Score of today's Colts game: Why the Indy season ended in Houston

The Indianapolis Colts aren't playing today. It’s a tough pill to swallow for fans who thought this roster had enough juice for a January run. Honestly, seeing the "Final" score of today's Colts game essentially be a reflection of their Week 18 loss to the Houston Texans feels like a recurring nightmare for the Circle City.

The score of today's Colts game is non-existent because Indy’s season hit a wall on January 4th. They finished 8-9. A 38-30 loss at NRG Stadium in Houston was the dagger. While the Texans are busy prepping for playoff matchups, the Colts are already looking at mock drafts and free-agent lists.

The score of today's Colts game that actually mattered

If you're checking the score of today's Colts game hoping to find a playoff result, you’ve basically got to look back at that 38-30 shootout against C.J. Stroud and the Texans. That was the game. The one that decided who went home and who moved on. Riley Leonard, the rookie signal-caller who has been a lightning rod for debate all year, actually put up a hell of a fight. He threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He even added a 1-yard touchdown scamper that briefly gave Indy a 24-23 lead in the third quarter.

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But football is a cruel game.

The final score was 38-30, but it wasn't even that close at the very end. The last eight points for Houston came on a wacky fumble return by Tommy Togiai as time expired. Indy was trying to do that desperation lateral play—you know the one, where everyone just tosses the ball around like a hot potato. It failed. Spectacularly.

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Why the Colts aren't on the field today

You've probably noticed a pattern if you followed this team throughout the 2025-2026 campaign. They were inconsistent. They'd blow out the Dolphins 33-8 in the season opener and then turn around and lose five straight games in December. That late-season collapse is the real reason there is no score of today's Colts game to report.

• Rushing Woes: Jonathan Taylor is a superstar, no doubt. But in that season-defining game, Houston held him to just 26 yards on 14 carries. You aren't winning many games in the AFC South when your best weapon is averaging less than two yards a carry.
• The Kicking Carousel: Losing Spencer Shrader to a brutal ACL/MCL injury earlier in the season forced the Colts to rely on Blake Grupe. To be fair, Grupe was "good as gold" for a while, hitting from 50 and 51 yards, but the stability just wasn't the same.
• The Secondary: The Colts finished the season ranked 31st in passing defense. That is almost impressive in how bad it is. They allowed 262.5 yards through the air per game. When you can’t stop anyone from throwing, you end up watching the playoffs from your couch.

Looking toward the 2026 offseason

Since there is no score of today's Colts game, the conversation in Indy has shifted entirely to the front office. Chris Ballard, the GM who people either love or hate, is already making moves. The big news? The Colts have "mutual interest" in a contract for Daniel Jones, despite his torn Achilles. It seems the team is looking for a veteran presence to compete with or mentor Riley Leonard.

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There's also the Anthony Richardson situation. He ended the year on the shelf with an eye injury, adding to a growing list of durability concerns. It’s a mess. A talented, frustrating, high-potential mess.

Actionable next steps for Colts fans

If you're feeling the void of a Sunday without a Colts score, here is what you should be tracking over the next month:

1. Monitor the Daniel Jones negotiations: This will tell us everything we need to know about how the front office views Riley Leonard's immediate future.
2. Watch the NFL Draft Order: Indy is sitting in the middle of the pack. They need a shutdown corner or a game-changing edge rusher to fix that 31st-ranked pass defense.
3. Coaching Staff Stability: Keep an eye on whether Shane Steichen makes changes to the defensive side of the ball. Being 23rd in overall defense won't get you back to the postseason.

The score of today's Colts game might be a zero, but the work for next September has already begun. The AFC South is getting tougher, and Indy can't afford another December slide.