In Week 13 of the 2025 NFL season, the Indianapolis Colts took on the Houston Texans in a pivotal AFC South matchup. Indianapolis started the season strong, going 7-1 in its first eight games, but had lost 2 of 3 going into the contest.
Indianapolis lost the game to Houston, dropping its overall record to 8-4. A season that once held so much promise now seems to be teetering over the edge and is close to completely collapsing. A big reason for this negative turn to the season is that the offense is simply not playing the way it had early on.
The Colts had sustained success running the ball through the first half of the season thanks to running back Jonathan Taylor and the smart decision-making of quarterback Daniel Jones. This helped the Colts build the number one offense in the NFL.
The Indianapolis Colts offense is making things tough for themselves
That sustained success is built by staying on schedule. This means an offense is picking up enough yards on first and second down to bring about a manageable 3rd-down situation. Indianapolis' success running the ball with Taylor meant the team was staying on schedule.
NFL analyst JJ Watt, who covered the game against Houston for CBS, said, "The Colts offense is hard to stop when they stay on schedule". Unfortunately, the Texans' defense was able to keep Indianapolis off schedule, which limited the Colts' scoring opportunities and led to Indianapolis' third defeat in four weeks of play.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen was known as an offensive guru during his time as offensive coordinator with the Philadelphia Eagles. It's a big reason why he was hired to lead the Colts football team. No doubt, staying on schedule is why the Eagles had a dominant offense during his tenure.
When the Indianapolis offense stays on schedule, it is unstoppable. Houston has a league-leading defense, so it's no wonder they were able to throw the Colts off their game. Indianapolis would face tougher defenses should it make it to the playoffs.
Shane Steichen will need to get the Colts' offense back to what made them successful early in the season if the team hopes to win the AFC South title, let alone make the playoffs. They will face Houston again before the season comes to a close. Indianapolis will need to get back on schedule, or it will miss the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.