Texans Seize Control Of AFC South From Colts

If the Indianapolis Colts are unable to make the playoffs after descending into yet another discouraging hole, they can look back at too many winnable one-score games that were lost like Thursday night’s 20-17 loss at Houston.

But this game was more important than any of the others. The matchup of 6-4 teams sitting atop the AFC South Division determined who would take a big step toward the postseason.

The Texans did, mostly with big passing plays. The Colts didn’t, because they couldn’t throw the ball deep nor defend wide receivers DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller.

Colts fans are understandably scratching their heads. How many times can history repeat itself in one season? It’s the 10th time the Colts have been in a one-score game.

Instead of being as good as 10-1 or 9-2, they’re 6-5 and on the outside looking in, and that’s for an AFC wild-card playoff spot. The Texans not only have a one-game division lead, they own tiebreakers in common-opponent record and conference win percentage.

The Texans, blown out 41-7 at Baltimore on Sunday, rebounded as Hopkins caught six passes for 94 yards and two TDs and Fuller continually burned the Colts deep with seven receptions for 140 yards. A Hopkins 30-yard TD reception in the second quarter was blown coverage as neither cornerback Pierre Desir nor safety Malik Hooker ran with the deep threat, who couldn’t have been more open deep.

“You play a talented team, they’re going to make plays,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said.

Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson finished 19 of 30 for 298 yards with the two TDs and one interception.

The Colts, coming off a 31-13 home win over Jacksonville in which they rushed for 264 yards, were content for the most part to stick to that effective ground game although leading rusher Marlon Mack is out with a fractured hand. Backup Jonathan Williams delivered his second consecutive 100-yard rushing game, amassing 104 with a 13-yard TD.

The return of four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver T.Y. Hilton after missing three games with a calf strain didn’t turn out to be as helpful as anticipated. Hilton, who was on a play count of 20 to 30 snaps, dropped two passes and finished with just three catches for 18 yards.

“He was feeling a little bit tight, from what I understand,” Reich said.

The last time Brissett faced the Texans in a 30-23 home win last month, he threw a career-high four TD passes. The Texans stuffed the Colts’ run, which forced the quarterback to make plays.

But this time from the outset, Brissett was off. He didn’t spot open receivers early on, and missed on several other short-range throws to open targets. Worst yet, unlike the host Texans, the Colts didn’t take many shots deep. And this was against a secondary missing four regulars. Head-shaking, to say the least.

“We just weren’t clicking in the passing game,” Reich said. “We made a few plays, but just not enough.”

Brissett finished 16 of 25 for just 129 yards. One play he did make was a 5-yard TD rush to provide a 7-3 lead in the second quarter.

Despite the defensive breakdowns, the Colts still led 17-13 in the third quarter after Williams’ TD run.

But the Texans countered with the game’s only score in the final quarter. Bottled up in the run game throughout, running back Carlos Hyde broke free for a 33-yard rush, then Watson hit Hopkins for a 30-yard TD pass play as the wide receiver beat Desir in man-to-man coverage.

The Colts return home to host Tennessee a week from Sunday while the Texans host the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. So it’s possible the two teams could be tied yet again after their next games, but again, the Texans earned the key tiebreaker advantages with this game.

Last season, the Colts started 1-5 but rebounded with nine wins in 10 games to make the playoffs for the first time since 2014. Once again, they're in a hole, but it's much later in the season.

“The message was there’s still plenty of football left,” Reich said of what he told his players. “We’re not out of this thing.”

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