Welcome to a Black Friday, Week 13 edition of 'Speaking with the Enemy,' a new weekly feature here at Toro Times where I'll be sleuthing for some intel on each week's Houston Texans opponent.
This week, ahead of a high-stakes AFC South clash against the Indianapolis Colts, I spoke with Lee Vowell, the site expert over at Horseshoe Heroes to give us the Colts perspective on what we should be expecting from this matchup.
Sonny Giuliano: So Lee, I should just start here... before the season began, I predicted that the Daniel Jones experience was going to be a disaster, the Colts would finish with the worst record in the NFL, and Shane Steichen was going to be fired. Obviously, I was wrong on all three counts. What is it about this Colts offense that is allowing Jones to shine?
Lee Vowell: I think the answer is multi-faceted, but one simple answer is that Jones finally has several good offensive skill position players to work with at one time, while the offensive line is solid as well. Shane Steichen's offensive scheme is designed to spread the ball around, too, but is especially focused on picking up five yards or more on first down. This allows Jones to stay on schedule, meaning he doesn't have to force the ball. When he does, as in the last three games, that is when the mistakes happen.
Any discussion about the Colts' offense has to be weighed with its success through the first eight games, while the last three games have mostly been iffy. Jones has dipped in form, and Steichen hasn't used Jonathan Taylor as much in two of the last three games (both losses). That has to change moving forward.
SG: On a scale of 1 to 10, what's the panic meter at among Colts fans that Jones is going to turn back into a pumpkin at some point over the next few weeks?
LV: Fairly low. Maybe a 3. The issue is that even if Jones is not playing his best is better than what Indy fans have seen in reason seasons. Anthony Richardson was extremely inefficient and inconsistent, but Jones is capable of running Steichen's offense the way it should be run. In fact, Jones's success is more of a product of the scheme than of Jones necessarily elevating what Steichen's doing.
The problem now, of course, is that Daniel Jones is obviously not 100 percent with a fracture in his fibula, so his ability to move is greatly diminished. He might look worse in the next few games, especially against a great Texans defense, simply because he cannot use his entire skill set.
SG: Obviously Tyler Warren has been a revelation this season, but is there any concern in Indy that they've gotten practically nothing from the rest of their 2025 draft picks?
LV: The true (and maybe only) disappointment is second-round pickJ.T. Tuimoloau. The team made it clear, even during the preseason, that it didn't trust the rookie defensive lineman to provide much production for a while, and he's proven that to be true. He might be the kind of player who needs a year or two to truly blossom because that happened when he was at Ohio State as well.
The other draft picks haven't provided much either, but much of that is understandable. Cornerback Justin Walley was trending toward being a starter during training camp, but then he tore his ACL and missed the season. The others, like offensive lineman Jalen Travis, simply have better players in front of them on the depth chart.
SG: It's a best on best matchup this Sunday, with the Colts leading the league in scoring and the Texans leading the league in points allowed. But let's look at the other side of things, because it may end up being either the Texans offense or the Colts defense that determines who wins this game. What is it that Houston can do offensively that gives you the most concern for the Colts defense?
LV: Two things, actually. One is that Indy will be without DeForest Buckner, who is on injured reserve with a neck issue, and the Texans need to run the ball effectively against the Colts. Indianapolis has made that tough for opponents overall, but not having Buckner impacted the team in Week 12.
The other part is that inside linebackers Zaire Franklin and Germaine Pratt are fairly awful in zone coverage in the middle of the field. The Texans should be able to take advantage of that. Using intermediate routes with a solid running game could turn Week 13 into the meltdown Indianapolis had in Week 12, when the defense was gassed because the Kansas City Chiefs dominated time of possession. Only trying to beat the Colts' cornerbacks (Sauce Gardner, Charvarius Ward, and Kenny Moore II) would be a mistake.
SG: Give me one player on the Colts defense that Texans fans should be keeping an eye on.
LV: While Sauce Gardner would likely be an obvious answer, the fact is that Laiatu Latu simply has to be a disruptive force for the Colts. He has been far and away the most productive edge rusher for the team this season in all facets of the game. He is the best at applying quarterback pressure and at playing aggressive run defense. If he is neutralized by the Texans, Indianapolis doesn't have another proven option to step up. Without Latu, and even with Gardner and Ward, a somewhat suspect Indy defense would be much worse.
SG: If the Colts come away with the home win on Sunday, what will likely be the reason why?
LV: The offense. The Indianapolis Colts' defense has been the definition of bend but don't break for much of the season, but if the offense is not performing well, the defense isn't good enough to steal many wins. Indy has to feed Jonathan Taylor a lot in Week 13 and continue that into the second half. Taylor got only seven carries against KC in the second half, but he needs twice that many against the Texans.