New year, same Week 18 matchup, very different Colts and Texans teams
For the 2nd straight year, the Indianapolis Colts are preparing for their Week 18 matchup with the Houston Texans. But something that is not the same is the stakes that are on the line this time around. Last season, the Colts were 4-11-1, entering Week 18 for their matchup with the Texans, who were 2-13-1. […]
For the 2nd straight year, the Indianapolis Colts are preparing for their Week 18 matchup with the Houston Texans.
But something that is not the same is the stakes that are on the line this time around.
Last season, the Colts were 4-11-1, entering Week 18 for their matchup with the Texans, who were 2-13-1. The Texans were one loss away from securing the number-one pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and the Colts were in the middle of an identity crisis that they were hoping the upcoming offseason would be able to solve it.
The Colts looked in position to head into the offseason with a win as they led the Texans 31-24 with 53 seconds remaining in the 4th quarter. The Colts forced the Texans into a 4th and 20 from the 28-yard line, one stop away from securing the victory.
What happened next has had gigantic repercussions for both franchises. QB Davis Mills rolled right after being pressured in the pocket, stopped, planted his feet, and sent a prayer to the endzone, where a Colts rookie at the time, Rodney Thomas II, was waiting for what looked like an easy interception. Thomas II went up, but when his hands closed together, to his surprise, there was no football. Instead, it passes him and lands in the endzone in the hands of Texans TE Jordan Atkins.
The Texans elected to go for two to attempt to take the lead, and again Mills found TE Atkins, which would go on to be a game-winning throw.
The Texans would fall to the number two pick in the NFL Draft, and the Colts would end the year with the fourth pick. Both teams would hire rookie head coaches in the offseason. Houston would hire San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, and Indianapolis hired Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. And both find themselves among the top candidates for the NFL's Coach of the Year award. After they both have helped turn around their teams in just one season.
Both teams would draft QBs with their first selections in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Texans drafted CJ Stroud with the second pick, and the Colts drafted Anthony Richardson with the fourth. At the time, that Week 18 win seemed devasting to the Texans franchise and their fan base. After the news of the Carolina Panthers trading up to the number-one pick and rumors started circulating that they would draft Bryce Young out of Alabama, it became clear that the Texans were going to miss out on their preferred QB.
Since then, the Texans have seen great results with Stroud as their starting QB, and all signs point to them successfully finding their franchise cornerstone. And while the Colts weren't able to see a full season of Richardson, plenty of flashes have the fanbase and the franchise anxiously awaiting his return to the field next season. All because of a throw that should have been an interception, ending up as a Texans touchdown. You simply have to love the game of football.
A year later, the two teams are set to play again in Week 18. But this time, for one of them, it won't be their season finale. Both teams come into this matchup with a 9-7 record. The winner is heading to the playoffs as either the AFC South champion or a wildcard team, and the loser will have all offseason to soak in what could have been.
The two are now set for a Saturday night, 8:15 p.m., primetime football with a playoff spot on the line. The NFL couldn't have written a better script.
The stakes are now high for the Colts in Week 18
The Indianapolis Colts now have their biggest game of the season on deck.
The unsung heroes for the Colts in Week 17
Giving deserved props to the Indianapolis Colts young secondary after their strong performance during the teams Week 17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
