If the defense puts too much emphasis on containing Taylor again, Richardson will burn them running. In six quarters against the Texans, he has three touchdowns rushing and a 10.1-yard average per carry.
“You see their style of play and who they want to be,” Ryans said. “First and foremost, they want to run the football. Getting Taylor back (from an injury), he’s an exceptional playmaker. He has the stop-start ability, home run speed (and) contact balance. They have to rely on the run game, and they have really good guys who can run it with JT and Richardson.”
In their loss at Green Bay on a field goal with no time remaining, the Texans were missing five defensive starters, four of whom were injured. Rookie cornerback Kamari Lassiter, who missed the last two games because of a shoulder injury, returns at a good time.
The defensive backs can’t have a repeat performance and allow Richardson to complete three long passes for 171 yards, including two to Pierce, who averaged 41.7 yards on his three catches.
“That’s where to start, with the explosive passes — we know we gave up some in our first game,” Ryans said. “We have to be disciplined in our coverage and play the defense the proper way. We try to eliminate those explosives.
“We’ll see how they try to attack us. They’re getting some guys back. It’s going to help them with their run game. We’ll be ready for whatever they throw out.”
The Texans were able to escape Lucas Oil Stadium with the victory in the first game because the offense was terrific, starting with Joe Mixon, who carried 30 times for 159 yards and a touchdown.
The Texans accumulated 417 yards, including 213 rushing that allowed them to control the ball for 40 minutes to the Colts’ 20. The offensive line did an excellent job of run blocking.
C.J. Stroud threw for 234 yards and two touchdowns with a 115.9 rating. Stefon Diggs caught both touchdown passes. The Colts sacked Stroud four times in that game.
The Texans had serious protection issues against the Packers they believe have been cleaned up. They can’t afford another performance like that if they plan to sweep the Colts.
The only time the Texans defeated the Colts two times in one season was 2016 when Brock Osweiler outdueled Andrew Luck in both games. We’ll find out Sunday if Texans’ history is going to repeat.