For the second consecutive week, the Indianapolis Colts lost. Indy couldn’t keep a perfect divisional record, falling short to the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in a game filled with mistakes and missed opportunities.
The Colts scored under 20 points for the first time all year in their worst offensive display under Daniel Jones. The Colts punted on their first three drives and never seemed to get back on track.
The Texans gashed the Colts’ secondary after Sauce Gardner exited with a calf injury in the first quarter, and the duo of Woody Marks and Nick Chubb made some clutch runs when it mattered most to finish off their division foe.
Let’s take a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Colts’ loss.
The GoodAlec Pierce
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce (14) makes a catch in front of Houston Texans cornerback Kamari Lassiter (4) for a touchdown Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
To put it simply: the Colts need to extend Alec Pierce.
Pierce showed out again with 4 receptions for 78 yards and a beautiful toe-tap touchdown in the back corner of the end zone against two defenders.
Pierce continued his deep threat tendencies, averaging 19.5 yards per catch. Pierce’s touchdown was his second on the season, a stat that doesn’t do him justice when you look at the actual impact he has on the passing game.
Cam Bynum
Nov 30, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts safety Cam Bynum (0) celebrates with teammates after an interception during the first half against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
After snagging two interceptions in his first two games with the Colts, Cam Bynum had been on a cold streak. That streak was snapped against C.J. Stroud.
Bynum brought down his third pick of the season in the first half to set up the Colts’ first scoring drive of the day. It wasn’t some miraculous play, but Bynum took advantage of an overthrown ball to help put points on the board.
The BadIndy’s Pass Rush 
Indianapolis Colts nose tackle Chris Wormley (96) sacks Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) on Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
When you watched the two offenses play, one thing stood out. Stroud had all the time in the world, and Daniel Jones had none.
That’s not to say that Jones didn’t get any windows, because he did, but when compared to Stroud’s time in the pocket, it was incomparable.
The Colts had two sacks on the day thanks to practice-squad call-up Chris Wormley and defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore. Aside from those two instances, Stroud was finding a lot of time to extend plays, giving his guys plenty of time to create separation.
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Shane Steichen Under Pressure
Nov 30, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen during the first half against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images
Once again, Shane Steichen’s play calling under pressure has come into question. Following what may be their worst first quarter of the season, the Colts strung together a few drives in the second and third.
The final drive, however, was questionable. It started well, with Jonathan Taylor chugging along for some first downs and Jones finding Pierce for a 22-yard completion, but the final four plays were ugly.
Taylor got the call on first down, running behind Quenton Nelson for a yard. On second-and-9, the Colts chose to pass in four-down territory, and the pass was incomplete down the left sideline for Pierce.
Now at third-and-9, Steichen doesn’t have any other option but to pass. The call was fine, and Jones beat the blitz, but Josh Downs dropped the ball for the second time on the day.
It’s hard to peg the loss on Steichen, but that second-down decision to throw instead of feeding Taylor for another short gain to set up third-and-manageable may come back to haunt the Colts.
The UglyThe Referees
Nov 10, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen talks with a referee during the second half against the Buffalo Bills at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images
This loss can only be compared to one Colts game in recent memory: their 2023 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Bad officiating can be dealt with. Terrible officiating cannot. The Texans were absolutely gifted a touchdown in the fourth quarter after a ref threw a flag for pass interference on Kenny Moore II to bail out the Texans on third-and-long.
Not only was pass interference called, but the play should have never happened to begin with. The Texans ran the play clock to zero, and the refs refused to call a delay of game penalty, setting up a Nico Collins touchdown a few plays later.
NFL Officiating at its finest. Texans get bailed out by no delay of game and get a phantom DPI, leading to a Collins TD.
Then Fairbairn looks to miss the XP, but they call it good.
Texans lead the Colts 20-13.
— Andrew Moore (@AndrewMooreNFL) November 30, 2025
That wasn’t the worst part, though. The refs missed multiple facemask calls throughout the day, including one that was missed on the Colts’ final drive that would have put Indy in the red zone with a first down.
You can’t do much when calls like that are missed. Still, the Colts can complain about the refs, but the most important thing is how you respond afterwards.
Colts’ Offensive Execution
Nov 30, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) walks off the field after the Indianapolis Colts lost to the Houston Texans 20-16 at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
The first ten weeks were impeccable. The Colts’ offense was breaking records, and it seemed like the punt team never took the field.
The past couple weeks have brought the Colts back to reality, especially this week. The Texans’ defense is one of the top units in the league, but the Colts left a lot of plays out there.
After punting thrice to start the game, the Colts’ fourth drive came to a fourth-and-short situation. Steichen dialed up a sneak with Tyler Warren under center, but the snap was botched, forcing the Colts to turn the ball over on downs.
That came only two drives after Jones fumbled a snap, which is an absolute momentum killer.
The Colts only had three drives in the second half, and they scored points, but it wasn’t enough. Once the Colts got near the red zone, it seemed the operation fell apart.
Next up on the Colts’ schedule is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who overtook the Colts for the lead in the AFC South. The Colts haven’t won in Jacksonville since 2014, so they’ll look to snap that streak in Week 14.
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