Know Thy Enemy: Intel On Colts vs. Texans

The Indianapolis Colts (0-2) host the Houston Texans (0-2) at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

It's a battle of two winless AFC South teams that are still very much in the thick of the division race because of its subpar performance. Whoever wins could have a share of the driver's seat by week's end.

This week, ColtsRoundtable and Nick Crain of TexansRoundtable swapped questions to learn more about each side entering Sunday night's matchup.

Here are the questions ColtsRoundtable had about the Texans:

Jake Arthur: Houston’s defense hasn’t met expectations through two games. What sticks out about where they’ve fallen short?

Nick Crain: The most concerning thing about the defense is that it’s actually been fairly difficult to pinpoint one specific issue because both weeks looked very different, and in bad ways. But the two things that have been somewhat consistent are the lack of pressure on quarterbacks and allowing too many chunk plays.

Those are probably the first two places I’d start this week. This defense is built around making quarterbacks uncomfortable and letting the secondary capitalize on that pressure. When that isn’t happening, it puts a lot more stress on the entire unit.

JA: The Texans spent a lot of resources to try to transform that offensive line this offseason, but we’re seeing a lot of the same results. What’s the state of the O-line, and do you see it improving?

NC: I’m actually not out on this offensive line yet. I give them a little bit of grace because of how important continuity is up front. We see it all the time where a team has a good offensive line, one player goes out, and replacing that one piece can completely deteriorate the effectiveness of the group.

There’s so much chemistry and cohesion involved in playing offensive line, and I think that will get better with time. Obviously, there have also been some injuries that have hindered the early performance.

If we get to Week 5 or 6 and it still doesn’t look much better, then I may start to be concerned. But through two games, I’m not there yet. I still think this group has a chance to improve pretty significantly as the season goes along.

JA: When you see national coverage of the Texans, what’s the most common misconception you see?

NC: Probably that C.J. Stroud is the primary reason they’re 0-2. The narrative around him all offseason was already pretty negative based on how he closed last season, and he hasn’t done himself a ton of favors with the way he’s opened this year.

He hasn’t been dominant, but he’s made consistent plays and generally taken care of the ball. To me, the bigger issue is the Texans’ inability to finish drives, which was a problem at times last season as well, along with some of the pieces around him.

The wide receiver room was already diminished before the season started, there have been other issues early on, and the running game has looked wildly inconsistent from week to week. There are certainly things Stroud needs to do better, but I don’t think all of Houston’s offensive problems fall on him.

JA: Who’s a player or two who are highly important to what the Texans want to do, but fly under the radar?

NC: I’ll go with Dalton Schultz on offense. A quarterback like Stroud needs a reliable release valve, and Schultz has been that for him in the past. He’s not necessarily considered one of the biggest-name tight ends in the NFL, but he’s very clearly one of Houston’s primary pass catchers.

Nico Collins understandably gets a ton of attention as the offensive weapon defenses have to slow down, but Schultz showed last week that he can be a major threat as well. He’s an important piece of making this passing game work.

Defensively, I’d go with Jalen Pitre. His versatility goes a long way toward allowing Houston to be as dynamic as it wants to be. The defense has struggled compared to expectations so far, but Pitre is one of the pieces that allows them to be so multiple with their coverages, personnel and alignments.

JA: When you compare the Colts and Texans, is there any area where you give the Colts an advantage?

NC: Yeah, I think the biggest one is their ability to pound the rock. The offensive line and ground game for Indianapolis are really freaking good, and the Texans have been gashed by runners at times to start the season.

Jonathan Taylor is obviously the primary threat, but Daniel Jones can also hurt you with his legs, even as he’s still working his way back and finding his footing.

That’s an area I’d keep a close eye on because so much of Houston’s defensive success starts on the defensive line. Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, and that group are some of the best pass rushers in the NFL. When they’re generating pressure, it allows the secondary to make plays, and everything else starts falling into place.

I actually think the Colts’ offensive line is pretty well equipped to slow those pass rushers down. If Indianapolis can neutralize Houston up front and consistently run the football, that could result in some of the Texans’ early defensive struggles carrying over into Week 3.