Deja Vu! Colts Benefit Once Again From Late Texans Fumble in Nailbiter Finish
INDIANAPOLIS — Two weeks later, another fumble at the end had the Indianapolis Colts celebrating and the Houston Texans shaking their heads.
Linebacker Darius Leonard knocked the football loose from wide receiver Keke Coutee at the 2-yard line and linebacker Bobby Okereke recovered in the end zone for a touchback with 19 seconds remaining for a 27-20 Colts victory on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
"It lets you know we're going to fight to the finish," Leonard said.
"The Maniac" and safety Khari Willis led the Colts with nine total tackles and each forced a fumble that the home team recovered.
“It’s crazy. It’s crazy,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said. “Playmakers make plays in the clutch when it's needed.”
Just two games ago, the Texans were 2 yards away from a potential game-winning score late when a bad snap led to linebacker Anthony Walker’s fumble recovery with 1:22 remaining in a 26-20 Colts win at Houston.
The Colts (10-4) have won five of six and the sweep of the two-time defending AFC South Division champion Texans (4-10) enables Indy to at least temporarily move into the fifth AFC playoff seed. If the Browns win at the Giants tonight, the Browns would be in fifth. Although tied for first in the division with the Tennessee Titans, the Colts don’t have the division tiebreaker on their rivals.
That’s why Sunday was important. It kept the Colts in a solid postseason position with two regular-season games remaining. The Colts are at the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday, then finish at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12). The Jags’ only win came against the Colts in Week 1.
A strong offensive start and effective pass rush led by DeForest Buckner's career-high three sacks put the Colts in position to stave off the Texans. The Colts led 14-0 in the first quarter and sacked Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson five times for a second consecutive game, but needed a late score after Coutee provided a 20-all tie on a 9-yard TD catch with 7:25 remaining. It was just the second touchdown the Colts' fifth-ranked defense has allowed in the second half of the past six games.
Back came Rivers and the offense. The Colts were looking at a second-and-20 pass play when wide receiver T.Y. Hilton got loose down the middle for a 41-yard pass reception to the Texans’ 3. Hilton always seems to have the Texans’ number, and came up clutch again.
Two plays later, Rivers hit Zach Pascal with a short pass in the flat, and Pascal needed to overpower a defender and extend about 2 yards to the pylon for a 5-yard scoring reception with 1:47 remaining.
Pascal caught an 11-yard TD pass in the first quarter. After the game, he gave his gloves to a young fan.
Pascal's second score set the stage for more last-minute dramatics.
Coutee caught a 13-yard pass from Watson and was trying to reach the goal line when Leonard knocked the ball loose at the 2-yard line. It bounced into the end zone, where Okereke came out of the scrum with the recovery.
It’s not often an NFL team gets lucky twice against the same opponent in the same season, let alone a span of just three games. The Colts will take it.
"I feel like at this point it's not a shock anymore," Pascal said of his defense. "We know the defense is going to make a play."
The Colts are well aware of something else, too.
"We know this marathon is not over," Reich said.
