Texans vs. Colts: How many wins does Houston have against Indy?

How many times have the Houston Texans won against the Indianapolis Colts?

The first of two AFC South grudge match games for the Houston Texans against the Indianapolis Colts will be the ’22 season opener at NRG Stadium, with both teams renewing the rivalry this Sunday at noon CT.

The Texans and Colts have played a total of 41 times since Houston joined the league in 2002, and in that time frame it’s been mostly the Colts winning the games. Indianapolis holds a 32-9 all-time record against the Texans, as most of those wins came when Indy had Peyton Manning or Andrew Luck as their starting quarterback.

Houston has lost their past four games against the Colts with the most recent win for the Texans against their AFC South foe coming in Nov. 21, 2009 by a 20-17 score. Houston has also lost seven of the past eight meetings between the two teams.

Last season the Colts won by scores of 31-3 and 31-0, so neither game was competitive with the games taking place in October and December. During the October game last season, Texans quarterback Davis Mills was 29-of-43 for 243 yards with no touchdown passes and two interceptions.

When the two teams played in December, Mills was 6-of-14 for 49 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. This was a game where Mills was put into the contest for Tyrod Taylor, and from there became the starter the following week.

The ’22 game will be the first time Mills will be the starter against the Colts from the first day of the regular season, and a game he’s prepared for as not the second option for the franchise. Last October, Mills was playing because Taylor was injured, and Mills was thrown into the starter’s role as a rookie with very little experience.

Texans: This year could and should be different against the Colts in Week 1

History is mostly against Houston when facing the Colts, as the Texans couldn’t defeat Carson Wentz last season when he was the QB1 for Indianapolis, this year isn’t any easier as Matt Ryan has joined the Houston rival as their quarterback this season.

That said, this is a different Texans team as well, starting with Mills being a more experienced quarterback that he was as a rookie, and the running game with Dameon Pierce is improved from any running back on the roster last season.

Those two will be big difference makers for the Texans, and there are more new players on the roster and a new head coach, so even though it is always a tough game for Houston when they play the Colts, they are a better roster now than they were in ’21.

There is hope, Texans fans, and though the odds are against Houston in the season opener as they must find a way to stop Ryan and the top running back in the NFL Jonathan Taylor, Houston isn’t as far back as one might think, and maybe they can surprise the entire league with a competitive win against a franchise they’ve struggled with for most of their existence.