A tie.
That is how both of these NFL franchises started their 2022 season in the opening game. Maybe we didn’t realize it at the time, but that was one of the many telling signs early in the year that this wasn’t going to be the season that most expected for the Indianapolis Colts.
Fast forward 17 weeks later, Indy has benched Matt Ryan twice, fired Frank Reich to hire Jeff Saturday as the interim head coach, and is now set to pick in the top 10 of the upcoming NFL draft. Likely in the top five, but that is dependent on the outcome of this matchup and others across the league.
The Houston Texans are set to have the No 1 overall draft selection but a win on Sunday over the Colts and a Chicago Bears loss would move them back to the second pick.
This game doesn’t matter for the playoffs but it does have an impact on the future of these rosters. Here are five things to watch for in the final game of the season for Indianapolis: