Arguably, the most important matchup during Sunday's early-slate of games will be between the 8-8 Indianapolis Colts and the 11-5 Houston Texans. H-Town can still clinch the AFC South with a win and a Jacksonville Jaguars loss, but the Texans will need to take care of business against Indy first.

Ever since starting the season 3-5, the Texans have looked unstoppable with seven consecutive wins. Last week, they defeated the Los Angeles Chargers 20-16 to secure their third consecutive playoff berth.

“We go out, we handle business the right way, we win the game, we're in. That's what you play for. That's what you suit up for. You play the game so you can have an opportunity to get into the playoffs. You want to get in the playoffs,” head coach DeMeco Ryans said during a Monday interview. “And then, hey, once you get in, it's a new season. Everything starts over there. It was a lot of work there to get to the playoffs. It took a lot for our guys. The way we battled, the way we worked, even at the beginning of our season when it didn't look great, and everybody casted us off. Just the belief, the work ethic that everybody continued to show, that's the cool part about this season of being able to get in, how we got in, and the fashion we got.”

Houston still has something to play for this weekend. If they beat the Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars lose to the Tennessee Titans, the Texans will win the AFC South. DeMeco Ryans is aware of what's at stake on Sunday.

“I understand all the things that have to happen. And for us, I know one thing that has to happen: we have to make sure we're focused. We have to win versus Indy. That's the main thing,” Ryans explained. “By winning this game, and a lot of different things can happen, and it's possible, if the Titans can go and get a win versus the Jags. Hey, we're sitting here, and we can be AFC South champs. So, not losing sight of that, we have to do what we have to do. We have to handle business. We have to win this game.”

For a team like Houston, which has seven playoff appearances over the last 11 seasons, it seemed like the Texans were destined to miss the postseason after starting the year 0-3. However, they've turned things around and are 11-2 since then.

“It's a huge first step. It's a great accomplishment. Still have some work in front of us, but from where we started to kind of where we are now, [we] put ourselves in a in a pretty good spot to at least have a shot, an opportunity to compete here in January, which is all you can hope for at the beginning of the season,” Houston general manager Nick Caserio said on Tuesday. “So, credit to the players, the coaches, the staff. A lot of people put a lot of work into this. [It’s a] good opportunity this week to, hopefully, go play well against Indy and then get ready for whoever the next opponent is following week.”

“It’s a blessing to be able to go to the playoffs for the third year in a row for me,” quarterback C.J. Stroud said during the Texans’ Week 17 postgame press conference. “It's funny because it's something that me and Will (Anderson Jr.) talk about a lot. Like, we don't want to just get used to this… It takes a lot of hard work to get here. Like, the work needs to be put in. It's not just every year the Texans are stamped to go to the playoffs… What really matters is the work we put in and just not getting used to success, so - when that time comes - you're still grateful, still thankful for all those times.”

For as good as the Texans have been as of late, that's how bad the Colts have been. After starting the season 7-1, they have lost seven of their last eight and sit at 8-8 amidst a six-game losing streak.

“I think, obviously, there's circumstances that are uncontrollable, some things,” head coach Shane Steichen said after last week's loss, “but there are controllable things that you can control, and you’ve got to fight and find ways to win tight games, and that's what this league is at the end of the day. We haven't done a good enough job of that, and that starts with me. So, we’ve got to find ways to win tight games.”

Though the Colts were eliminated from playoff contention in Week 17, Shane Steichen didn't believe that affected the way his guys performed in the team's 23-17 loss to the Jaguars.

“Our guys - like I said - they're professionals, and they were great pregame, locker room, everything,” he explained. “We all know we’ve got a job to do: to come out and battle and fight like crazy to find a way to win a game. There's no lack of effort out there. Those guys were flying around. Obviously, had some big-time stops. Like I said, special teams made some plays. Those guys were fighting.”

Unfortunately for football fans, the feel-good story of Philip Rivers' comeback in the NFL sounds like it has come to an end. According to sources that spoke to ESPN, Indy will start rookie quarterback Riley Leonard against the Texans this Sunday.

“I think, obviously, bringing Philip in to come here is what he wanted to do, and he's been playing,” Steichen said on Monday. “Obviously, there's one left, and so those are conversations that we're having with him to see how that goes, and that's pretty much it. I mean, if Riley's out there starting on Sunday, it'll be good for him. It'll be good for his development.”

With Riley Leonard making his first regular-season start in the NFL, the Colts will likely want to lean on the ground game if they want to have success against Houston's top-ranked defense.

“I think, in order to win this game, we're going to have to move the ball and score some points,” explained Indianapolis offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. “The run game is going to be a big part of that thing. So, if it goes well - shoot - we probably will be running the ball with some success.”

Prediction for Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans (-10)

This will likely be a dominant win for the Texans. Starting an unproven rookie quarterback against one of the league's best passing defenses (second in passer rating allowed and fourth in passing yards per game allowed) just seems unfair. Houston is going to focus all of their defensive efforts on stopping the run and limiting the impact of Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who has struggled recently with 72.4 rushing yards per game in his last five outings, well below his season average of 97.4 yards per game. Indy will not have a lot of success on the ground against the Texans' fourth-ranked run defense (94.8 rushing yards per game allowed). Houston will easily win this game and probably even score a defensive touchdown at some point.

Prediction: Texans 27 - 10 Colts

How to watch Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans (-10)

Colts @ Texans starts at 1:00 p.m. EDT at NRG Stadium. You can watch it on CBS or stream it via the Paramount+ app or YouTubeTV.

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