Some questions are best left unasked. When the Indianapolis Colts take on the Houston Texans in Week 18, Indy fans should expect to get Houston's best. After all, while Indianapolis sadly doesn't have anything to play for, the Texans might.
Houston has a chance to win the AFC South still, but only if the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans. If that happens, both teams will finish 12-5, but the Texans will hold the tie-break in terms of division record. That means Houston must defeat Indianapolis.
So, when one reporter asked Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans ahead of Week 18 if the Texans would play their starters, Ryans had to be taken aback. The Jaguars and Titans play at the same time as the Texans and Colts, so no team will have an advantage over the other as far as knowing whether they can rest players for the playoffs.
Indianapolis Colts will be facing the Houston Texans' starters in Week 18
Shane Steichen wants to win, of course, but he also would understand Houston playing their best players. Steichen also probably wouldn't want the built-in excuse for winning the last game, as Houston was giving Indianapolis a bit of a break.
If the Indianapolis Colts win, they will need to earn it, and that is how it should be. But should Indy win, that might mean more to the Colts than just a simple victory. That is because quarterback Riley Leonard will start the game against one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Should Leonard do well (and hopefully, he does), he would have proven he not only belongs on the roster next season, but he deserves to be no worse than QB2. Assuming (and this is a big assumption) that Indianapolis re-signs Daniel Jones in free agency, Jones would be the starter. His backup might not be Anthony Richardson.
If Riley Leonard does well against the Houston Texans, whose defense leads the league in points allowed per game by a fairly wide margin (16.6 to second-best Seattle Seahawks' 18.1), he could push whoever happens to be running the Indianapolis Colts this offseason (maybe Chris Ballard doesn't lose his job) to be more aggressive in attempting to trade Anthony Richardson.
Or, as many expect, Leonard is an abject failure against the Texans; the Colts would have a better idea how he might fit in their plans. Win or lose, Indianapolis is going to learn something about its team in Week 18, and it will learn that while going up against the Houston Texans' starters.