INDIANAPOLIS - The Hail Mary pass hung in the air at Lucas Oil Stadium for what felt like a lifetime. Rodney Thomas II couldn't wait any longer and left his feet, up into the air where the ball was headed. But gravity won, and down he came, and the ball flew over his head and into the arms of a Houston tight end.

Texans 32, Colts 31.

This was the play in Week 18 last season that changed two franchises and created two landing spots for talented rookie quarterbacks.

One of those, Anthony Richardson, will be on the sidelines during Saturday's 8:15 p.m. primetime showcase between the Colts and Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium that serves as a de facto playoff game with both teams at 9-7. The other, C.J. Stroud, will be the primary focus of the Colts as they look to punch their ticket to the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

Richardson landed in Indianapolis after the Colts stayed at fourth in the draft order, keeping them above the Seahawks, whom those close to Richardson believe would have been his landing spot had he been available for their pick. Richardson's rookie season has been over for months due to a sprained AC joint. He will instead watch on as the Colts look to reach the playoffs with Gardner Minshew.

Stroud arrived in Houston on the backs of this victory, as the Texans slid from a projected No. 1 overall pick to the No. 2 spot. Bryce Young, whom many expected Demeco Ryans and the Texans to seek given their Alabama connection, went No. 1 after the Panthers traded up with the Bears. The Texans took Stroud at No. 2 off of a dazzling career at Ohio State.

Richardson and Stroud have offered hope to their franchises in different ways. Richardson's came in flashes of rushing, escapability and deep passes in his four games.

Stroud's are like a weekly highlight reel of throws. In 14 starts, he has 21 touchdowns to five interceptions and a 99.0 quarterback rating. His 8.1 yards per attempt rank third in the NFL behind Brock Purdy and Tua Tagovailoa among high-volume passers. His 8.4 yards of average throw depth are the most in the NFL, per Sports Info Solutions.

“He’s a pure passer. He throws it effortlessly," Colts coach Shane Steichen said. "... He’s played really like a veteran all year. I know he got dinged up with the concussion but shoot, he was playing at an MVP level there."

Stroud will be a runaway winner of the AFC Offensive Rookie of the Year award after a season that has dwarfed what Young has done for the Panthers, where he has 11 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 2-13 record. It makes that Week 18 victory a potential blessing in disguise.

The Texans have gone from a 11-34-1 record over the past three seasons to now sitting at 9-7 like the Colts with a chance to secure either a wildcard spot or an AFC South title with a win.

Steichen and the Colts scouted Stroud heavily in the months leading up to the draft, including in a private workout in Los Angeles and on a visit to the facility. He was one of four potential options along with Young, Richardson and Will Levis, who fell to the Titans in the second round.

The Colts fell in love with Richardson's upside as a runner, passer, teammate and leader, and they claim they would have taken him at No. 1.

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But they also had fans in the building of Stroud's game, especially following his performance against Georgia in the College Football Playoff.

"Writing him up and getting to know him with all the interviews and the travel and all that stuff that goes on in that process he was really, really mentally into the game of football. He would love talking ball with us," offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. "... Shoot, before we even got everybody in the meeting and that informal time, C.J. was asking us questions about things and really prides himself on his knowledge of the game.

"That’s obviously showing with the success that he’s having this year."

The Colts got to see the breakout start in Week 2. After Richardson ran for two touchdowns to give the Colts a comfortable lead, they had to hang on as Stroud completed 30 of 47 passes for 384 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-20 Indianapolis win.

Stroud won eight of his next 12 starts and showed he's more than a distributor to elite receivers like some pegged him as at Ohio State. Throwing to unestablished targets such as Nico Collins, Tank Dell and Noah Brown this season, Stroud has produced the mix of the ball placement, accuracy and functional mobility that led some to call him the best pure passer in this year's draft.

He's only run 36 times for 147 yards, though he does have three touchdowns. The lack of aggressiveness and comfort on designed runs dropped him compared to Richardson in the Colts' eyes, but the rest of his tools have combined into a player who has hit the ground running as a rookie.

"Man, it's just his poise. He was baptized early, and once he got on that rhythm and roll... you can tell how he's able to work through his reads," Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "He's not afraid to use his legs to be mobile and extend plays or just to go and pick up quick first downs. The arm talent is definitely there."

Stroud's ability and willingness to attack all parts of the field will be the focus of the Colts' game plan after weeks of playing backup or struggling quarterbacks such as Young, Mac Jones, Jake Browning, Mitch Trubisky, Taylor Heinicke and Aidan O'Connell.

It's a battle of youth, as the rookie Stroud will go up against rookie cornerbacks JuJu Brents and Jaylon Jones on the perimeter, as well as second-year free safety Nick Cross in his fourth career start. Indianapolis is hoping to return Kenny Moore II at nickel cornerback after he missed with a back injury, and Ronnie Harrison Jr. has converted back to his old position at strong safety in order to provide communication and leadership to the group.

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Stroud will have to live without Dell, who helped fuel his breakout with 709 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games before breaking his fibula. He will continue to live through Collins, who has 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns with the ability to play inside or outside. He'll also lean on veteran tight end Dalton Schultz, who has 593 yards and five touchdowns.

He'll throw to them often on roll-outs and play-action in offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik's system that he learned from working under Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. It'll test the discipline of the Colts' coverage as well as a pass rush that has set the Indianapolis record with 49 sacks and ranks fifth in the NFL.

Saturday is just the next of many showdowns with Stroud. It's also the first step to keeping an improbable season alive by topping the quarterbacks who are cooking at this time of the season.

"It's great to see a young quarterback grow and progress," Franklin said, "but it's our job to make him have a bad day."

Contact Nate Atkins at natkins@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter @NateAtkins_.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Colts' road to the playoffs must go through C.J. Stroud