Colts take aim at share of division lead

INDIANAPOLIS Anthony Richardson and C.J.

Stroud were drafted two places apart in 2023, and theyve enjoyed a personal friendship since their days attending quarterback camps together as high schoolers.

Theyre now division rivals in the NFL, and Richardson has admitted in the past theres something of a friendly rivalry between the quarterbacks.

But when the Indianapolis Colts face the Houston Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium with a chance to forge a tie for first place in the AFC South, the focus will be on far more than the opposing quarterbacks.

Its fun competing against other competitors, Richardson said this week at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.

Its fun whenever there is some type of rivalry involved in it, but I dont try to think about it too much.

I treat every game as if its a rivalry because the other team is trying to dominate us.

So every game is honestly the same for me.

Just trying to stack up and just keep getting dubs.

A dub against the Texans (5-2) would be significant.

Indianapolis (4-3) is riding a two-game winning streak and is 4-1 since losing the first two games of the regular season.

But its also entering the most treacherous stretch of its schedule with games the next four weeks on the road against the Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets and at home against the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.

Three of those four teams entered the week with at least a share of the lead in their division.

For the Colts to match that feat, theyll have to beat Houston for the first time since last September.

Indianapolis jumped out to a 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the Week 2 contest last year on a pair of rushing touchdowns by Richardson.

But the quarterback suffered a concussion at the end of the second run and left the game.

Stroud finished 30-of-47 for 384 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in just his second pro start, but he also was sacked six times and fumbled twice losing one.

Behind backup Gardner Minshew, the Colts held on for a 31-20 victory.

Theyve lost the last two games in the series with Houston winning 23-19 to end last season and 29-27 to open this year.

I mean, theyre obviously very talented, Indianapolis defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said.

The quarterback is extremely good.

....

He can put up 350 yards at any time.

Theyve got good skill.

I think whats made them even more complete is their run game.

Now they can run the ball.

Joe Mixon is a great back and someone youve got to be aware of in the run game.

Theyre committed to run the ball, and theyre committed to take their shot.

Theyre a really well-balanced team that utilizes all their skillsets.

Mixon rushed for 159 yards on 30 carries in Week 1, but the Texans rank just 15th in the 32-team NFL for the season with an average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt.

Houston is 10th with 6 yards per pass attempt and 14th in scoring at 23.6 points per game.

Indianapolis is hopeful of getting back a pair of key contributors one on each side of the ball.

Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner missed the last five weeks with a high ankle sprain, and running back Jonathan Taylor missed the last three with a less severe form of the injury.

Head coach Shane Steichen said Friday both players are tracking toward availability Sunday.

The game is another inflection point for the Colts.

Theyve been battling through injuries and the growing pains of a 22-year-old quarterback for the first two months of the season.

But a win stamps them as a contender for their first division title since 2014.

A loss makes it extremely difficult to accomplish that goal theyd trail Houston by two games, and the Texans would hold the tiebreaker and throws Indianapolis into the wild-card mosh pit for the final nine weeks of the regular season.

For the Colts, however, motivation for this matchup is much simpler.

Obviously, (we) get a chance to see a team that came down to the wire last time, linebacker Zaire Franklin said.

Obviously (that game) didnt go our way, so weve got a chance to right that wrong.

I think we are just taking it week by week.

I think over the last three, four weeks right or wrong I think we have just been growing, getting better every week.

So Sunday is just another opportunity to continue to grow as a team..

This article has been shared from the original article on heraldbulletin, here is the link to the original article.