that conquest of the Colts. His rating was 134.1.
A few days later, Stroud was voted NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the Texans would obliterate Cleveland 45-14 in the wild card round – their first playoff victory since the 2019 season.
Now, if Sunday's game at Lucas Oil Stadium comes close to the kind of tantalizing outcomes of the last two seasons, the Texans better snap those helmets on tight because fans know just how much Indianapolis wants revenge.
