Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen on the current Texans squad versus the won from Week 2: "They're completely different. Obviously, I mentioned this early on in the season – you kind of find out about who you are in the middle of the season. Teams change, teams kind of find their identity on who they are. Houston is playing really good football right now and it's going to be a heck of a challenge for us come Saturday night."
Colts quarterback Gardner Minshew on the Texans now versus the Texans in Week 2: "Just continued to get better, continued to get more confident, they've got guys that are playing at a high level right now and they got that opportunity just like we do so they're going to come out and bring it."
Steichen on Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud: "He's a pure passer. He throws it effortlessly. Shoot, he's done a heck of a job this year. He's played really like a veteran all year. I know he got dinged up with the concussion but shoot, he was playing at an MVP level there. He still is playing really good football. Like I said, really good pocket presence – accuracy, he can make all the throws. He's got that offense playing really good football right now."
Colts Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley on Stroud: "He's very talented. First of all, he plays with great poise. He handles pressures, he handles looks, he handles different schemes very well. He gets the ball out timely. Does he hold it some? Yeah, because they take some shots, but it is timely when it is the quick game and when it's in their intermediate passes. His accuracy is very good so – very poised, accurate, playing above the level of being a rookie. I think at this point in time, he's not a rookie because the looks that he's seen. He's playing very well for them right now. I think they're third or something in explosive passes. I know very high, I think the analytics told us so. He does a great job with the threats he has on the outside."
Colts Linebacker Zaire Franklin on Stroud: "They've got a dynamic quarterback – a quarterback who can make all the throws, one of the best young players in the league today. Obviously, they go by him – get him off his spot, get him uncomfortable, stop the run, force him to make tough plays and we'll be successful."
Colts Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter on Stroud: "C.J. does such a great job placing the ball where he wants to in the passing game. He can really make a ton of throws. Writing him up and getting to know him with all the interviews and the travel and all that stuff that goes on in that process he was really, really mentally into the game of football. He would love talking ball with us. Sitting around the meetings, sometimes you meet with different draft prospects and they go through their interview or they go through their meeting and maybe they're just interested in that 15 minutes of football talk or whatever. Shoot, before we even got everybody in the meeting and that informal time, C.J. was asking us questions about things and really prides himself on his knowledge of the game. That's obviously showing with the success that he's having this year – having a great year. A really impressive young man. Like I said, he could really spin it. He can really throw the ball. There were a ton of throws on tape, and we were lucky enough to kind of see in person a little bit that were really impressive. He's an impressive young man and having some success. It will be a good challenge for us."
Franklin on the Texans' run game with running backs Devin Singletary and Dameon Pierce: "Obviously, they've got a great back in Singletary – quick feet, downhill runner. Obviously, we know about Pierce as well. They've got a tandem of good backs."
Steichen on the Texans defense and how it's grown: "Absolutely. I think they've done a great job overall, but I think having DeMeco (Ryans) in there – a lot of respect for him and what he did obviously in San Francisco and bringing that culture, that defensive culture, and obviously the team culture to Houston. It says a lot about what he's done. They're rushing the passer well. Obviously Will Anderson Jr., I think he's got seven sacks as a rookie – top draft pick, really good player. Jerry Hughes is still there playing at a high level. Denzel Perryman – the corners are good players. They're playing at a high level, right? It's different right, from Week 2 to now we're at Week (18)."
