Texans and Colts are each trying to avoid 0-3 starts in matchup between struggling AFC South teams

INDIANAPOLIS -- — Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen and Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans understand the urgency of Sunday's early season AFC South matchup. The winner could find themselves tied for the division lead. The loser will spend the rest of the season dealing with the ramifications from an 0-3 start. It's just that simple, even if they would rather focus on the here and now. “To start 0-2 is somewhere we don’t want to be," Ryans said Wednesday, two days after blaming himself for the two losses. “Unfortunately, we’ve been here before, but to me, the past years of where we’ve been, it really doesn’t have any impact on where we are now.” The Texans certainly know the history of such a dismal start. Only seven teams in league history reached the playoffs after losing their first three games, only six did it over a full season and only one franchise has done it twice — Houston in 2018 and again last season when it needed a 12-2 finish to make its third straight postseason appearance. This time seems different, though, given that the Texans already are 0-2 at home and managed just two field goals in last week's loss to Cincinnati. Indy (0-2), meanwhile, hasn't gone 0-3 since 2021 when it rallied to a 9-8 mark — a season that started their current five-year playoff drought that put general manager Chris Ballard and Steichen, the third-year coach, squarely on the hot seat even before this season began. But the Colts defense has struggled mightily so far, giving up a total of 74 points and more than 500 yards in each of its first two games. Plus, the Colts have lost five straight to Houston — all by one score. So the stakes are high for Steichen and his team. “Yeah, it’s a big matchup,” he said. “Any division games are a big matchup, especially Houston. I’ve got a lot of respect for them and what they do. But again, we've got to find ways to win these close games at the end because — especially division games — if you want to win the division, you’ve got to win division games.” That quest begins Sunday. Need to know Houston (0-2) at Indianapolis (0-2). When/where to watch: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS. Latest odds: Texans by 2 1/2. Against the spread: Texans 0-2; Colts 1-1. Last week: Texans lost to Bengals 20-6; Colts lost to the Chiefs 33-30 in OT. Last meeting: Texans beat the Colts 38-30 on Jan. 4, 2026, in Houston. Series record: Colts lead 33-15-1. Matchup to watch Texans ground game vs. Colts run defense: Indy's problems start in the front seven. Derrick Henry dominated them for 144 yards and three scores in Week 1. Last week, the Chiefs delivered a strong one-two combination with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III and Emmett Johnson teaming up for another 132 yards on the ground. Houston, meanwhile, has struggled mightily so far. The Texans two rushers, David Montgomery and Woody Marks have rushed are averaging a total of 60 yards per game and each are under 3.0 yards per carry. So whichever team gets the upper hand in this matchup may finally produce a winning hand. Stats and stuff — Houston QB C.J. Stroud had his fourth career 350-yard game last week, finishing with 353. He is 5-1 with eight TD passes and one TD run with one interception all time against Indy. —- Last week, Dalton Schultz set Texans' single-game records for a TE by catching 12 passes for 140 yards. Both numbers were career highs and it marked the second time Schultz produced double-digit catches or a 100-yard game. Star WR Nico Collins missed the game with an injury. — Houston DE Will Anderson tied a career high with eight tackles and had three tackles for loss and one sack last week. He had 12 TFLs in eight road games last season with at least one in each road game. — The Texans have yet to force a turnover this season after having the third-most takeaways (29) in 2025. — Indy has lost nine straight games going back to last season, the longest active streak in the league. The Colts also have lost four consecutive home games, a streak that began with a loss to Houston in November. — The Colts will be without their top WR Alec Pierce, who went on injured reserve after injuring his left heel in last week's game. They have added veteran Darius Slayton, who could play after being reunited with QB Daniel Jones. Slayton and Jones were teammates with the Giants. — Keenan Allen needs one catch to pass former Texans star Andre Johnson (1,062) for No. 12 on the league's career receptions list. He needs nine catches to pass Colts receivers coach Reggie Wayne (1,070) for 11th. — RB Jonathan Taylor needs three total TDs to pass Wayne (82) for No. 3 in franchise history. ------ AP Sports Writer Kristie Rieken in Houston contributed to this report. ------ See AP’s full NFL coverage here