Colts Finally Get Their Day, Time Set for Week 18 Season Finale

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — When the Indianapolis Colts' 2025 schedule came out, their Week 18 showdown with the Houston Texans was left open for flexing based on how impactful the matchup may be.

Now, with the Texans clinching a playoff spot in Week 17 in a separate game and subsequently eliminating the Colts from postseason contention, we have a date and time for the two teams' regular-season finale.

The NFL announced on Sunday night that the Colts and Texans will play on Sunday, January 4, at 1:00 p.m. ET at NRG Stadium in Houston, with CBS broadcasting the game.

Initially, this matchup looked like it could be a final-week battle for the AFC South crown, but the Colts have lost six of their last seven games following an 8-2 start to the season, including last Sunday at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars, 23-17. They're the first team since 1995 to miss the playoffs after such a start.

The Colts and Texans played at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during Week 13, with the visitors winning 20-16 after the game was tied early in the fourth quarter. It was the last full game that Colts quarterback Daniel Jones played before suffering a torn Achilles tendon the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Colts' 8-2 start to the regular season was their best since Peyton Manning's days in the late 2000s. At the time, Jones and the offense led the NFL in scoring, Jones and running back Jonathan Taylor were legitimate NFL MVP candidates, and a trade for All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner was executed to springboard the Colts deep into the postseason.

Now, injuries and inconsistent play on the field have ravaged the Colts' season, tanking their once-certain playoff aspirations down to a fifth consecutive season without earning a postseason bid.

In the wake of Jones' season-ending injury, the Colts called on 44-year-old retired quarterback Philip Rivers to save their season. Rivers most recently played in the NFL for the Colts in 2020 and was the last quarterback to get them to the playoffs.

While Rivers played well overall, the Colts could not put it all together and play complementary football, falling to 0-3 in Rivers' starts.

Colts head coach Shane Steichen will now decide whether Rivers will start the final, inconsequential game of the season on Sunday in Houston, or if sixth-round rookie Riley Leonard will get the nod.

Jake Arthur has been covering the Indianapolis Colts for over a dozen years and is a member of the PFWA. He's one half of the Locked On Colts podcast and has worked for the Colts' official website, On SI, and more. You can follow him on X @JakeArthurNFL.